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#RateaSpecies? Zoos Share Amazon-Style Reviews of Animals on Twitter

By Michele Debczak

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The online rating system popularized by sites like Amazon and Yelp has finally reached the animal kingdom. As Earther reports, zoos, aquariums, and science museums are taking to Twitter to review fuzzy, scaly, and feathery specimens with the hashtag #rateaspecies.

The official Twitter account of the Oregon Zoo kicked off the trend on March 9 by tweeting out a picture of a river otter with a four-star review. "Overall very good first impressions," the tweet reads. "Sturdy built, totally winter-ready and waterproof. Only comes in brown but that’s actually a plus for me." Shervin Hess, who runs digital media at the zoo, told Earther he got the idea from an Amazon review he read that described hiking boots in a similar way.

He followed the tweet with reviews of other animals, each one receiving a four-star rating (Hess says he wouldn't consider giving an animal anything less). Soon other institutions on Twitter started jumping on the hashtag.

"High-quality squeak system, thrives in rocky situations," the Yosemite Conservancy wrote of the pika. It earned four stars despite being "maybe TOO cute" and a "potential pun hazard."

Check out more of the top-rated species below.

[h/t Earther]

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