We鈥檙e on board with meditation, getting out in nature, and maybe even taking an aluminum bat to some electronics as stress relief. But sometimes you need something different, something that can soothe in a matter of seconds wherever you are, especially if you happen to be at your desk and your inbox has turned into a dumpster fire. For that, we suggest wildlife livestreams. At 国产吃瓜黑料, we鈥檙e casual fans of animal cams like Katmai National Park鈥檚 bear-watching offerings. In service of you, our valued and probably stressed-out reader, we needed to go deeper.
A note on our process: There are more than 50 streams available just on Explore.org, the most popular and prolific nature-viewing website. We narrowed down our picks to those featuring real live camera footage, not highlight reels that are played 24/7, rerun-style, on seasonally defunct streams when the animals are away. What follows is our official curated ranking of the most exciting wildlife activity streaming right now, with screenshots from our actual viewing experiences as evidence of excellence.
Birds
#3. Peregrine Falcons
The Alberta Conservation Association鈥檚 promise views of 鈥渟omewhat violent birds of prey鈥 (their words) at home. More exciting, several of the peregrines have been tending to eggs, and June is hatching season. Still, we docked points for lack of daily activity and the fact that only one bird is present in each stream. Peregrines are majestic creatures, but roosting peregrines are just sitting there. Show us the babies!
#2. Bald Eagles

Articles editor Jonah Ogles awarded high marks to the American Eagle Foundation鈥檚, which features a pair of bald eagles currently raising two eaglets. Even better, this eagle cam features two different viewing angles. 鈥淭hat makes it feel much more alive,鈥 Ogles says, 鈥渆ven though all the eagle is doing is sitting there making the face your uncle makes after he makes a lame joke. 鈥楬uh? Huh?!鈥欌
#1. Penguins
In our academic debate on the merits of various livestream environments, we determined that zoo livestreams are the most dependably entertaining. The reasons are obvious, if a little depressing鈥攖he animals can鈥檛 roam very far from the shot and you get to watch feeding time. But we could not resist any of the we encountered, particularly the one from , where feeding time came with an educational talk and research editor Luke Whelan learned that 鈥減enguins are projectile defecators.鈥
Bears
#3. Pandas

Pandas will always rank somewhere on any list in our hearts. But they鈥檙e pushing it here. is the rare captivity-based livestream that鈥檚 boring, with a camera angle muddied up by passing visitors and a very complicated panda climbing structure. The bear in question often seems to be moving around at least. The same cannot be said of , though we recommend this one for its unimpeded view of its very lazy pandas. 鈥淭he only way I can tell this is working鈥攂ecause the panda has not moved in several minutes鈥攊s that there is running water in the cam,鈥 Ogles says. 鈥淐ute panda though.鈥
#2. Polar Bears

Another zoo cam that doesn鈥檛 disappoint, though we admit to giving our favorite stream, in the , somewhat of a free pass. If you鈥檙e in the United States, you鈥檒l probably be watching a highlight reel during the day since the zoo operates on a very different time zone. We still felt invested seeing the mother and two cubs putz around and tear up a carcass for lunch. Not to mention a very active contingent of Explore.org commenters keep running tabs on the bears鈥 live activities during the day.
#1. Brown Bears

Katmai National Park鈥檚 are a definitive classic in the livestreaming canon. These bears have distinct personalities and, when not hibernating (they reemerge in June), are always busy. 鈥淭hese bears are rolling around in the grass, taking a dip in the river, feasting on fresh salmon,鈥 Ogles says. 鈥淎ll of those are things I wish I was doing at this very moment.鈥
Marine Life
#4. A Lot of Fish
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FEiOjdr9Nz4
fit for a Windows screensaver, or the of the giant sea bass? We ended up in a tie between both offerings from the Aquarium of the Pacific. Your best move is to keep both tabs open all day so you don鈥檛 miss the occasional educational presentations delivered by a scuba-diving staff member.
#3. Otters

All the otter cams we reviewed had a major flaw: too far away from the otters. Unlike bears and birds of prey, otters are best experienced up close and personal. The offers the best lighting and two different camera angles, though the activity wanes when the otters are left to their own devices (that is, floating aimlessly). 鈥淚鈥檝e been there during feeding, so I鈥檇 recommend people watch then, when the otters are psyched on food,鈥 says editorial production fellow Ula Chrobak.
#2. Jellyfish

鈥淪omething about a predator without a brain is inherently disturbing,鈥 assistant editor Abigail Barronian fairly pointed out as we watched this from Monterey Bay Aquarium. But something about jellyfish is also deeply meditative and worthy of a second monitor for all-day background visuals, which is exactly what assistant social media editor Svati Narula has done in the past. As associate video producer Marie Sullivan put it, 鈥淚 played some Enya while watching, and let me tell you鈥︹
#1. Walruses

鈥淚f a herd of two dozen walruses doesn鈥檛 make you smile, you have a heart of stone,鈥 says online managing editor Abigail Wise. did poke at our cold, dead hearts with their antics, throwing their heads back, wiggling their tusked faces about, basking in the breaking waves. What is truly remarkable about this feed, though, is that it is truly in the wild, out on Alaska鈥檚 Round Island鈥攁nd yet there is always something interesting happening, like playing Where鈥檚 Waldo to find the cutest walrus in the group.
Alternative Mammals
#3. Koala

In a bracket of animals we鈥檇 most want to watch 24 hours a day, koalas would get a bye. But in reality, they鈥檙e only worth a passing mention. The main problem with the is the two camera angles: One is too far away, and the other is closer but often facing the koala鈥檚 back. Here鈥檚 another problem: Koalas don鈥檛 seem to do anything but sleep. Wise summed it up: 鈥淭he koala is very cute, but I find him dull.鈥
#2. Senior Dogs
Dogs are an alternative animal in the livestream world only because they are so domestic, so easily accessible in person. But then there is the , an organization that has attracted such internet acclaim that watching a room full of the slow-moving residents feels like having a 24-hour window into the lives of celebrities. Besides, as Narula put it, 鈥淗ave you ever seen so many dogs sleeping at once?鈥
#1. Orangutan

If there was ever a time to compare this activity to The Truman Show, watching our seemingly self-aware at the San Diego Zoo would be it. Close-up shots let us watch the orangutan doze off after donning a burlap sack in what looked remarkably like an Obi-Wan Kenobi costume. 鈥淭he most riveting nap I鈥檝e ever watched,鈥 said Sullivan as she took multiple screenshots. Our hero later woke up and, like Truman Burbank before him, peered beyond his enclosure and pondered those who were watching him. (Well, that鈥檚 what it looked like.)

All the Rest
#3. Bats

Fruit bats, , were a controversial pick among the group. But with their glowing eyes and bug-hunting activity, they looked just like hungry, winged little foxes. At least to some of us. 鈥淎s I type this, one is very close to the cam and scratching himself and I love him,鈥 said Wise, officially proving herself to be the least coldhearted of all 国产吃瓜黑料 staffers.
#2. Alligators

鈥淎lligators are boring when they aren鈥檛 attacking something,鈥 Sullivan says, which explains why other predators like sharks and lions didn鈥檛 make our list. However, the of St. Augustine, Florida, were fascinating to watch for a few moments. 鈥淏ut how are they sleeping through all that duck/bird noise?鈥 Sullivan continued, pointing out the other compelling element of this livestream: ceaseless Florida white noise. Crank it on your headphones all day.
#1. Honey Bees
We refrained from including the University of South Carolina鈥檚 controversial (but please do visit and appreciate that someone came up with such a concept, if you can stomach it). Always-frantic honeybees, however, are a delight when their fuzzy little bodies are filmed up close. This wooden platform 鈥溾 is always active and reminded us to get back to work already.