Jul 3, 2012

The internet is overrun with cute critters and signs of patriotism. On the 236th anniversary of the birth of our nation, we thought we’d combine the two for a celebration of red, white and blue animals.

: A red-legged tortoise from South America at the Baltimore Zoo July 12, 1995. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: National Thanksgiving Turkey “Apple” is seen in the Rose Garden prior to being pardoned by U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, November 24, 2010. (Jim Young/Reuters)

: For those who only see them bright orange-red and steamed, crabs awaiting steaming in Cambridge show deep blue hues they are named for. (Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun)

: A Red Panda Bear sleeps in the Panda Bear enclosure at the Beijing Zoo on May 22, 2012. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

: A rare albino Southern Right Whale calf surfaces off the coast of the Valdez Peninsula in Argentina’s Patagonia region September 13, 2010. (Maxi Jonas/Reuters)

: A Sky Blue Azureus poison dart frog. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The red squirrel, also called European squirrel, is native to Europe and parts of Asia. (Arno Burgi/AFP/Getty Images)

: A Great White Pelican cleans his coat at the zoo in Krefeld, western Germany, on June 25, 2012. The Great White Pelican is mostly found in Vietnam and South Africa. (Roland Weihrauch/AFP/Getty Images)

: [The Blue Morpho Peleidis butter fly, which is Alas de Colombia’s most popular. (Credit: Alas de Colombia)

: A Starry, Starry Sight! Sea stars at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. (Credit: George Grall)

: There are “doos” and then there are “DOOS.” Donald Paulus of Timonium had his standard white poodle Alex, 9, demonstrate different training lessons at Towson Commons, while displaying an English Saddle Clip. (Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun)

: Two Blue-spotted Fantail Rays rest on the sand after being released into the Sydney Aquarium’s brand new exhibit, the Tropical Bay of Rays, on June 20, 2012. (Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images)

: Red deer roam on a foggy day in the Golan Heights, near Israel’s border with Syria January 17, 2012. (Nir Elias/Reuters)

: A rare two-headed snake explores its surroundings in a private zoo in the Crimean town of Yalta July 8, 2011. The three-year-old snake was brought from a zoo in Switzerland where it was born. (Stringer/Reuters)

: A Blue-eared pheasant is pictured at the aviary El Nido, on September 27, 2011, in Ixtapaluca, State of Mexico, near Mexico City. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images)

: A photo of a red fox taken by Terry Reber and submitted to the Sun’s Reader SunShots series “Animal Kingdom.” (Credit: Terry Reber)

: Polar bear cub Anori swims with her mother Vilma in their enclosure at the zoo in Wuppertal June 6, 2012. Anori was born on January 4, 2012. (Ina Fassbender/Reuters)

: A blue anole (Anolis gorgonae), a highly threatened lizard, is found only on the island of Gorgona, about 50 km off the Colombian Pacific coast. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

: A Scarlet Ibis, which came from Venezuela, at the rain forest at the National Aquarium. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: A white deer is pictured 31 October 2006 on a field near Oberlungwitz, eastern Germany. (Thomas Kretschel/kairospress/AFP/Getty Images)

: A rare blue lobster caught off Ocean City by Capt. John Gourley. The lobster now calls the National Aquarium its home. (Credit: Ginger Nappi of Martin Fish Co.)

: Kevin Moore submitted this photo to the Sun’s Reader SunShots titled “Ticked-off Cardinal.” (Credit: Kevin Moore)

: One of four baby white lions is presented to journalists at a Safari park in the western German city of Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock on May 6, 2010. The baby lions were born in the park in March and are being raised by the zoo keepers there. (Mark Keppler/AFP/Getty Images)

: Clarksville neighborhoods have recently been visited by peacocks. This one is sighted near a home at Middle Patuxent Court. (Credit: Paxtuent Publishing)

: Ladybugs purchased online hang out on a flower in a Columbia, Md., garden. (Credit: Judah Kelber)

: Arctic white wolves are pictured in the zoo in Amneville, eastern France. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP/Getty Images)

: They’re over 100 feet long, weigh more than 150 tons, and are surprisingly mysterious and difficult to observe, considering their gigantic size: blue whales. (ABC Television Network)

: This handout photo released on April 29, 2009 by a research team at the Seoul National University in Seoul shows the world’s first transgenic dogs containing a fluorescent protein which make them glow red under ultraviolet light. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

: An albino baby Bennett’s wallaby is carried by his mother in their enclosure at the zoo in Duisburg June 22, 2012. (Ina Fassbender/Reuters)

: A blue dragonfly (platycnemis pennipes) rests on a reed at the edge of a small lake near Briesen, Germany, on May 13, 2012. (Patrick Pleul/AFP/Getty Images)

: A family of Scarlet Macaws (Ara Macao) perch on a branch on June 27, 2008 at the Zoo Ave, in La Garita de Alajuela some 30 km northwest of San Jose. (Caroline Ventezou/AFP/Getty Images)

: A White Stork can be seen near the eastern German town of Hohenossig on January 7, 2010. Winter weather continues in Germany with more snowfall forecast and very low temperatures for the next few days. (Sebastian Willnow/AFP/Getty Images)