Twitch Introduces A New Animal Category, And Some Of The Best Channels Are Interactive

A new "Animals, Aquariums, & Zoos" category on Twitch will let viewers vibe with turtles, feed the ducks, and more. The new category comes as part of Twitch's Animal Week celebration, which adds new animal emotes while looking to raise awareness about protecting the animals of the world and their habitats.

Twitch is curating a lineup of some of the best animal-focused channels for the launch of the category. You can feed the ducks over at DuckvilleUSA using bits, or watch sea otters do cute otter things over on the MarineMammalRescue channel. If you've ever wondered what honey bees do in the winter, you can find out by checking out theHoneyBeeHangout. And there's plenty more animal-focused channels to choose from.

Twitch has partnered with various zoos, aquariums, and animal non-profits for the category, and is hoping the streams will not only attract viewers but also directly help conservation efforts both through subscriptions and through raising awareness.

"Dedicating a space to our wonderful companions isn't just a morale booster--it's an exciting way to elevate the importance of environmental and conservation issues facing these critters of varying sizes and origins," the Twitch blog announcing the category reads. "We're working with zoos, aquariums, and animal non-profits to elevate the animals, their conservation, and the restoration and conservation of the environment they need to thrive."

Earlier this year, Twitch added more than 350 new stream tags, including tags related to sexual orientation, gender, mental health, and more. The Animals category isn't the first new category Twitch has rolled out this year either, with the streaming platform also having created a "Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches" category.