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134 Memes That Make A Strong Case For Animals Being The Funniest Part Of The Internet
The internet has brought humanity a great number of truly incredible things. We have vast amounts of information at our fingertips, can talk to friends across the globe like they’re in the next room, and have more ways to entertain ourselves than ever before. But let’s be honest—memes might be the real MVPs.
So it only makes sense that combining the language of memes with one of humanity’s other great obsessions—our animals—would produce something like internet gold. The @funanimalmemes Instagram account is proof. Just ask its 1.1 million followers. We’ve rounded up some of the page’s best posts. Some are cute, some are downright wholesome, and some are so hilariously relatable that you might find yourself wondering if the animals are in on the joke, too.
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Being online, either chronically or occasionally, can be a pretty overwhelming thing sometimes, and if we aren’t careful, our feeds can quickly become rather depressing. But luckily, sometimes just a meme or video of a ridiculously cute animal is enough to snap you out of your doomscroll, lift your spirits, and begin to restore the best kind of order to the algorithm. Because if you’re anything like me, one video of a baby goat eating a cherry—and then surprisingly gracefully spitting out the pit—is never enough. You go looking for more, and your feed quickly (and miraculously) catches on.
The cherry-eating goat I just mentioned is just the most recent gift I received from a friend whose algorithm was clearly on the right side of the internet gods that day. You see, my friend and I don’t chat all that often these days—adulting, man—but we do share memes—animal ones, of course—pretty consistently. Often there are no frills or strings attached—no “hello, how are you” or detailed life update is needed. Just an animal caught doing something cute or mildly chaotic is usually enough to check in and let the other know: I saw this and thought of you.
And that’s really a large part of the beauty of memes. Sure, they might be silly, and some might dismiss them as trivial, but as Theodora Blanchfield, AMFT, writes for Verywell Mind, “they’re an important social currency and way of communicating online in this day and age. These small, often funny pieces of content are important for their ability to share ideas quickly and succinctly as well as foster a sense of connection and feeling seen.”
That’s because although memes come wrapped in “quippy sayings or observations,” she says, “at their core they’re still an exchange of ideas, just in a very easy-to-digest format.” In this way, they aren’t just disposable jokes—they can function as small, low-effort acts of connection that help maintain relationships over time. Reflecting on her own friend who sends her memes, for example, Blanchfield says, “It’s a tiny reminder that she’s thinking of me and still feels connected. These moments help us keep building our emotional capital, rather than waiting until one of us has something important enough to pick up the phone about.”
It turns out there’s a name for this practice of ours. And as if the animal kingdom hadn’t already given us plenty to be thankful for, we apparently have the Gentoo penguins of Antarctica to thank for it too. Writing for Yahoo Life, Amelia Edelman explains, “Pebbling is the social phenomenon of sending people memes, videos or links to show you're thinking of them. A funny cat video, a recipe, an article you simply have to share ... if you’re DMing it to your pal or partner, you’re pebbling.”
The name comes from male Gentoo penguins, who methodically search for the smoothest, most perfect pebble they can find before presenting it to a potential mate during courtship. If she accepts, Mark Travers, PhD, writes for Forbes, “the pebble becomes the foundation of their nest, and symbolizes the beginning of their life together.”
In human terms, that perfect pebble just looks a little different. As Travers explains, meme-sharing might be our most relatable and widespread modern equivalent—instead of collecting smooth stones, we send along photos, TikToks, and funny tweets we think someone we love will appreciate. It’s basically our own version of saying, “I found this lovely thing, and I think I want you to have it.”
So that cherry-eating goat my friend sent me? Apparently, it was a pebble.
And really, when it comes to animals, as these posts from the @funanimalmemes Instagram account show, there’s an endless supply of gems. Consider them pebbles, and send accordingly.
#26
Laszlo Larthlanc 19 hours ago (edited)
This may be true for the ones that stay outside at my place. It's absolutely not true for the ones who invade the house, which just happened in the kitchen. They found the wet cat food in the middle of the night, and it was black with ants when I got up. That marks the end of the truce whenever it happens. The cat food dish is now sitting in a larger dish filled with water, and there is a broad line of Avon Skin-So-Soft sprayed across their entry trail. I swept up as many of the ants as I could with a 7 inch Dutch brush & dust pan and deposited them outside near another trail. If they're the same species they do not fight, but instead join right in. There were, however, casualties that took place during the process. We've had this talk many times before, but hunger outweighs logic for these ants. The worst thing about all of this is that it took place about 30 seconds after I climbed out of bed, and pushed my first cup of coffee away for an extra 30 minutes.
#32
Breadcrumb. 1 day ago
I watched my cat laying in the grass get nose booped by a young deer. So cute!
#33
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
Not true! They will collect nectar from other blue flowers, not just lavender species, and will also feed on some non-blue flowers, including tomato, eggplant, Lambertia formosa, and Abelia grandiflora.
#39
Sue Denham 1 day ago
Not a real cat. A real cat would have (a) run under the house and hidden it with their stash of removed flea collars, and/or (b) shredded it into confetti.
#42
Elladine DesIsles 1 day ago
I'll join them for breakfast, second breakfast, and elevenses. We can discuss this quest over tea and scones.
#44
Did I say that out loud? 1 day ago
I see nothing wrong with this picture. *searches Amazon for catnip*
#50
Lady Gypsy Rain 1 day ago
Ducks are incredible mess makers. They will also drill holes in your yard. Called snorkeling. We had 50 chickens, some lived in the house and wore diapers. We had 2 ducks. Those cute, sweet natured babies had to be rehomed (they loved their new home) because we couldn’t keep up with the mess and filling the holes that became tripping hazards. Love ducks, but from afar.
#64
Colleen Glim 8 hours ago
Was this a crazy cat lady in 1890? Cuz I have five and she only has four. Totally asking for a friend
#65
Gingersnap In Iowa 1 day ago
It got to the point where I'd spell out walk and Melvin was already at the door.
#67
TheElderNom 14 hours ago
My now passed cat was a real fancy lady. But she'd occasionally sit in a box, but with a look that said she didn't enjoy it one bit, she was just fulfilling this very confusing duty.
#70
LakotaWolf (she/her) 23 hours ago
A lot of the people in my neighborhood have young children. This last summer it seemed like the kids were all outside screaming, all day long. I reflected that it's hard to tell when a screaming child is in actual distress or just... screaming XD
#75
#81
LakotaWolf (she/her) 23 hours ago
I love bees so much! And not just because they're adorable XD I keep a little vial of a product called "Bee-Vive" in my house and I've used it to save 5 bees to date. I know they have a short lifespan and I may only be revitalizing them for another few days of life, but I'm still going to help them when I find them. My family thinks I'm insane, but we need our lil pollinators.
#82
#85
LakotaWolf (she/her) 23 hours ago
I picked up Fenring once when he was around 8 months old so I could weigh him. He pretty much had this expression on his face XD Photo in comment below.
#86
Sue Denham 1 day ago
It's the moon, Mirabelle, not the road. "The cow jumped over *the moon*".
#88
#91
LakotaWolf (she/her) 23 hours ago
Because my oldest cat, Kohl, is a door-dasher (heh), she wears a Tile tracker on her collar. I can "page" the Tile tracker from my phone and it will play a little melody. It's designed for things like car keys or a wallet. Sometimes I can't find Kohl in the house, so I ping the Tile. When the melody starts playing from her collar, she will stalk out of whatever hiding spot she's in and give me a very dirty look XD
#94
BarkingSquirell 20 hours ago
My cat knows I don't I don't speak until I'm halfway through my coffee. Once she's finished eating she walks up, looks up at me and won't leave until I ask if she enjoyed her breakfast.
#101
#103
#116
#118
#120
#122
LakotaWolf (she/her) 23 hours ago
I admit I got one of these pet strollers. I justified it to myself because I have two sets of littermate cats (Rook and Lucanis, Spicy and Joseph) and I usually end up taking both littermates to the vet at the same time for their yearly checkups/boosters/etc. and they don't like to be separated from their sibling, and it's hard to tote 30+ lbs of cat around in one handheld carrier. >_>
#132
Tabitha 21 hours ago (edited)
Just drop the “No”, and ask why. That gives you a bit more leverage. (I’m 65, and have spent 40-odd years working for a*****e managers who like to dump their work on lower level employees, so let me impart my hard earned wisdom on you. Never ever, reply to your boss’ questions in a way that indicates you might have a little breathing room in your stack of work, because they will only make that stack higher. So always appear to be already in the weeds and playing catch up so they don’t dump more on you. Yes, there are those who don’t give a fat rat’s a*s if you’re already swamped and will dump more on you anyhow, but why TF are you still working there?)
#134
LakotaWolf (she/her) 23 hours ago
Please don't throw animals around. They don't understand that you'll (probably) catch them again. All they know is the terror and fear.
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What do you think ?
Auntriarch 22 hours ago
Dr Strange, I'm guessing that isn't necessarily an invitation to scratch the belly....
Doctor Strange 21 hours ago
It depends on who. Lyra here is hit or miss, and you have to have a good relationship with her. Aristeaous, on the other hand, absolutely go for it. Orion, its Always a trap, Never go for it.
Load More Replies... Auntriarch 22 hours ago
Dr Strange, I'm guessing that isn't necessarily an invitation to scratch the belly....
Doctor Strange 21 hours ago
It depends on who. Lyra here is hit or miss, and you have to have a good relationship with her. Aristeaous, on the other hand, absolutely go for it. Orion, its Always a trap, Never go for it.
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