Cute animals doing funny things have always ruled the internet — some of the first viral sensations, like Keyboard Cat and Sneezing Baby Panda, became instantly memeified.
Fast-forward to today, and the internet's love for adorable little creatures is stronger than ever. Right now, social feeds are being inundated with animal stars, from Moo Deng, the feisty pygmy hippo who somehow has an expression for every mood, to chonky boy Pesto the Penguin, whose stature is melting hearts everywhere.
At a time when people might be looking for a bit of joy and distraction from the real world, these viral sensations offer the perfect escape. And memes — they've given us so many memes.
So, Mashable has rounded up some of the internet’s favorite animals of the moment, which are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Moo Deng
On July 10, 2024, a hot new bombshell entered the villa of internet-famous animal personalities when little Miss Moo Deng was born. The bouncy baby pygmy hippo has been known to wreak havoc inside her enclosure at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, nibbling on zookeepers and throwing temper tantrums. (She’s a Cancer — she’s very emotional.) Still, she’s just so adorable. Who could resist the childlike antics of a feisty baby hippo? Seemingly, no one. She’s inspired countless works of fan art, her own merch line, TikTok beauty trends, and an SNL sketch. She’s so popular that the Thai zoo has launched a 24-hour livestream of its pygmy hippo enclosure so you can keep up with Moo Deng from anywhere in the world. She’s unbothered, moisturized, in her lane, focused, and flourishing. That’s real It-girl behavior. — Crystal Bell, culture editor
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Juni, @lyssielooloo's cat
Lyss, also known as @lyssielooloo on TikTok and Instagram, is an influencer from Orange County who posts daily content about her life, looking like the young Jennifer Garner in 13 going on 30, and, of course, her perfect cat Juni. There is so much to love about Juni. For starters, Juni is a ragdoll cat, so it's not surprising that he's so calm and even-tempered, but what is surprising is how often he falls asleep straight up any time she holds him. — Christianna Silva, senior culture reporter
Molé
Have you ever seen a baby sloth? Did you know they were this cute? I wasn’t aware until I came across Molé, an orphaned baby sloth, on my FYP. The videos were posted by creator Kyle Thomas while volunteering at the Kids Saving the Rainforest rehabilitation center in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, where he would take little Molé into the jungle for his daily dose of vitamin D and behavioral enrichment via tree crawling. With his sleepy eyes and upside-down smile, little Molé fully embodies the essence of relaxation goals, even down to the stuffed teddy bear he clings to for comfort. Forget girlrotting; I want to be a sloth. — CB
Pesto the Penguin
It’s hard to feel down looking at an absolute unit of a penguin. Pesto the Penguin — a massive baby King Penguin at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium — is the perfect brain bleach. You don't need to know anything beyond the fact that this big boy weighed 50 pounds at nine months, and he still has his black, fuzzy feathers, while most King Penguins are fully grown at around 30 pounds. He's adorable, towers over his peers, and fun to watch waddle around. — Tim Marcin, associate culture editor
Hua Hua
Hua Hua is the people's princess of China... or at least the darling of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu. A rotund giant panda beloved for her sweet demeanor and onigiri-shaped body, Hua Hua spends her days with her sister, He Ye, toddling around, nibbling on bamboo stalks, and playing with her caretaker, Tan Jintao (referred to affectionately as "Grandpa Tan"). In addition to being very demure and very mindful, Hua Hua has a distinct appearance that makes her stand out due to developmental delays that left her smaller and weaker than her other panda friends. It's only made people fall more in love with her. On the Chinese social media platform Weibo, Hua Hua's hashtag has accumulated billions of engagements. She's even reached celebrity status. — CB
Simon Sits (Isabell Klee)
The TikTok account SimonSits is named after Isabell Klee’s very good dog Simon, who is very adorable and well-behaved. But a major draw of Klee’s account is actually the foster pups she regularly takes in and helps get adopted. The internet (and myself) have fallen in love with the likes of her fosters King, Poutine, and Aruba. Klee often fosters pups who’ve had difficult experiences or have medical needs and works to show how wonderful they are. It’s truly lovely to see. — TM
Biscuits
I respect a savvy marketing team. With the internet consumed by Moo Deng memes and Pesto the Penguin edits, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society saw an opportunity to raise awareness of its marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation efforts and seized it. Enter Biscuits, a quirky baby seal with big, round eyes, rescued in August after being separated from her mother. In a TikTok with over 14 million views, the VAMMR wrote, "This is a public service announcement – Biscuits would like to be included in your list of favorite baby animals!" Ask, and you shall receive. Don’t forget — Biscuits is also available for symbolic adoption. — CB
Bonus: We Live in Time horse
Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield are having a rough time in A24’s We Live in Time. It's a pretty devastating romance about a couple facing a terminal cancer diagnosis. But it wasn't Pugh and Garfield who took the internet by storm when Film Crave posted a first look image of the movie — that position was taken by the ugly carousel horse. He's hideous. He's their third. As Stephen Colbert said, he's "tripping balls on ketamine." He stole the show and, along with it, our hearts. If we ranked the horses of pop culture in 2024 instead of 2022, he would certainly make the final cut. — CS
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