9 Internet Animals Who Are More Popular Than You Will Ever Be

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9 Internet Animals Who Are More Popular Than You Will Ever Be

We've all seen funny animals on the internet. I'm like, 86% sure that's why they invented the internet. A perfectly timed animal photo can change your mood for the entire day, if not month.

But there are some animals on the internet that soar over all the others, and it's because they're FAMOUS and we love celebrities, even if they're just a monkey in a jacket.

These are some of our favorite viral internet animals, whether they meant to be or not.

RIP HARAMBE. GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN.

1. Pizza Rat

CBC

He is us. We are him. Pizza Rat showed us what we look like at our darkest moments: struggling to carry on in life while also trying to consume a slice of pizza larger than our bodies.

Pizza Rat first graced our lives in 2015 after Matt Little uploaded a video of his courageous journey on YouTube. The video immediately went viral, and racked up over 10 million views. People admired this rat, and wanted nothing but the best for him.

"He appears poised to complete the descent and return to his squalid rat hole with his unnecessarily large prize -- an inspiring demonstration of the grit and determination one needs to make it in New York City," Caroline Bankoff wrote for the Daily Intelligencer.

pizza rat tweet
Twitter
pizza rat tweet
Twitter
Pizza rat tweet
Twitter
Twitter
Twitter

2. Grumpy Cat

Facebook

Perhaps the most well-known grumpster in Hollywood, besides Tommy Lee Jones, is Tardar Sauce the cat. She burst onto the scene in 2012 after her owner's brother posted a picture of her on Reddit. Since then, Grumpy Cat has been the mascot for Mondays all over the world.

Because of her underbite and feline dwarfism, Tardar Sauce is perpetually grumpy (same, honestly) and always willing to shut down your good mood.

CatTime
Odyssey

Grumpy Cat became so popular, that they even gave her a Lifetime Christmas movie, called Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever. She was voiced my notable downer, Aubrey Plaza.

NY Daily News

3. Harambe

YouTube

If you're unaware who Harambe was, because you were living on Mars or something, let me refresh your memory.

On May 28, 2016, the world lost a beautiful gorilla, who had just celebrated his 17th birthday. Harambe was MINDING HIS OWN BUSINESS at the Cincinnati Zoo, when a three-year-old boy climbed into his enclosure and started some shenanigans.

Harambe grabbed the toddler and dragged him further into the enclosure, which prompted mass hysteria from those watching. Everyone feared for the boy's life, and so a zoo keeper made the decision to shoot and kill Harambe. RIP.

Viral Hog

The entire incident was captured on camera, and it went viral within minutes. Everyone felt like the gorilla's death was unwarranted, and began blaming the parents for not realizing their son was literally climbing into a zoo exhibit. Why couldn't they tranquilize him? According to noted gorilla expert Jane Goodall, that really wasn't an option. But she does say that Harambe was trying to protect the child, not harm him.

"It was awful for the child, the parents, Harambe, the zoo, the keepers and the public," Goodall admitted. "But when people come into contact with wild animals, life and death decisions sometimes have to be made."

Harambe is still talked about years later, and everyone feels like his death was wildly unwarranted.

Twitter

RIP in peace, Harambe.

4. The Dead Toronto Raccoon

It's with a heavy heart that I announce this raccoon did not have a name, at least one that was known to humans, but that doesn't mean people did not love him.

In July of 2015, someone in Toronto spotted a dead raccoon on the side of the road and asked animal services to come and pick it up.

The city responded, saying animal services had been notified. But it didn't happen right away. Passersby felt bad for the little fella, and decided to pay tribute to their fallen furry friend.

"Rest dear raccoon," the note said. "Help is on the way from the city."

Six hours later, the poor fella was still laying there. That's when people got really creative.

Two hours after that, animal services had not been by to collect the raccoon, and he started to go viral. Someone left a note with the hashtag #deadraccoonTO, and people started to join in.

Twitter

They even created a tombstone for him.

But it's okay, he's in a butter place now.

Poor little trash panda. Hopefully you and Harambe are having a great time in heaven.

5. Spaghetti Rat

This guy is just too damn cute! There's really not a ton to say about him, but Spaghetti Rat captured everyone's hearts.

Now I know what you're thinking: he's like a real life Ratatouille! Well guess what? You're WRONG. Ratatouille was, in fact, NOT the name of the rat in said film. And unless this rat gets under his owner's hat and cooks a full meal for him, you can keep your terrible comparisons to yourself.

6. Donut Raccoon

YouTube

A little while after Pizza Rat became popular, a raccoon in Toronto (no, not the dead one) descended into a coffee-shop a-la Mission Impossible in order to steal a donut. He wiggles his way through the ceiling tiles are carefully makes his selection before finally escaping with a deep-fried delicacy. His flavor of choice? Orange.

"He's doing it. He is doing it," said one onlooker. "This is incredible."

"Full commitment, full commitment. Go raccoon go!" said another.

I love this raccoon's tenacity, but all I'm saying is that when I try to descend through the ceiling tiles to get free donuts, I'm "trespassing" and "no longer welcome at this location."

7. The Beaver Who Hates Christmas

Listen, we all start to get frustrated with the holidays. But this beaver took it too far when he found out the dollar store he was at only sold fake trees, not real ones.

Instead of doing the normal thing, and just buying a bunch of stuff he didn't need, the beaver decided to TRASH the dollar store in a fit of rage (and also probably confusion.) Rude, right?

The little tyrant was eventually captured by St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, and was brought to a wildlife rehabilitation center where HOPEFULLY they have real trees.

But let's be real, there's only one animal in a store we truly care about

8. IKEA Monkey

Instagram

You could argue that this was the first big viral story of the 21st century (please don't actually argue with me, I cry when people disagree with me).  On December 9, 2012, Darwin the monkey was discovered at an IKEA in Canada, walking around in his shearling coat. He became an instant sensation, and is still a favorite meme across North America six years later.

The Star
Uproxx

Yasmin Nadhuka, Darwin's owner, was fined for keeping a prohibited animal, and Darwin was transferred to a primate sanctuary. One of the volunteers at the sanctuary says it took Darwin a lot of time to warm up to the other monkeys.

"He was actually quite quiet," Daina Liepa said. "We would take turns to look after him so that he wouldn't be too lonely. But now he's now an adolescent and he's actually become very shy. When people come to visit, everyone wants to see Darwin but he will hide and it takes a while for him to feel comfortable to come out. But when he's with us or when he's on his own, he's so rambunctious and jumping and swinging and just being a typical monkey."

Continue living your best life, Darwin.

9. Lil Bub

Move over Grumpy Cat, there's a new viral cat in town...not that you care.

Lil Bub is basically the exact opposite of Tardar Sauce. She's constantly happy, and because of her rare bone disease, Bub is just the cutest darned thing. Her owner, Mike Bridavsky, admits he never thought Bub would get so big.

"Everything started as a joke "“ it was well on its way before I realized I had to start taking it seriously," he said. "Originally it was just because she looks like an alien, and beyond her looks it's just the only explanation for her. Her personality, her demeanor, the way she travels "“ she's not a cat. She's this complete one-of-a-kind creature."

Wired

Bridavsky even has a tattoo of his feline friend on his rib cage.

Wired

The seven-year-old cat is sure to warm even the coldest of hearts.

Lil Bub

Who's your favorite internet animal?

Meagan has an intense love for Netflix, napping, and carbs.