It can be more than a little unsettling to pass an unassuming mountain of trash and hear something rustling around in the shadows of the garbage pile, but depending on where you live, it's probably just a cute little trash panda hunting for its next meal. There's no reason to be scared of these critters unless they are frothing at the mouth in a rabid rage. In fact, humans share more qualities with those tiny creatures than most people actually realize. Are there dark shadows under your tired-l…

When I was younger, I wondered if possums were Irish immigrants, dropping the "O" in opossum to Americanize their names. Unfortunately, that astute theory was untrue, as opossums originate in North America. Drat! Possums are not considered great pets; you don't need an animal scientist to figure it out. The best way to determine if an animal is suited to be a pet is to watch how your mom reacts to seeing one while driving in the car. Dog? Oh yeah, for sure, a pet. Horse? You better believe that…

Raccoons have gotten a bad reputation over the years. Their diet of trash and resistance toward domestication makes them hard to love for many people. However, not everyone is a hater. Some of us developed our love for raccoons through their brief yet impactful appearances in the movies. Pocahontas's bestie Meeko was stellar representation of a sweet and loyal raccoon. In the cult-classic documentary Grey Gardens, Little Edie feeds the raccoon living in her attic two bags of Wonder Bread, refus…

You'd think it would be hard to find someone who doesn't enjoy animal memes . First of all, animals are better than humans. They just are. Second of all, most of them are pretty cute or, at the very least, cool. Like snakes and shit. Or whales and sharks. But there are some people (I'm not naming any names) who think animal memes are too fluffy. Too happy. Too sweet. Sure, some of them describe relatable plights like, uh, being tired, or feeling stupid. But for the most part, animal memes are l…

We sure do.

Sounds nice enough.

If you're cold, they're cold. Let them inside.

We're not so different from these fuzzy garbage-dwellers

If you're cold, they're cold. Bring them inside.

They're not boring.

Why bother

Nothing but love.

Those bandits are adorable.

All hail trash pandas.

This story could've gone way worse...