Raccoons are some of my favorite animals. Ever! They’re sneaky, crafty, cunning, adaptable, and they’ve got a quality sense of humor that very few members of the animal kingdom can match. Luckily for me (and, let’s be honest, for you as well, dear Readers), the internet’s full of small and not-so-small niches dedicated to celebrating just how utterly awesome raccoons are. One of these places is the Raccooncore Facebook page, part of the Dogecore brand.

Raccooncore is chock-full to the brim with hilarious and whacky photos of raccoons goofing around, mucking about, and just… doing their own thing. Raccoons are gonna do what raccoons do and we’re powerless to stop them! We can, however, enjoy the chaos. Have a gander at the best photos featured on the Raccooncore page and, as you’re scrolling down, remember to upvote the ones that stole your heart (and possibly all the food in your pantry).

I had a very fun experience chatting with Dogmin, the founder of both the Dogecore and Raccooncore projects. In a hilarious interview with Bored Panda, they shared their personal experiences with raccoons, the inspiration behind the Raccooncore page, as well as why the content they post is so appealing to so many people.

“I’ve only lived in a place where raccoons roam once in my life which was Vancouver, Canada. During the two years I was there, I was able to study them, understand them and in some cases, fall in love with them,” Dogmin told Bored Panda. “Over several months of trust exercises in the alley behind my house, I was able to teach my favorite raccoon (DiaryLea) to wear sunglasses, smoke cigarettes, and reply to text messages on my smartphone to people I didn’t want to talk to that day. They’re highly adaptable creatures and we should learn to fear and respect what they could be capable of if the NRA expands second amendment rights.”

I also reached out to Dr. Suzanne MacDonald, who has researched these wonderful animals, to speak about what makes raccoons so adaptable and mischievous. She works at the Department of Psychology at York University in Toronto and is also the Chair at the Royal Canadian Institute for Science. You’ll find the great insights that she shared with Bored Panda, as well as the rest of my witty interview with Dogmin, below. Let’s dive headfirst into the world of raccoons, shall we?

More info: Facebook | Dogecore.com

#1 Ready For Winter

Image credits: raccooncore

#2 Raccoon – Ok Here’s The Plan

Stinky, you’re on distraction duty. When they come after us lay down a smoke screen. Possumdude, when they shoot at us you pretend to be dead so they think they’re winning. What am I doing throughout all this? protecting the goods. I’ll see you at the safehouse.

Image credits: raccooncore

#3 At Dawn We Ride

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I was curious to find out what the inspiration for the Raccooncore page was. Dogmin told Bored Panda that the page is modeled on their own behavior.

“I spend a lot of time eating out of the dumpster, doing small petty thefts at my local Tesco, and generally looking like I haven’t slept a lot despite sleeping 12-14 hours a day in my computer chair,” they joked. “They are my spirit animals and I wished to share them with the rest of the globe.”

As for Raccooncore’s popularity, Dogmin believes it all comes down to the fact that people relate to raccoons. “They’re like a cross between a dog and a monkey with added mischief. They do crime, they stay up late and they like to wash things in their tiny hands.”

Dogmin also had some life advice for all of you Pandas out there. “Be gay, do crime. Live your best life. If you’re feeling fruity today please check out my website for cool raccoon merchandise. I love you,” they said.

#4 Those Little Eyes

Image credits: raccooncore

#5 They Are Multiplying

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#6 Stay Away From My Son!!!

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Dr. MacDonald from York University told Bored Panda via email that raccoons have a significant advantage when it comes to foraging for food when compared to other city wildlife. “They are generalists which means that they can eat anything they find (unlike many other species, who often specialize in particular kinds of foods). That means that they can survive in a variety of environments. They also have a great sense of smell, pretty good vision, and an ability to ‘see’ through their hands, so they can work at night when humans and many other species are sleeping,” she explained to Bored Panda.

As for their mischievous nature, well, it mostly comes from how dextrous their hands are. “Raccoons have amazing hands that can grasp objects, unlike other species, like coyotes, for example. That means they can get into small spaces, open screen doors, rip off roof shingles, climb fences and drainpipes, climb through open windows, pry open trash cans, grab fish from backyard ponds, etc.,” Dr. MacDonald shared. “They can get into houses, attics, garages, cars, you name it. So I think they earn their reputation as mischievous rascals.”

Finally, Dr. MacDonald noted that we shouldn’t be keeping raccoons as pets. “It is a bad idea for the raccoon. And also illegal in Canada and some States.”

#7 When His Breath Smells Like Trash But You Like The Affection Anyway

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#8 Why Even Bother

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#9 Praise Cheeto

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The Raccooncore page has over 276.6k followers and describes itself as a “pet cemetery” on Facebook. All for the laughs, we’re guessing. The page has got a little bit of everything: from raccoon memes and stories about them on social media to utterly bizarre photos of the animals doing things that defy explanation. Perhaps, we need to think like a raccoon to truly get the full context behind some of these photos.

I had a friendly chat about raccoons, aka trash pandas, with Dr. MacDonald for an earlier article as well. She was kind enough to help Bored Panda understand these animals better that time, too.

According to her, if a wild raccoon should ever show up near your home, you should maintain your distance as much as possible. Feeding them… might be a big mistake. “Give them space, don’t feed them, and just enjoy their antics from a safe distance. If you feed them, they will come—and they will tell their friends. You will regret it, trust me!” she told Bored Panda.

#10 She Uses That Blurring Beauty Filter

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#11 The Last Pickle In The Jar Looking Back At You

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#12 I’ve Never Seen Raccoon Teeth Before

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Dr. MacDonald found that urban raccoons were more likely to figure out problems involving human food than their rural cousins. While this doesn’t make the urban variety ‘smarter,’ it does mean that they’re far more capable of opening trash cans or getting into our attics.

“I can’t say whether these differences are innate or whether urban raccoons learn how to do those things, so the next step is to compare baby urban and rural raccoons on the same tasks to see if the differences exist from birth. This is easier said than done so it is taking several years to collect enough data,” she explained.

#13 With The Boys After Lockdown

Image credits: raccooncore

#14 I’m Gettin Ripped Tonight. RIP That Trash Can

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#15 Smoll

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“A researcher over 100 years ago did a memory test to compare dogs, monkeys, raccoons, and children, and he claimed that the raccoons and kids were the smartest! Certainly, raccoons are not evil geniuses, and they don’t compare with humans in terms of brainpower. Dogs are pretty special, too, because they evolved with humans and so are exquisitely tuned to human behavior. Raccoons have their own kind of smarts, not really the same as any other animal,” Dr. MacDonald told Bored Panda.

Some of the biggest strengths that raccoons have include dextrous and nimble hands, as well as their ability to squish their spines to get into small spaces. This means that they are experts at getting at stores of food that we think are completely safe. They might not be tiny evil geniuses but we think they’re on their way!

#16 Security Taking Me Out Of Spoons After They Introduce A All You Can Eat Offer

Image credits: raccooncore

#17 Me Coming At Home Drunk At 4am Waiting To My Mom To Wake Up At 7am Because I Forgot The Keys

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#18 Spoopy Season Is Upon Us. May God Have Mercy On Our Souls

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#19 *zooms Around Bathroom Floor At 69 Miles Per Hour* “Yo Soap Me Up Bro”

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#20 You Got Any Games On That Thing?

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#21 That Day Was A Good Day

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#22 Blanky Mode Gn

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#23 Thats Me In The Corner, Thats Me In The Spot Light

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#24 Not The Doctor We Deserve But The Doctor We Need

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#25 I Have A Feeling He’s Only In It For The Milk And Cookies

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#26 St. Peter’s Crucifixion. Caravaggio, 1600, Paint On Canvas

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#27 *when Someone Says You’re Pretty*

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#28 She Works Every Night Here To Feed Her Family

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#29 Recruiting Others For Trash Crime!

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#30 Grapes Of Wrath

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#31 Lookin Like A Snacc

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#32 He Needs Some Milk

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#33 Me After Gym

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#34 When Your Milkshakes Don’t Bring Anyone To Your Yard

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#35 Friends

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#36 Doing Toilet Crimes

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#37 Litol Fingies

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#38 Smlem

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#39 I Really Wish He’d Use A Plate If He’s Going To Sit On The Couch

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#40 Tub Raccoon Is Watching You Pee

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#41 The Raccoon Eyes Say “Help Me” But The Look On The Cat Says “My Dad Is A Lawyer So You Didn’t See Nothin”

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#42 We Must Raise Money For His Arm Lengtheny Surgery

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#43 This Package Arrived For You

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#44 Thinkin About Her

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#45 Helping Myself To A Double Double Because Im An Essential Worker

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#46 The Struggle Is Real

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#47 Mom! Moooooommmmmmmmmmmm! I Requested Lasagna!!! Where’s The Lasagna?!! Mom! Noo!!! Moooooommmmm!!!

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#48 No Talk Rn, Only Cry

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#49 We Were Having A Friend Over For Dinner But Now He’s In The Stock Pot And Won’t Come Out

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#50 Don’t Make Me Come Back There I Swear To God

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#51 Lil Vampire

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#52 Love It Blind

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#53 Hey Kid Help Me Break Outta Here

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#54 Now He Will Have To Go To The Dentist

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#55 Here To Work

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#56 “Listen Officer All I Asked If Those Kids Wanted Some Trash, I Dont See The Miss Understanding Here”

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#57 Argh No I Don’t Want To Go To Brazil

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#58 I See No God Up Here But Me

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#59 He About To Do A Flip

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Source: boredpanda.com