The internet has changed humanity in countless ways, but one of the best things that it has brought us is unlimited animal content. Cute videos of puppies frolicking in a field, pictures of cats napping in the most bizarre positions and videos of bears approaching security cameras outside of people’s homes. We will never run out of precious animal content, and I feel extremely grateful for that!

And one of the best places online to find cute and funny images of silly creatures is the Funny Animal Memes Instagram page. This account has amassed over 20k followers since its creation in 2013, and it’s a wonderful place for anyone who loves memes or animals. And if you love both, you’re definitely in for a treat! 

One of the reasons why we all love photos and memes of animals is because, well, we love animals in general! The Zebra reports that one third of households worldwide own at least one pet, and there are 471 million dogs and 370 cats kept as pets around the globe. 

There are even 249,651,000 birds kept in households around the world, and in the United States, two thirds of households have a furry, fluffy, feathery or scaly member of the family. As far as why we’re so passionate about having pets, psychologist Jason N. Linder wrote a piece for Psychology Today noting that our brains are hardwired to need connection. And having a little animal companion keeps us from feeling isolated or lonely. 

Research has found that pet owners are overall less depressed than non-pet owners, and pets make us feel needed and important in a way that can boost our self-esteem. They rely on us for food, care and love, and in turn, we can receive affection and warmth from them. Any pet owner will testify that the bond they have with their little creature is strong, and as humans, we need relationships. There’s nothing wrong with one of your best friends being a puppy!

Linder goes on to note for Pyschology Today that pets are pure, and our relationships with them can be simple in the very best way. They won’t gaslight us or stab us in the back. As long as we treat them properly and show them love, they will be unwaveringly loyal back to us. 

“There aren't too many experiences more corrective and therapeutic than feeling valued, loved, important, and special,” Linder writes. “In fact, for traumatized individuals, experiencing these emotions can actually help survivors have healthier relationships with other humans later on.”

Lindner also notes that pets “only know and breathe connection.” We communicate with them non-verbally. We learn how to understand one another’s behavior and breathing patterns, without having to worry about articulating well or sounding stupid. As someone who lives in a country where I don’t speak the native language, having a pet makes my home here feel even more like home. He doesn’t judge me for speaking another language, he simply treats me as a human being, and it’s a relief to communicate with him without having to worry about language barriers. 

Some people might even admit that they like animals more than they like people. One study found that when participants heard a story about a victim being assaulted by a baseball bat, they had the same level of empathy if the victim was a baby, a puppy or an adult dog. But they had less empathy if the victim was an adult human. Perhaps because animals are voiceless and rely on us for help and care, we feel more affection for them than adults, who we assume can stand up for themselves.  

BetterHelp also notes that the influence of pop culture should not be overlooked when discussing why so many people prefer animals to other humans. “Take a moment to think about how many pet movies you likely watched as a kid. Many of these media portrayals endow dogs and cats with human qualities,” the BetterHelp team writes. “They sometimes talk to each other using verbal words as people would, indulge in dreams for the future, and fall in love just like we do. Popular culture has drilled it into us over generations that our pets are just like humans, and primed many of us to be animal lovers from a young age.”

And, of course, there are benefits to having a cute, cuddly little creature around. Spending time with pets has been found to lower blood pressure, the CDC reports, and animals are often used in therapy to help people cope with trauma or recover from physical and/or mental health conditions. We know it’s not feasible for everyone to have a pet, and it’s certainly smarter to not have one than to get one that you can’t properly care for. Thankfully, if you’re in need of cute animal content, all you have to do is return to this list right here!   

We hope you’re enjoying scrolling through these precious and silly memes, pandas! Keep upvoting the ones you find particularly adorable, and let us know in the comments what the silliest thing you’ve ever seen an animal do was. Then, if you’re interested in checking out even more funny animal photos, look no further than right here!