We here at Bored Panda salute our adorable and wily cousins, the trash pandas, with this awesome list. But you probably know these animals by their proper names, dear Readers—raccoons. Check out the hilarious and cute pics of raccoons we’ve collected for your enjoyment and don’t forget to upvote your fave photos as you scroll on down. When you’re done, have a look at our earlier post about adorable raccoons right here.

Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Suzanne MacDonald from the Department of Psychology at York University, in Toronto, who has done research with raccoons and who was kind enough to tell us about these interesting animals.

She pointed out that the best way to enjoy the company of raccoons if they ever show up near your house is to practice social distancing. “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 said. Read on for our full interview with Dr. MacDonald.

#1 My Coworkers Dog Taco And His Pet Raccoon

Image credits: EssenceOfTheDark

#2 Just In Case You Were Having A Bad Day Look How Happy This Raccoon Is With His Stuffed Raccoon

Image credits: dendeqtele

#3 When You Realize You Don't Want To Be Responsible For Anything Anymore And You Just Want To Nap And Be Small

Image credits: unknown

Dr. MacDonald told us more about her raccoon-research and how it showed that urban raccoons were much more likely than rural raccoons to approach and figure out problems involving hidden food. What’s more, urban raccoons came up with more strategies and spent more time figuring things out.

“I wouldn’t say that makes them ‘smarter,’ but it certainly does make urban raccoons more likely to be able to open trash cans and get into our attics than rural raccoons. 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 went into detail about her research.

#4 Raccoons Like My Post, You Should Too

Image credits: fucklestick

#5 The Cookie Jar Bandit

Image credits: shellsraccoonsandwildlife

#6 Once In A Lifetime .... Albino Raccoon Found On Our Vacation In Texas

Image credits: pflanagan372

But just how smart are raccoons and how do they compare to human beings and animals like dogs? Well, Dr. MacDonald stressed the fact that it’s very difficult to compare things across species, especially when we’re talking about something as hard to define as intelligence.

“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,” she said.

#7 For Me?

Image credits: bigmanbeats

#8 Found A Raccoon In This Exact Position

Image credits: sam_pura_vida

#9 While Taking Wedding Photos In The Park, We Were Visited By A Friendly Family Of Trash Pandas! They Checked Us Out For A Few Minutes, Then Went On Their Way

Image credits: Sarah

Raccoons are curious, have very dexterous, nimble hands, and can squish their spines down to get into small spaces. So trash pandas (at least the urban variety) are able to open fridge doors and Tupperware, unzip tents, and even turn doorknobs. Though the latter takes a lot of effort, raccoons seem to have one-upped aliens from movies who seem baffled by doorknobs.

Why would anyone call raccoons trash pandas? Like a lot of things, it all started with an accurate but wayward comment on social media. Way back in 2014, redditor CarlPeligro left a comment stating "Raccoons = trash pandas" and it all snowballed from there.

When you think about it, the name fits, doesn’t it? Raccoons really do love going through trashcans. Meanwhile, they look a lot like black and white versions of red pandas (just keep in mind that they’re not actually related to panda bears despite their name), and voilà, you’ve got yourself a very strong reason to call raccoons trash pandas. We just hope they take it as a compliment of their skills. Trashcans are hard to open when you're as small as a raccoon, after all.

#10 Trash Panda On Its Way To The Promised Land

Image credits: hbottemiller

#11 My Sister Sent Me This Pic Of A Trash Panda Hanging Out In Her Neighbor's Gutter

Image credits: c-root

#12 You Forgot To Pick Me Up From Practice

Image credits: smb3d

#13 Our 93 Year Old Neighbor Passed Away On Sunday. Apparently He Was Feeding These Little Sweeties. Now They Come To Our Door. My Husband Is The New Proud Father Of These 4 Trash Pandas

Image credits: emteeone

#14 The Situation At My Friends Apartment Right Now

Image credits: soupoder

#15 Trash Pandas Found At Work

Image credits: Elborrach0666

#16 He Snack And Get Fat. But Most Importantly - Don't Fit Down Crack

Image credits: josh.behling.12

#17 A Rare Shot Of Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Casting Call

Image credits: MayMyEnemiesLiveLong

#18 This Guilty Raccoon

Image credits: _indzzzzz

#19 Little Trash Panda's First Steps Into Fine Arts

Image credits: titotheraccoon

#20 That Is A Racoon Riding A Javelina

Image credits: Under-The-Texas-Sky

#21 Paint Me Like One Of Your French Trash Pandas

Image credits: xtilexx

#22 If You're Having A Bad Day Just Go Outside, Maybe You'll Stumble Upon Some Adorable Trash Pandas

Image credits: unknown

#23 This Fat Fool Had To Be Rescued By Animal Control

Image credits: mysweetriot

#24 "A Raccoon Introduces His Shy And Hairless Brother To His Friends"

Image credits: unknown

#25 He Was So Ashamed Of Needing Human Help

Image credits: iwascompromised

#26 Found This Picture Of Me And My Pet Raccoon Fishing Together. He'd Wait For Me To Catch And Reel In A Fish So He Could Grab It And Eat It

Image credits: cutecutecute

#27 Happy Halloween, Everyone

Image credits: melanieraccoon

#28 I Came Home Last Night To Find This Thief Just Standing There Menacingly

Image credits: reddit.com

#29 Trying To Hydrate, Nothing To See Here

Image credits: Scaulbylausis

#30 I'm Listening

Image credits: PoonSwoggle

#31 Best Day Ever, Took A Lot To Pull Myself Away

Image credits: JGolden32

#32

Image credits: Anna_Mazz

#33 Sharing Cheetos With The Underground

Image credits: Shadowthrone512

#34 What Taking Care Of 4 Trash Pandas Is Really Like

Image credits: dbvulcan

#35 So I Set My Deer Feeder High Off The Ground So The Raccoons Couldn't Reach It

Image credits: steffinator117

#36 We Ran Into Some Wild Raccoons In Chicago. There Were About 7 Of Them! They Are Fans Of Cheese Puffs

Image credits: titotheraccoon

#37 In 200 Feet, Turn Right At The Intersection

Image credits: MemphisGlover

#38 Look At Them

Image credits: clairelizzie

#39 Yes Ma'am, I'm Sure It's Raccoons In Your Attic

Image credits: commutingtexan

#40 When You Hear A Wild Bit Of Gossip

Image credits: lmaosmh

#41 Had No Idea These Grew On Trees

Image credits: vicgriffin

#42 Trash Panda So Cute

Image credits: Jeff-at-JACE

#43 An Actual Picture Taken Of My Fiancée And Her Sister In 2001

Image credits: dschuurmanator

#44 One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others

Image credits: silent_owlinthenight

#45 Pure, Cozy Bliss

Image credits: Agilulf

#46 But Why?

Image credits: RuffleFingers

#47 This Weird Cat Wanted To Float Today, I Couldn't Say No

Image credits: OrangeEyeris

#48 Trash Panda Reflecting On The Choices That LED Him To This Embarrassing Moment

Image credits: supercitron

#49 Baby Raccoon Hiding From Me

Image credits: CCplayer

#50 Lazy Little Trash Panda At My Apartment

Image credits: samweizen

#51 Inviting A Few Friends Over For Dinner

Image credits: JukeboxSommelier

#52 You Probably Can't See The Trash Panda In This Picture Because He's So Good At Hiding But I Assure You There Is A Trash Panda In This Pic

Image credits: unknown

#53 Who Did It Better?

Image credits: SconnieNews

#54 Sorry Amazon. I Didn’t Order A Raccoon

Image credits: Spriggyp

#55 The Raccoon

Image credits: unknown

#56 Note To Self: If You Meet Friendly Trash-Pandas And They Like The Smell Of Your Shampoo They Will Fight Over Your Head

Image credits: drZomber

#57 What Is He Doing?

Image credits: raccoon_a93

#58 Chillin

Image credits: percyman34

#59 Here's A Picture Of Miss Lucy In A Bag

Image credits: scorpiohorsegirl

#60 We've Been Raising A Baby Raccoon And Its Become Our Dogs Best Friend

Image credits: Kaitsshank

#61 Neighbors Came By To Say Hi

Image credits: alphaBetayammaX

#62 But What If

Image credits: IsaacFitzgerald

#63 Sorry, It's Only A 2 Player Game

Image credits: unknown

#64 The Other One Is Still Here, Just Too Heavy For My Daughter To Pick Them Up At Once Now

Image credits: IAmChrisGreenII

#65 First, They Wanted Our Garbage, Now They Want To Participate In Our Financial System

Image credits: true_nexus

#66 They Call This The Daddy Chair, But They're Mistaken. It's The Baxter Chair

Image credits: baxterrigby

#67 Act Natural

Image credits: LongEdget

#68 Don't Worry About The Snow, Trash Panda Is Here To Snowplow

Image credits: unknown

#69 So, This Mutt, Pug And A Raccoon Walked Into A Bar

Image credits: FowelBallz

#70 That Time Pumps Really Didn’t Want A Bath

Image credits: pumpkintheraccoon

#71 Found A Trash Panda Taking A Rest On My Deck Last Night

Image credits: dardashian

#72 Snacks For A Little Guy

Image credits: TeeganTheWarlock

#73 You Might Remember About A Year Ago, I Posted My Grandma's Friend Sweet Pea. Well, This Is Her New Performing Visitor, Coco. She Likes To Climb Up And Then Slide All The Way Down

Image credits: Dakotacloud

#74 Omg - See Who Is Driving My Car

Image credits: unknown

#75 Talented Boy

Image credits: Viral Hog

#76 Old Russian Mama

Image credits: Marchand-De-Sell

#77 I Cook Some Soup For Lunch

Image credits: raccoonfury

#78 This Gentleman Was Apprehended Today While Committing A Burglary Of A Vending Machine At Pine Ridge High School

Image credits: Volusia Sheriff's Office

#79 There's Never A Warning. Just Happens

Image credits: rangerrocketraccoon

#80 Not Lazy. At All

Image credits: racoonamatata_busan

#81 Raccoon That Snuck Into My House Sits In My Chair Like A Human

Image credits: green_teabag_

#82 Fat Trash Pandas Are The Best Trash Pandas

Image credits: lindscliff

#83 One Goofy Raccoon

Image credits: kermit312

#84 All I Need Is A Cold Beer And I'm Good To Go

Image credits: pumpkintheraccoon

#85 He's A Curious Little Fella

Image credits: StripesbyNW

#86 My Dad Caught This Great Photo Last Spring, Just Stumbled Upon It This Morning

Image credits: tinoboy97

#87 This Little Fella Looks Straight Out Of A Children Movie

Image credits: ProbablyNotYourSon

#88 Baby Trash Pandas

Image credits: numun_

#89 When You Put A Lock On Your Trash Cans

Image credits: electronicmotorsport

#90 Sup

Image credits: brancookie

#91 "Yup. I Knew It!". "Okay, Okay, You Caught Me, But Is Shoving Your Entire Head In My Mouth Necessary?". "I Don't Mess Around When Dealing With Taco Thieves"

Image credits: pumpkintheraccoon

#92 Walked Over To My Desk Today And Found An Unexpected Visitor

Image credits: ggus13

#93 More Knowledgeable Than Most Yoga Instructors

Image credits: tamina_bradbury

#94 Bath Time

Image credits: iciclemomore

#95 Trash Panda Mid-Mlem

Image credits: stephm5

#96 My Grandma Sent Me This Photo Of These Damn Raccoons Eating Her Bird Feed

Image credits: Corinnegade

#97 This Raccoon Does Not Like Pickles

Image credits: killarnivore

#98 Waiting For Me To Leave So He Can Eat The Bird Seed

Image credits: quinnnnnie

#99 I Had A Pet Raccoon When I Was A Kid. His Name Was Buck

Image credits: oyster-crackers

#100 Trash Panda

Image credits: BlackFarnes

#101 Gary The Trash Panda Visits My Dad At Work

Image credits: vegdead

#102 Chunky Raccoon Stuck In The Door To His House (He Gets In)

Image credits: ShoreSWBF

#103 Felt Like I Was Being Watched This Morning

Image credits: ElizaKendall99

#104 My Dad Made A New Friend Today

Image credits: ashleyxixiv

#105 Just Chillin’ On My Patio

Image credits: MuttonchopMac

#106 This Raccoon Peeping Thru My Dad's Window At His Raccoon Figurines

Image credits: 37tr3n5k

#107 Not Sure Why But She Keeps Ringing The Doorbell Every Morning About Three

Image credits: thosser69

#108 Bonus Picture Of Our Porch Dweller

Image credits: Northcliff

#109 A Colorado Springs Police Department Officer Was On His Way To A Serious Accident When This Little Guy Jumped Up On His Windshield

He pulled over and the raccoon went on his way.

Image credits: lanismycousin

#110 Good Boy Found In Raccoon Sanctuary In Germany

Image credits: ijustwantthisplant

#111 Nosey Trash Panda

Image credits: poppydom12

#112 Peanut Butter Jar And A Trash Connoisseur (Aka Trash Panda)

Image credits: SeeThroughCanoe

#113 Trash Panda Selfie

Image credits: gingerfreck

#114 Love Your Little Nose So Much

Image credits: raccoon_tommy

#115 Couple Of Fatties At Busan Raccoon Cafe

Image credits: 7LeggedEmu

#116 "Fact: Bears Eat Beets"

Image credits: raccoonfury

#117 “Good Meeting, Everyone. Get Back To Work. That Trash Isn’t Going To Move Itself”

Image credits: raccoonfury

#118 Who Else Eats Their Bananas Like This?

Image credits: titotheraccoon

#119 And What Is He Doing?

Image credits: gordey_raccoon

#120 I See Your Netherlands Dwarf Rabbit And Raise You A Baby Trash Panda

Image credits: unknown

#121 When You Shouldn’t Have Gone Back For That Fourth Plate! Oh Wait Where’s The Dessert!

Image credits: titotheraccoon

#122 Cheeks

Image credits: buri0416_raccoon

#123 Going On A Short Drive. This Is Where She Thought She'd Get The Best Nap

Image credits: scorpiohorsegirl

#124 Where Are You Taking Me, Karen? I Hope Not To The Vet, We Talked About It

Image credits: HungryLime5

#125 A Rare Trash Panda Blep

Image credits: Blubbree

#126 This Trash Panda Eating Peanut Butter

Image credits: geberinator3900

#127 The Council

Image credits: SunnyRaccoon

#128 Trash Panda Teefies

Image credits: Lydxo

#129 Spotted This Little Guy Having A Feast

Image credits: Frailled

#130 Tongue Out

Image credits: baxterrigby

#131 Ok, You Push The Pedals And I've Got The Wheel

Image credits: baxterrigby

#132 Pick Me, Pick Me

Image credits: baxterrigby

#133 "No Pictures Please!"

Image credits: pumpkintheraccoon

#134 Our Neighborhood Trash Panda, Chillin

Image credits: LeDerfinBumble

#135 Trash Pandas Are Best Trash Pandas

Image credits: brian4120

#136 Came Up To Me Hoping For Some Fries

Image credits: oldrinb

#137 ”Ahem, Excuse Me..."

Image credits: pumpkintheraccoon

#138 Look At This Sweet Baby That Was Trying To Come Into My Work Today

Image credits: hlucksy

#139 Trash Panda Joins Pizza Party

Image credits: SkyDog90

#140 A Raccoon Somehow Ended Up On The Public Bus In Town

Image credits: OliveOcelot

#141 Can I Have A Snack?

Image credits: TeeganTheWarlock

#142 Spotted This Little Guy Holding On For Dear Life On My Way To Work This Morning

Image credits: CptRon

#143 When Your Dad Cooks Food And You Try To Act Like It Tastes Good

Image credits: titotheraccoon

#144 The Smartest Raccoon In The World. On His Way To Trashtopia

Image credits: d1rtball

#145 This Little Guy In A Raccoon Cafe Just Couldn't Find A Comfy Spot

Image credits: bearsgomurr

#146 Hello

Image credits: racoonamatata_busan

#147 Break Time

Image credits: rockybirch

#148 What Are We Gonna Do Toooday?

Image credits: Fatmouse84

#149 Inspector Is Furrier Than I Remember

Image credits: Jfeathers

#150 Cheers

Image credits: raccoonfury

#151 These Two Fatties At The Toronto Zoo

Image credits: linzerfeet

#152 "What’s This?" - Party Animal

Image credits: austinraccoon

#153 Daytime Stretching With A Raccoon

Image credits: raccoon_fedor

#154 My Mom's Rescue Trash Panda Is In Love With Her Foster Kitten. They Don't Leave Each Other's Sides

Image credits: Shanashy

#155 Who Else Is Already Thinking About Their Halloween Costumes?

Image credits: titotheraccoon

#156 Hi

Image credits: baxterrigby

#157 One Eyed Raccoon Staying Out Of The Rain. Slept On My Buddy’s Porch All Day

Image credits: langbirdy

#158 It's A Baby

Image credits: JuicyLucyUK

#159 The People I'm Working For Are Raising This Little Trash Panda

Image credits: rysark

#160 A Very Polite Raccoon

Image credits: markzuckerbergsdildo

#161 The Friendly Neighborhood Panda

Image credits: boilerine