Top Ten Animals of 2013

Editor’s Note: This article is part of Know Your Meme’s annual Top Ten Review series looking back at some of the most memorable and popular memes, events and people that defined the Internet culture in 2013 as we know it. And brace yourselves, the grand finale list Best Memes of 2013 is coming soon. In the meantime, check out Cheezburger's year-in-review of internet memes over at Memebase!

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hile cats continued to reign supreme over the animal meme-dom in 2013, spearheaded by two celebrity cats Grumpy Cat and Lil Bub making their breakthroughs in mainstream America, the Year of Snake has been just as good of a year for other species as well: we saw an increasingly visible presence from our canine friends across-the-board and a slow but steady rise of the Sloths on Tumblr, not to mention a resurgence of the Yelling Goat with hilarious remixes of Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" on YouTube. Meanwhile, the Internet community's zero-tolerance policy on animal abuse was put to test on numerous occasions; in a rare moment of collaboration, 4chan and Reddit teamed up their efforts to track down South Carolinian teenager Walter Easley, who posted a self-recorded Vine video of him kicking a kitten off his porch, and a similar tension arose between Anonymous and California's Hawthorne Police Department after a video of police officers shooting a two-year-old Rottweiler dog surfaced and took off on YouTube. All in all, here's to yet another prolific year of animal memes and without any further adieu, Know Your Meme presents the top ten most memorable animals of 2013!

#10. Chris P. Bacon

Species: Pig (Sus domesticus) Breakout: "Pig in Wheelchair" | YouTube Debut: February 2013 Profile: Born without the use of his hind legs due to a congenital defect. Equipped with a K’nex wheelchair for mobile support. Oinks a lot and sleeps a lot, just like any other piglets. Primary Habitat: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube Highlights: Chris P. Bacon Children's Book | Chris P. Bacon Watching Himself on iPad

#9. Sir Stuffington

Species: Cat (Felis catus) Breed: Snowshoe cat Debut: September 2013 Breakout: Today I Became a Pirate | Facebook Profile: Rescue-adopted from the Multnomah County Animal Shelter in Troutdale, Oregon. Has one eye and the face of an old timey pirate who's seen it all. Broke into internet fame as the poster child of Pirate Day 2013. Primary Habitat: Facebook: 49,454 Likes Highlights: Meet Sir Stuffington | Fan Art

#8. Unpopular Opinion Puffin

Species: Puffin (Fratercula arctica) Debut: July 2013 Breakout: With all the misuse of confession bear memes, I propose a new meme. Unpopular opinion puffin | Reddit's /r/AdviceAnimals Profile: Conceived by a Redditor as a cousin of Confession Bear for a better distinction between unpopular opinions and anonymous confessions. Admired for his unapologetic demeanor and boldness to say what no one wants to hear. Primary Habitat: /r/adviceanimals Highlights: On Friendzone | On Religion | On Commenting | On Pornography | On Bacon Consumption

#7. Sophisticated Cat

Also known as: "I Should Buy a Boat" Cat Species: Cat (Felis catus) Debut: February 2012 Breakout: "…I Should Buy a Boat" Profile: Hella sophisticated (duh). Upper middle-class. Suffers from a mild case of mid-life ennui. Compulsively purchases luxury goods in a vain attempt to fill his inner void. Primary Habitat: Reddit | Tumblr Highlights: IKEA Monkey | On Second Thought | Finally… | Jealous Neighbor | Meanwhile at the Desktop

#6. Call of Duty Dog

Also known as: Riley the K-9 Species: Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) Breed: German Shepherd Debut: May 2013 Breakout: XBox One Conference at E3 2013 Profile: A member of the squad in Call of Duty: Ghosts. Capable of sniffing out explosives, attacking on command and scouting enemy-occupied territories via helmet-mounted camera. Primary Habitat: Facebook | Twitter Highlights: How XBox On Conference Went | Yes, This is Dog | Cosplay | Anti-Dog Device | Corgi Version

#5. Shark Cat

Also known as: Max-Arthur, Roomba Cat Species: Cat (Felis catus) Debut: November 2012 Breakout: Cat in A Shark Costume Chases A Duck While Riding a Roomba | YouTube Profile: Uses a robotic vacuum cleaner as a means of transportation. Gifted with the coolness of a cat and the terror of a shark. Known to be the most fearsome iteration of the Doomba yet. Primary Habitat: YouTube | Twitter | Facebook Highlights: Shark and Duckling! | Shark-Cat, Shark-Duck and Duck-Dog

#4: Moon Moon

Species: Wolf (Canis lupus) Debut: April 2013 Breakout: What is Your Werewolf Name? Profile: First name Moon, last name Moon. Known for being clueless and slow to catch on. Always left out of the clique by his peers in the pack, but Moon Moon doesn't mind. Primary Habitat: Tumblr Facebook | Twitter Highlights: Moon Moon Has No Filter | Moon Moon the Predator | Leeroy Moon Moon | Dancing on Water | Moon Moon Just Wants to Play

#3. Actual Advice Mallard

Species: Wild Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) Debut: June 2011 Breakout: Actual Advice Mallard | Reddit Profile: Known to offer straightforward and useful advice in all aspects of everyday life. Widely regarded as a fine specimen of anti-comedy and a meta-meme commentary on the over-saturation of advice animals on the Internet. Primary Habitat: Reddit | Facebook | Twitter Highlights: On Getting Upvotes | On Being Nice | On Life | On Seasoning | On Buying a Boat

#2. Astronaut Sloth

Also known as: Space Sloth, Sloth Astronaut Species: Brown-throated sloth (B. variegatus) Debut: October 2012 Breakout: My Dad is Really Pissed Off With Me Because I Keep Changing Everything on His Computer and iPad To This | Tumblr Profile: The most glorious photograph of a sloth the mankind has ever seen. The glorious photograph may be used to induce rage or laughter, depending on its usage and context. Primary Habitat: Tumblr | Reddit Highlights: What Gandhi Said | Neil Armstrong Said | Don't Give a F**k | Same Pictures of Astronaut Sloth Daily

#1: Doge

Also known as: Shibe Species: Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) Breed: Shiba Inu Debut: June 2013 Breakout: Wow What R U Doin | Tumblr Profile: Known for being easily impressed, as encapsulated in his catchphrase "wow, impressive." Despite having a fair knowledge of the English vocabulary, Doge is incapable of constructing a sentence in the proper tense. Primary Habitat: Tumblr | Facebook | Twitter Highlights: Bongo Doge | Rustle Intensifies | Inter-Species Love | So Scare | Doge in Space