It is often said that we humans underestimate the intelligence of the animals that we share our planet with.
We can teach our pet pooches to sit and give us their paws on command (normally in exchange for some tasty treat or other), and the survival instincts of animals that inhabit the wild are remarkable to behold.
Now, you might have previously read about the infinite monkey theorem - the notion that a monkey hitting random letters on a typewriter for an infinite amount of time could almost certainly write any text - including Shakespeare.
However, have you ever heard tell of a raccoon artist before? No?
Well, meet Piper, Cheeto, and Tito - three rescue raccoons who have embarked upon an unlikely - and lucrative - career in art.
Check out some of their amazing artwork right here, along with the raccoons posing proudly alongside their masterpieces:Suzanne MacDonald, an animal behaviorist at York University in Toronto spoke to BoredPanda about the phenomenon of animals making their own art.
“You can train any animal to paint, really. All you need is patience and a steady supply of food rewards.” She said.
Raccoons, the professor told BoredPanda, are well-placed as, "they can grasp things with their hands."
The National Geographic describes raccoons thus:
"Bandit-masked raccoons are a familiar sight just about everywhere, because they will eat just about anything. These ubiquitous mammals are found in forests, marshes, prairies, and even in cities. They are adaptable and use their dexterous front paws and long fingers to find and feast on a wide variety of fare."
One Twitter user shared a picture of the proud raccoons, writing, "Someone taught a raccoon how to finger paint and it’s the best thing I’ve seen in a while."
The tweet quickly went viral and has accrued more than 116 thousand retweets and 449 thousand likes thus far.
Judging by the outpouring of enthusiasm on social media, there is quite a demand for the work of the talented artists. And a quick glance at Tito the raccoons online shop - yes, really - is enough to gauge that the prices mostly range around the $100 mark. You can take a look for yourself here.