While the scientific community discusses if animals can really smile and if they possess more facial expression than we actually notice, take a look at these heartwarming pictures.
Even though we tend to recognize human expressions in non-human beings (pareidolia), the array of capable animal expressions have not been fully discovered yet.
Dogs for example utilize delicate gestures and postures in order to communicate their mental state. Most of these expressions are known to us, but in the case of mice there is a controversial finding that they are able to express pain through a facial gesture. This was researched by an experiment in the year 2010 by the McGill University, where the facial expression indicated how much pain the mice were feeling.
However, enjoy these pictures with friendly faces that will surely brighten up your day!
Source: imgur
Source: globalanimal.org
Image credits: Andrea Zampatti
Image credits: Jackson Carson
Image credits: Sylvain Cordier
Source: organicpecans.wordpress.com
Image credits: Ronnie Bergström
Image credits: Paul Sakuma
Image credits: Morten Hilmer
Image credits: Luisa Puccini
Image credits: Chris Gamel
Image credits: Allen Skyy Enriquez
Source: imgur
Image credits: unknown
Source: turtlehurtled.com
Source: mutantminds.com
Image credits: Peter Krejzl
Image credits: Nemodus
Image credits: Maureen Ravelo
Image credits: Michael Hutch
Image credits: Julian Morales
Source: imgur
Source: imgur
Source: reddit
Image credits: Alina S
Source: imgur
Source: imgur
Image credits: Duncan Noakes
Source: hubei.gov.cn
