In Virginia, an outdoorsman encountered a "strange and amazing animal," a huge, all-white raccoon. He'd "never seen anything remotely close" to it. So, inspired by the one-of-a-kind vision of nature's possibilities, he killed it with a crossbow.

[Rapper Nicki Minaj readies herself for internet meme status posing for press photographers backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards. Lady Gaga won best video, and young songwriter Kanye West performed some kind of a "rap." Pic via AP.]

Happy Summer, everyone! The folks at nbc11.com have assembled a big ol' slideshow of totally adorable animals (and a couple of kids) being totally adorable. Cuteness run amok after the jump!