Peanut the Squirrel (P'Nut)
“A pet squirrel, a government raid, and a very angry internet.”
This article is about the internet meme. For the original Solana memecoin, see Peanut the Squirrel ($PNUT).
Peanut the Squirrel (P'Nut) Peanut, also known as P'Nut, was an Instagram-famous eastern gray squirrel rescued and raised by Mark Longo in New York. His seizure and euthanasia by New York state authorities in late October 2024 triggered a massive online and political backlash, and spawned the PNUT memecoin, which briefly reached a multi-billion-dollar market capitalization.
Origin
Peanut was rescued in 2017 by Mark Longo after the squirrel's mother was killed by a car in New York City. Longo raised the squirrel as a pet and later documented his antics on social media, eventually co-founding P'Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in upstate New York (Pine City). By October 2024, Peanut's Instagram account had amassed roughly 534,000 followers, making him one of the internet's most recognizable pet animals.
Spread
On October 30, 2024, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) raided Longo's home and seized both Peanut and a pet raccoon named Fred, citing complaints about the unlicensed possession of wildlife. Both animals were euthanized shortly afterward so they could be tested for rabies (the tests came back negative, announced around November 12, 2024). The death sparked an enormous wave of grief and outrage across social media, with condemnation from public figures including Elon Musk and Donald Trump, who framed the incident as government overreach during the final days of the 2024 U.S. election cycle.
Legacy
Peanut became a rallying symbol for critics of regulatory overreach, and the outcry fed directly into crypto markets. The PNUT memecoin, launched on the Solana blockchain via Pump.fun on November 1, 2024, exploded in value, surging past a $1 billion market cap within about 48 hours of its Binance listing and peaking near a reported $2 billion market capitalization in mid-November 2024, amplified by cryptic posts from Elon Musk such as 'The prophecy has been fulfilled.'
The Chain Trail
The OG token for this meme is Peanut the Squirrel ($PNUT) on Solana, launched 2024-10.
Key facts
- Peanut (P'Nut) was an eastern gray squirrel rescued in 2017 by Mark Longo after his mother was hit by a car.
- By October 2024 his Instagram had about 534,000 followers.
- Seized by the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation on October 30, 2024, alongside a raccoon named Fred.
- Both animals were euthanized for rabies testing; results were negative (announced ~November 12, 2024).
- The death caused major online and political backlash, including comments from Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
- The PNUT memecoin launched on Solana via Pump.fun on November 1, 2024.
- PNUT surged past $1 billion market cap within ~48 hours of its Binance listing and peaked near a reported $2 billion.
- Longo and Daniela Bittner sued NY state agencies in 2025 seeking $10 million in damages.
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The tokens that claim Peanut the Squirrel (P'Nut)
Every token we can tie to this meme, and which contract appeared first. The original is marked OG; the rest arrived to ride the name.
| # | Coin | Price | 24h | Market Cap | Liquidity | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Peanut the Squirrel $PNUT | $0.04 | -3.84% | $39.56M | $2.45M | Oct 31, 2024 |
Combined live market cap for Peanut the Squirrel (P'Nut): $39.56M across 1 coin. Market data is live from DexScreener; figures are not investment advice.
The on-chain receipts for $PNUT (the OG contract), pulled straight from the chain.
On-chain report
via helius · updated 1d agoHeld by the top 10 wallets.
- 1. 9WzD…AWWM25.00%
- 2. 4xLp…9Qdg12.47%
- 3. 3B7X…ei9z6.95%
- 4. 5tzF…uAi96.27%
- 5. GBrU…JXnK4.68%
- 6. CBEA…bkVG3.94%
- 7. 5Q54…e4j13.06%
- 8. 5LZk…boT22.47%
- 9. Dwdr…Eq1g2.42%
- 10. C68a…dqyo2.33%
- Top 10 wallets hold 69.6% of supply — highly concentrated.
- Deployment predates the scanned history — earliest date is a lower bound.
Facts pulled directly from the chain via Solscan-grade data. Not financial advice.
The deep investigation. Deployer and wallet maps, contract migrations, bundles, supply concentration, and every project that falsely claimed to be first, with archived sources and a full chronological record.
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