Is it a bird? Is it a mutant creature? No, it’s “Jimothy!”
An oddly shaped raccoon has taken the internet by storm after a short clip was posted online. Jimothy, as they’re referred to, is a physically abnormal animal who was caught running through Seattle last week on video.
“I got very confused at what I was seeing,” Kiana Hall, Jimothy’s videographer, told the Seattle Times. “I just have never seen any other animal like it.”
The Seattle Times describes Jimothy as being smaller than a cat — and especially round.
A video posted to Reddit’s r/Seattle page shows Jimothy exploring a balcony. The raccoon has a striking gait, more reminiscent of a large ape than a typical racoon’s.
Hall and other fans suspect that Jimothy has short spine syndrome, leading to their unique appearance and way of moving.
Marcie Logsdon, an associate professor at Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, told the Seattle Times that Jimothy appears to be doing well, despite their unusual appearance.
“The fact that he’s made it to this age tells me that he’s managing and that he’s adapting,” she told the newspaper. “I was surprised and honestly a little bit inspired that he’s that resilient.”
Jimothy’s survival into apparent adulthood, and being able to explore the world on their own, is a good sign for Logsdon, who advised the Seattle Times that the unusual raccoon is probably best left alone.
‘Jimothy’ fandom reaches fever pitch
Seattle libraries, museums and even professional sports teams have picked up Jimothy as a mascot for the city. The mammal already has their own Wikipedia page.
Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners told their fans to “make noise for Jimothy,” while the Seattle Art Museum posted a photo of a raccoon mask captioned “everything reminds me of him (Jimothy).”
Another Seattle resident posted a video of Jimothy as a baby, alleging that they witnessed Jimothy’s origin story.
“(Jimothy’s raccoon) family used our backyard as a protected on/off ramp for their nightly outings,” Ben Trammel wrote in his Instagram post. “He was so small and clumsy but his mother and siblings were always so patient and caring, keeping him from falling and sometimes just carrying him.”
Jimothy already has their own subreddit page, with more than 54,000 members as of July 20, filled with fan-made art and posts adoring the raccoon.
Racoons have a range of habitability that covers most of North America, and despite Toronto residents being barred from keeping them as pets, they have grown to become an unofficial mascot for the city.
