'I have never seen any other animal like it': Jimothy the short-spined Seattle raccoon becomes the internet’s favorite tiny beast after being spotted waddling and thriving in the wild

Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager

Jul 19, 2026 8:15 AM EDT

Jimothy helps us relearn something we all thought was a hard truth: that nature is harsh and unforgiving to those who are "different".

Drawing from the depths of my memories, I remember very clearly learning about evolution and "survival of the fittest". We, as students, were taught that nature is a harsh place where only those with the skills, intelligence, or tools to survive will make it to the end. The sick or deformed are left behind or become food for another animal. It's the circle of life. But Jimothy teaches us that there is a place for the "imperfect" in nature.

Jimothy, the short-spined raccoon, went viral this weekend after a video caught by a local Seattle resident quickly became one of the most shared videos on X in recent hours. Jimothy literally looks like someone took a raccoon and compressed it into a fluffy ball. Some describe him as a cryptid, others, a beast, but to me, he just looks adorable. By all the laws of evolution, he should not have survived. And yet, the video(s) captured of him not only show him surviving, but thriving.

He hangs out with the other local raccoons who don't seem to mind his different appearance, doesn't harm anyone, and has now risen to local celebrity status because of his adorableness. It's probably because Jimothy is accepted by his fellow raccoon brethren that he has been able to waddle in and out of our hearts since first seeing him. Everyone needs a little help sometimes, especially those like Jimothy who might have a tougher time at certain activities. But it just goes to show how necessary having a support system is.

So now, even in nature, we are seeing that we don't have to abandon those whom we might define as "separate" from us. We should invite them in, show them our support, and realize that maybe we're not so different after all.

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via Kiana Hall
Just look at him. He looks like a bowling ball with legs and fur or a weird toy I would buy for my dog. I'm obsessed. Think about someone seeing Jimothy before we all had iPhones. No one would ever believe that he really existed. So the real takeaway here is that there is a benefit to us all having instant cameras in our hands all the time.
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Something that I feel is really important to preface here is that Jimothy's condition, according to most vets, is not something that gives him chronic pain. They surmise that it might be uncomfortable at times, but it does not seem like he is experiencing anguish on the daily.
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Jimothy as a baby

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Jimothy as a baby

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