A neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, is fascinated by a deformed creature that has been haunting its streets.
When Kiana Hall spotted the animal running out from under a car recently in the Ballard area, she initially thought it was a cat but soon realized it was a raccoon, The Seattle Times reported Thursday.
Due to its small size and the fact it was round and has long legs, it appeared the raccoon had a rare congenital disorder known as short spine syndrome.
“I got very confused at what I was seeing. I just have never seen any other animal like it,” Hall, who recorded the animal on her cellphone, recalled.
Video footage showed the animal running across a patch of grass and up a flight of stairs before disappearing:
Hall later named the raccoon Jimothy. He has since become famous online and other neighbors have said they spotted him near their homes.
Indeed, another clip appeared to show Jimothy inspecting someone’s porch before disappearing:
According to Petco, short spine syndrome in dogs “is an extraordinarily rare congenital disorder that makes dogs look like they have no neck.” Although the animal can experience health issues due to the syndrome, the website said many dogs with it live for years:
Experts don’t know exactly why pets are born with this condition, but inbreeding may play a part. The crux of short spine syndrome in dogs is that the vertebrae don’t develop into bone during the fetal stage of development but instead remain in a more pliable cartilage stage. Since the vertebrae never ossify, the spine remains soft. Over time, the soft vertebrae get compressed. The spine may fuse and shorten significantly.
Despite his odd appearance, Jimothy has made quite the impression on Seattle locals and become somewhat of a legend.
“Kind of has some sort of physical abnormality, kind of looks a little bit like a cryptid but very cute. Almost a little supernatural, kind of like Bigfoot or a yeti or something, becoming infamous really quickly,” Brigitte D’autremont told KIRO.
“I hope he makes it. You always worry about animals that are a little different like that. You want to make sure that they survive in the wild,” she added.
Marcie Logsdon, an associate professor at Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, told the Times the raccoon’s prognosis appeared positive and he seemed to be functioning well.
“The fact that he’s made it to this age tells me that he’s managing and that he’s adapting. I was surprised and honestly a little bit inspired that he’s that resilient,” she stated.
