Jimothy the raccoon has gone viral after a video of the Seattle animal spread online because of the unusual way he moves, according to E! News.
The raccoon’s body shape and proportions appear to be linked to a spinal deformity, giving him a short, rounded spine and body with long legs. Instagram user Kiana Hall helped spark the attention when she posted a video of Jimothy running and reacted in the clip by asking, “What am I looking at?”
Hall later told Today that she named him Jimothy because it simply seemed to fit. Since then, sightings have continued around Seattle, with fans sharing posts about where he has been seen and one X user posting video of a baby Jimothy in a friend’s backyard.
Jimothy now has his own X account that tracks sightings, and he has also been featured in a Roku TV screensaver, a Google search Easter Egg and a bobblehead from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. His Ballard neighborhood is set to celebrate “Jimothy Summer” on July 26, while the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says people should not approach him because he appears able to move and feed himself.
