Jimothy – Animal oddity and beloved town mascot

You’ve seen him, you probably said “AWWW!” and love him. Jimothy, the foreshortened raccoon. I was alerted to this ball of cuteness by my eyes-on-Seattle pal Matt Crowley on July 16 (link to Seattle Times) and have been watching how this sweet thing has become an internet celebrity. In the past two days, the story about him is everywhere. And it is a Jimothy Summer. All over the news! I didn’t think I’d write about this and add to the already overwhelming hype, but a few associations were made that prompted me to comment. Is Jimothy a cryptid? No. People were able to document the animal immediately. It did not generate folklore or a mystery. Because we have good documentation, we have a very good basis about what is happening to explain this interesting and odd-looking animal. The person who spotted (and named) Jimothy in her yard first thought it was a cat but was able to capture it on video right away. The fur coloration was the immediate giveaway that it was a raccoon. She said: “I…