A raccoon named Jimothy has become an internet celebrity in Seattle after a July 2026 Instagram post drew millions of views, a city proclamation and more than $50,000 for charity.

Kelly Lambert, a neuroscientist at the University of Richmond who studies raccoons and rats, wrote in The Conversation that Jimothy appears to have survived in the wild despite physical differences that suggest a rare condition called short spine syndrome.

“Something about him was obviously different,” Lambert wrote. “His body and tail were unusually short, and his back was curved.”

Jimothy has not been officially examined by a veterinarian, but Lambert wrote he is “thought to have a form of a rare cervical vertebral malformation called short spine syndrome.” She said a handful of cases have been seen in dogs.

“These animals are born with a condition that prevents their vertebrae from fully developing,” Lambert wrote. “With less physical space in the body, organs are crowded into a smaller space than usual and can lead to mobility issues.”

Lambert wrote that surviving in the wild is hard even for healthy raccoons. “Up to half of young kits die without emerging from the natal den,” she wrote. She added that many raccoons “only live two to five years,” though they “have the capacity to live for around 12 years in captivity.”

Still, Lambert said raccoons are well equipped to adapt. “If any mammal can transcend the limitations of a disability, raccoon would be at the top of my list,” she wrote.

Lambert said her lab’s research has found that raccoons have “exceptionally high neuron densities, resembling those of small primates.” She wrote that “more neurons lead to greater flexibility in behavior, a characteristic that is likely facilitating Jimothy’s survival.”

She also wrote that her team identified “specialized and fast-conducting brain cells called von Economo neurons,” which in people are “typically located in the areas of the brain involved in emotional, social and internal processing.”

Lambert wrote that raccoon forepaws are “extremely dexterous and sensitive, and occupy a large portion of their brain’s motor cortex, like that of people.” She said that helps explain why “Toronto paid roughly US$24 million to develop raccoon-proof trash bins.”

She wrote that these abilities “likely give Jimothy some neural backup as he navigates narrow fences, climbs trees, searches for food and scopes out places for rest and refuge.”

Lambert also pointed to the role of Jimothy’s mother. “Equally impressive as Jimothy’s own adaptations is the continuous care provided by his mother,” she wrote.

She said raccoon mothers raise their young alone, move litters between dens to avoid threats, and continue caring for their kits long after nursing ends. “Although nursing typically ends around 16 weeks, raccoon youngsters often remain with their moms for up to nine months,” Lambert wrote.

In the PBS documentary “Raccoon Nation,” Lambert wrote, a raccoon mother teaches her kits “how to collapse their spines to slide past a wooden garage door.” She wrote, “For hours, she models the behavior for her young, then observes their attempts, catching them when they fall and nudging them to try again.”

Lambert said videos of Jimothy as an older raccoon show him “running across a field, navigating fences and exploring his world.”

“Jimothy’s mom celebrated his value long before his video debut and viral following,” Lambert wrote.

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