Who is Timothy, the chubby raccoon who became a viral sensation?
Timothy, who has gained millions of fans, suffers from a rare syndrome that gives him a unique spherical appearance. Despite his condition, he remains an active and resilient creature.
The creature that looks like a pom-pom or a hedgehog with legs in the viral footage is not a hedgehog, but a cute raccoon named Timothy. He became an internet sensation almost overnight after Kiana Hall from Seattle—who also gave him his name—posted a video of him on July 14. The video attracted millions of viewers, and social media was quickly flooded with memes, comics, fan art, and posts of admiration. Even Google joined the celebration.
Timothy does not look like a typical raccoon. He lacks the signature thick, ringed tail, has almost no neck, and instead of an elongated body, he appears as a chubby ball with legs that seem longer than usual. He looks more like a giant harvestman or a huge, hairy spider that lost four legs.
After Hall’s video went viral, footage of Timothy as a cub was released, showing him alongside his family. "He was so small and clumsy, but his mother and siblings were always patient and cared for him so much. They prevented him from falling, and sometimes they just carried him," wrote Ben Trammell, who filmed the cub on June 28, 2025. "To be honest, I never had high hopes that he would live long, but every time we saw him, he brought us so much joy."
Timothy’s unique appearance is due to "short spine syndrome," a term for a group of extremely rare congenital disorders that cause a significant shortening of the spine. Although Timothy has not been officially diagnosed, it appears he suffers from spondylocostal dysostosis. This disorder is caused by a mutation in genes related to embryonic development, affecting the vertebrae and ribs. As a result, these bones may be compressed, deformed, or fused together.
In animals, short spine syndrome is known primarily in dogs, which often look like a child’s drawing or an unsuccessful AI generation. There are only a few dozen such dogs in the world, and some have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. The earliest known documentation of this condition dates back to 17th-century paintings by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl.
While some animals with severe forms of the syndrome die shortly after birth, those who survive usually live full lives and, as far as is known, are pain-free. Timothy has clearly defied the odds. "He looks full of life and active," said Marcy Logsdon from the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. "The very fact that he reached this age tells me that he is coping and adapting. I was surprised and, to be honest, even a little inspired by his resilience."
Timothy’s best chance of survival is for humans to leave him alone. Do not try to capture or feed him. Food can harm him or make him too comfortable around humans, increasing the risk that the mutant raccoon—whose movement is more limited than that of a normal raccoon—will be hit by a vehicle or preyed upon by dogs. If you are in the Seattle area and happen to see him, settle for photographing him from a distance. If you are elsewhere in the world, celebrate his existence in other ways, such as book recommendations in his honor or the humorous awarding of an honorary degree to Dr. Timothy.
"I saw Timothy when I was just walking. I hope more people will go out and observe their surroundings, no matter where they are," Hall concluded in an interview with Today. "You never know what you will encounter."
