Bald Raccoon Invasion?
Posted by: Loren Coleman on August 3rd, 2009
First there was the Montauk Monster; then there were the Montauk Monster copycats.
This is the first widely seen image of the Montauk Monster, a name I coined to capture the location and how it was being discussed, Summer 2008.
We all knew the first Montauk Monster was a raccoon (Procyon lotor) that had washed ashore, hairless, and was being made into a “monster” by the media.
The Montauk Monster Replica, 2008.
Now, it seems, nature is doing some reverse engineering and throwing some actual bald raccoons at us.
This does appear to be a little more bizarre than needed in our cosmos, doesn’t it?
I was alerted to this discovery by Canadian and fellow blogger M.J. Murphy, who first showcased to the anomalistic world that there, indeed, could be a coming invasion of bald raccoons standing at the gates of all of your towns and cities.
Photo, Colin Williams, Toronto Star.
It seems a totally bald raccoon has been running around the Toronto neighborhood of Parkdale, Canada. The various residents there have taken a few photographs and videos.
Monikers have been created from the mild “Baldy” to “The Toronto Terror.”
“This is quite clearly a hairless raccoon,” proclaimed York University biologist Suzanne MacDonald.
“The raccoon does seem to be a good weight and properly hydrated,” observed Nathalie Karvonen, executive director of the Toronto Wildlife Centre. “Just very strange-looking.”
Apparently, one place it hangs out is in the backyard of Christella Morris and Colin Williams. Williams has taken lots of photos and posted the bald raccoon on YouTube. Morris, 23, a music merchandiser was the one who named the female raccoon “Baldy.”
Morris says the only thing afflicting the raccoon is looks-based prejudice.
“It’d be great if people called her Baldy instead of the Toronto Terror,” remarked Morris.
“I’d adopt her. If she wouldn’t tear my face off. Or eat my cat.”
One of the second series of photos to surface of the Montauk Monster, 2008.
This post was written by
Loren Coleman no longer writes for Cryptomundo. His archived posts remain here at Cryptomundo.
Greetings All!
I’m confused. As far as I know, there is only one species of raccoon, Procyon lotor. So why the difference in appearance between Baldy here and the “Hairless Mystery Animal Photographed” of July 10, 2009? That was a little black foxy looking thing, which does not look like “Jabba the ‘Coon” here. Does anyone have a theory for this?
Fossilhunter – I’ve got a theory – either that other one’s suffering from something that altered skin coloration, Baldy’s just fat, or both. Or, an even more fun theory – the “little black foxy-looking thing” wasn’t a raccoon.
Baldy’s definitely a little on the chubby side, though – must be all that dog chow.
nice to see my neighborhood up on cryptomundo! i havent been this happy since my cryptozoology tattoo made it onto the site!
As for Baldy, she seems to be doing pretty well. she’s had at least one litter and people tend to leave food out for her (maybe because they feel sorry for her?). She’s been around for about 3 years now and it gets pretty cold up here in the winter, so she must be doing something right to stay alive without any fur!
fossilhunter- Don’t be confused.
The hairless raccoon in the mystery photographs was well within the range of characteristics for raccoons, as is our bald friend in these new videos. There are just some individual differences at work, just as there are in humans. There can be physical differences between individuals, such as size and shape among others, that can be present without needing to resort to explaining it through another species. Some animals can have a pretty good range of individual characteristics, which might become even more prominent when you take away a distinguishing feature like the fur. Raccoons can come in pretty wide range, I’ve seen small ones, big ones, fat ones, skinny ones, ones with seemingly fat snouts and ones with narrow little snouts.
Food availability could have something to do with it too. The “Jabba the Coon” here (haha:) ) is just heavier and probably better fed from the looks of it. The other “mystery photograph” animal might not have been getting any free food handouts, may have been struggling or had some health problems, and it may have just been a naturally skinnier individual in general. We also didn’t have the size references in those photos that we have in the photo and videos here of “Baldy.”
The pigmentation differences in the skin could also be either individual differences or an effect of whatever has caused this hairlessness.
These two might not look alike, but the main characteristics of raccoons are there. It’s just differences in diet and individual differences between animals. I’m sure if you could see “Baldy” here photographed from the same angle as the other “mystery” photo (no mystery, it was a raccoon), you might see more clearly the resemblance between the two.
So why are raccoons and other animals going bald?
“Baldy,” to be honest, looks ghastly. And mildly scary.
Don’t know whether to Cry or Laugh Nervously.
I understand that’s the way Nature “does” things—
But still…Sheesh.
“Jabba The Coon” is Ok—but I prefer “Baldy” better.