Guess

Obviously, you are not up on your chic pets. That is a tufted-mole naked brush squirrelet. Blind, hairless, smelly, and rather cantankerous, they are found primarily under I-5 at Corson, in urban undergrowth, and Belltown dumpsters. Subsisting mostly on Starbuck's non-recycled coffee grounds and pastry leavings, these little guys mutated out from the more commonly known garbage-swilling grey squirrel and are this season's pet to have.

I love you, Moni. And can someone post the "real" explanation of this thing discussed over the campfire? I seem to forget, but it had something to do with losing it's hair when getting wet (maybe it's a Gremlin?)...

i vote hairless rat! nasty!

The head anatomy looks like a squirrel. I think you have a hairless squirrel with a spinal defect.

Shaved hamster.

Looks like a hairless rat. My wife had some as pets once.

i agree its a naked mole rat for sure

It's called a naked mole rat. Here's a link to a frontal photo with a description. The funny thing is that I recognized it from an advertisement I saw on a bus shelter in Chicago for the Brookfield Zoo. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/photogallery/AfricanSavanna/13.cfm

It's a black squirrel with a severe case of mange. Poor thing.

You mean that it's not Yoda? I'm currently visiting Seattle and now I have a new quest. Thanks!

that thing is freakin' gross. personally, i'd vote somewhere along the lines of diseased miniature baby hippopotamus.

Could be one of these: http://www.flickr.com/photos/defriesse/543036834/in/set-72157600346096196/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinny_pig

As someone else said, this is a Squirrel with severe mange or a similar skin affliction. - A Random Zoologist Pointed To This Blog Entry

I'm going with "Muskrat". Here's a link to pic of a full-grown one, in almost the exact same pose... http://www.rubymountains.net/Muskrat.jpg

I vote fat squirrel with mange.

I'm fairly positive that it's a hairless rat, NOT a naked mole rat. Hairless rat as in a hairless common Norwegian Rat. Used to have one as a pet - perhaps this is an escaped fella?

I recognized the hairless/naked mole-rat, too, although they are apparently from Africa and not a Seattle native. Do you get this to go with your sphinx cat or chinese crested dog? Now there's a bunch of ugly animals to have in your menagerie.

Clearly you've encountered a naked mole rat. http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/Behavior/Spring2004/lyons/Picture1.jpg

That looks like a squirrel with some sort of hair-loss problem-- mange, maybe. Age could certainly account for the docility and hair loss. If it's from a park area, it could very well even be used to people giving it food. I imagine it has its tail tucked under it, too. But hey, congrats on getting Boing Boing to put up a picture of a squirrel eating! That can't be too easy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulu1svQyVf4

if it was a squirrel w/mange, wouldn't it have a tail?

How about a hairless guinea pig? They have the same hippo look... Plus some have small tuffs of fur (not all bald) http://www.cavyconcepts.com/ creepppyyy

mangy squirrel, particularly given the scale of the dandelions.

Muskrat, missing most of its fur.

that's just a hairless rat, sitting on its haunches, eating something delicious! go here: http://www.geocities.com/ratjes_online/hairless.jpg

This is definitely a skinny pig - a naturally hairless guinea pig. Some moron dumped their pet in the wild. That's why it didn't run away, it's a domestic pet not a wild animal. It is probably too late, but if you can recover him (or her) their are guinea pig rescue societies all over the country. Also ask at a rabbit rescue place since they often have people who help pigs as well. This makes me sick. Skinny pigs are bred to be this way, and they can be quite delicate and hard to take care of. For some sick moron to dump their pet in the wild. I hope you find the pet, but I also would hope that you can locate the bastard who did this, I doubt the pig got very far from where it was dumped off.

Baby wombat? http://bottleofblog.typepad.com/bottleofblog/images/wombat.jpeg

I believe the ears eliminate it being either a naked mole rat or a hairless guinea pig. Diseased squirrel seems to be the best option thus far.

It's a mountain beaver. Common to Washington state. Although I'm not sure why it has no hair.

That is an aborted drug baby in the 7th month of devlopment! You and your "friend" need to get back there right now and help that thing!!! For all you know that quivvering lump could be the baby Jesus!!!! Hurry!!!

Looks like a guinea pig to me too. I expect it was going for the bald look, but missed a couple of spots with the shaver. What do you expect when you don't have opposable thumbs?

It's definitely NOT a hairless guinea pig - the ears are much too small. It looks a LOT, to me, like either a baby nutria (thus the hairlessness) or a rat with some sort of birth defect. The fact that it was likely deaf and/or blind leads me to think it's a birth defect that left it hairless, not a disease.

Looks like a chipmunk with mange --Michael

It's a hairless pet rat escaped from someone's house. My mother had one as a pet. They can't survive winters and it wasn't afraid because it's a pet. Google for "hairless rat". They are very sweet. If you see it again, catch it and put up "rat found" signs. I'm sure the owner will be very grateful.

Hairless possum. http://www.omsi.edu/teachers/psd/1999/6thgrade/hairless.JPG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutria for pic of a Nutria. They're like a beaver with no tail and VERY common to Washington and Oregon.

Its a Skinny Pig - a hairless guinea pig. My kids had one, a few years ago.

Er, I meant rat. Not pig.

Definitely a hairless rat. I've had them as pets, very friendly and cute, and will gross out all your friends. Here is a photo: http://loxosceles.org/log_pix/wet_rats/wetrat01.jpg Don't let the size of the ears fool you, mine had the "dumbo" mutation for large ears.

Looks like a hairless guinea pig. Good eatin' in Peru. Used for nasty skin testing by military and medical.

Yeah, I'm guessing it's a nutria with mange, or one that a UW fratboy recently kidnapped, shaved and let loose at a party.

My guess is you have encountered a very, very sick squirrel.

My wife once had a dog that an angry neighbor tried to poison with anti-freeze. It made all of the dog's hair fall but did not kill her. It looks to my untrained eye to be a squirrel that maybe drank some anti-freeze. That may explain its docility.

It's a hairless squirrel, or a squirrel with the mange. I once had one living outside my house--I called him Golem.

(Oops... previous comment left in wrong entry.) Looks like a root rat or bamboo rat to me...

don't any of you pay attention to the scale of the thing? this animal is extremely tiny, only a few leaf widths in length. Its obviously a neo-nate (recently born) of some rodent species.

For the sake of every man, woman and child in the Pacific Northwest, I hope this is not a baby Manateedon: http://cordarounds.com/blog/

yeah it looks like a naked mole rat i think, at least it's skin does.

It's a squirrel with sarcoptic mange.

I'm gonna go with the squirrel theory.

Looks like a Naked Mole Rat to me, too, but they aren't native to Seattle area. Did you check the local zoo for missing vermin?

Looks like Yabuba's Baby/hamster from Spirited Away http://www.cribbies.com/images/cribbies/5th/hamster.jpg

Looks like a hairless chinchila or squirrel to me.

Squirrel with mange. Also, looks to be fairly old and most likely as you pointed out blind and/or deaf. By all likelihood, it is dead by now.

Whatever it is, I want to give it a zurbitz on its belly.

It's too bad you don't have a better image of this critter's skull. That most likely would be the easiest way to identify what breed this poor little thing belongs to. Does the tail seem to have been 'removed' at some point in this thing's lifetime, or was he born without one? To me, the body and head shape seem most similar to the Nutria. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Farm/7720/nutria9.jpg Btw, did the thing run away or did you take it to a vet?

Or Man-Bear-Pig

Its my BROTHER!! Oh please come home Fredrick! Mother misses you terribly!

Ha! I've got one of those. It's a baby groundhog (if you're from Michigan) or woodchuck - as they're known elsewhere. In the south they call them whistlepigs, but I've never understood why. Groundhogs make excellent pets, btw - out here in the hinterlands we train them to come when they're called, use a litter box, etc. They also make an excellent barbecue. If you're interested in buying one, babies can be found here: http://www.ratkateersrodentry.com/custom.asp?id=191046&page=35 If you're interested in eating one (you brute - seriously though, they're quite delicious) recipes can be found here: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/martin/wildrecipes/list.html Enjoy!

My guess would be that this animal is Lindsey Lohan's vagina. I haven't seen it in person, but from the plethora of photos available with a little research I'm sure of the identification. If the photographer is male, this would also explain why it took it so long to slink away.

Sometimes I (GOD) make hairless rabbits. Thats what this is. A hairless rabbit. I apparently turned too much water into wine and well you know how that goes... oops my bad. If you see it again. Kill it. It was a mistake. As you were... -God.

It seems especially similar to a 'Skinny Pig' - a breed of Guinea Pig which is naturally hairless (give or take small tufts) - they show up in the larger pet stores, I've seen two at local PetSmarts (Canada). Though it seems unlikely they'd be in the wild, apparently they dont cope well with the elements (probably because they're naked.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinny_Pig http://www.sphynxncavies.com/images/Sow_65.jpg

Wow - just read the comments - are you people serious? Lots of juvenile rodents are hairless or nearly hairless until a certain point in their development. Cute: http://admin.webpointusa.com/images/customers/191046/storage/Baby_groundhog_copy.jpg

I'd recognize my Mother-in-Law anywhere! Wait -- no tail, tiny ears, typical rodent posture (large hind feet for balancing while it eats with its front feet), herbivorous mouth, very small size -- I think it could only be a "skinny pig". http://rabbits-online.co.uk/Baldrick.jpg.

I'm almost certain it's a diseased mountain beaver. It looked very familiar when I first saw the pic on Boing Boing. I live about 50 miles from Seattle and had a mountain beaver in my backyard for quite a while. If I had shaved it, this would have been it. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ws/nwrc/gfx/Mountain%20beaver1_wr.jpg

Come on, people. It's a chinchilla that has for some reason, possibly disease or malnutrition, lost it's hair. Poor thing.

Definitely a naked mole rat. Not only the lack of fur, but the very distinctive mole-like paws (see those weird back paws?) completely give it away.

It's not a genetic/naturally hairless animal given the tufts of remaining hair. So all those speculations can be ruled out. I vote mountain beaver w/disease as well.

Squirrel (or marmot?) with mange.

Squirrel, with notoedric mange mites and tail loss - probably due to mange. I work in a wildlife rehab center and we've been seeing these come in all spring. The mange causes the squirrels to scratch, which can bring about skin lesions and breakage, which then infects very quickly and can lead to gangrene and/or death. If the squirrel was sluggish, chances are very good that it was dying from infection. It's too big to be a naked mole rat, it doesn't have the right head or ear shape for a guinea pig.

I saw one of the once, about five miles out on the wet edge of town. Came in out of the southern skies, blazin' like a comet. It landed in a peaty glen and lit a pocket of swamp gas that knocked the birds out of the trees all the way to Isledale... I saw it standing just like you have pictured there, with a soft glowing aura that lit the ground around it. It looked a little confused for a moment, I only got a moment to look at it, see. Confused, or maybe smug, I don't know, whatever, it turned from its reverie with a jolt, looked at me with a piercing glance in which I felt it scan my entire being and said in a crisp baritone - "Wow". In an instant, it shot straight away from me then made a right turn just over the horizon.

They key thing is that he is standing on his hind legs and using his front legs to hold something. If your suggestions can't do that (ie: skinny pig), then it can't be it. The size of the head is also key. Personally, im lost. My guess is thats its a hairless/diseased nutria. They have been spotted in the area: http://www.komotv.com/news/archive/4182671.html http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/15/ap/tech/mainD8H05BCO1.shtml Or, maybe its a baby man-eating badger that is going to be released by the brits in Iraq?

The first thing I thought when I saw it was "capybara." I think it's a capybara with a serious skin problem. I could also be a chinchilla with a serious skin problem. Given their delicacy, if someone released one into the wild, I wouldn't be surprised if it had a LOT of problems...poor thing. I hope someone catches it and puts it out of its misery.

That ain't no mole rat (aside from the fact that they only live in Africa, it just doesn't look like one). I'm going with -- escaped lab animal - people do freaky shit with genes these days.

oooo - head of mountain beaver does look very similiar. yup, that's it. its a mountain beaver. http://www.infowright.com/mtbeaver/mtbeaverpics.html

Yes! NUTRIA...not capybara. I guess they're related. We have a nutria living in our compost pile right now. If you're in the Seattle area, then it's most definitely a nutria. Nutria were introduced to the Northwest as a beaver alternative after all of the beavers were fur-trapped to death. Needless to say, the nutria as a fashion statement never quite caught on. Yes..that is indeed a nutria. Good call iPienso!

it looks like a very stressed-out chinchilla. They lose thier fun when under stress, and use the fur-slip (hair release) as a method of escape. I've never seen a naked chinchilla before, but the body structure and pose are very chinchilla-like.

I think there have been some good guesses but I don't think we've nailed it yet. I cannot be a naked mole rat because the head shape is wrong, not a skinny pig either because the ears are too small. The naked rat or nutria doesn't match either. It doesn't have the mange, it is a baby what-ever and that is why it's bald. I hope someone comes up with something because it's a very strange looking little thing.

It's meat, my friends. And that's all that matters.

the ears aren't as small, but here's another: http://www.80stoysale.com/images/zoomer28.jpg "> http://www.80stoysale.com/images/zoomer28.jpg only 2277 to pick from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodent "> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodent

Because I'm incompetent: http://www.80stoysale.com/images/zoomer28.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodent

Sean G is on to something. I think its narrowed down to something in here: Suborder Hystricomorpha >>> Infraorder Ctenodactylomorphi >>>> Infraorder Hystricognathi >>>>> Parvorder Caviomorpha <--something in there.

Jason Alexander?

It's a creepy effing little thing, whatever it is. I bet it'll suck your soul right out of your body if you give it half a chance.

It's a juvenile woodchuck! I see these every year about this time. This is when they're first coming out of the dens. I improperly linked the photo above: http://admin.webpointusa.com/images/customers/191046/storage/Baby_groundhog_copy.jpg

This unfortunate creature is a GERBIL that has been completely shaved down and severely misused during certain perverse acts favored mainly by male homosexuals. This particular animal has obviously made it out alive and has escaped to the outdoors hoping to clear his mind of the wholw nasty mess.

And whichever commenter above claimed that it's a squirrel with mange mites - for someone who works at a nature center you oughtta get yer eyes checked. Mange mites don't render a squirrel hairless, plus the ears are wrong. Baby Groundhog, I'd stake my life on it.

Baby Groundhog for sure!

That's the mutated zombie sheep creature from the film Black Sheep. http://www.black-magic.co.nz/home/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/black-sheep-4.jpg http://www.aintitcool.com/images2006/BlackSheepEar.jpg

Also, sarcoptic mange usually leaves big bloody streaks or patches on the animal's skin - for anyone claiming mange. I'll just say one other thing then I'll shut up (I promise). I think it's a bit of a sad commentary on the state of our relationship as human beings with the natural world that so many of these "check out this totally freaky animal!" posts have been popping up. Anyone who grew up in the woods or near a forest has undoubtedly seen juvenile rodents or at least a baby rabbit or coon. Often times they're pink and hairless - even when they begin to first venture from the den. I think that had this question been raised fifty years ago it would have been answered rather quickly - unfortunately, people are so completely out-of-touch with the natural world that animals that should be fairly common are quite surprising to people the first time they see them. Often times, so-called "cryptozoologists" who take the time and bother to actually confer with the individuals who reside in the areas where they make their "discoveries" will find that many of the species they're uncovering are simply relatively common animals at various stages of their life. Unfortunately, it's far more exciting to point and squeel when we see something strange, rather than searching for the most probably, and often times simplest answer.

its a mountain beaver. watch out.

Don't believe God's post. Any South Park fan could tell that's God in the picture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minor_characters_on_South_Park#God

Its a toomah

i was gonna a wombat with mange , so ill go with a wombat with alopecia :P

Its a mountain beaver, i've seen them in Bothell, although they had hair.

I'm not sure what it is, but here's what it's probably not: 1) Naked mole rat. N.M.R are SMALL, just a bit larger than your thumb. I can't see it's face, but it really doesn't look like one anyway, other than the general pinkness. N.M.R.'s also don't often sit up like that, and it would be very unusual to see one munching out in the sunshine. 2) Hairless rat. A hairless rat doesn't have patches of hair on it, and the shape of the head is too 'squashed'. I wouldn't even buy 'mangy' rat; just the wrong head for it. 3) Guinna pig, hairless or mangy. Ears are totally wrong, and guinna pigs just don't sit like that, imho. It'd be good if we had a size reference; it looks to be about the size of a squirrel.

You're all wrong, every one of you. Even those of you who correctly identified this creature, you too are wrong. Dead wrong, in fact. It's a maruble caracty masaljabar, and it only lives in the southern region of Papua New Guinea. Meaning either the photographer is a horrible, stinky-assed liar, or has in fact ingested so much psilocybin as to believe that he is in the City of Goodwill.

This is what a hairless squirrel looks like. Your Chucacabra looks nothing like this! Muahaha! http://www.wildbirds.org/images/harry.jpg As for the hairless guinea pig, note the ear shape. http://z.about.com/d/exoticpets/1/0/X/a/baldwinsksj002.jpg Nutria and Beaver both have accurate body proportions, imo. Note the small ear shape. http://www.daveswildlifecontrol.com/images/types/Defaul10.jpg

Baby whistlepig.

It look just like the baby naked mole rats they had on exibit at the seattle science center about 10 or so years ago. mabye they escaped and bred or somthing.

It's a squirrel that's lost all it's fur. When the ozone's completely gone, all squirrels will look like this.

My money is on a mangy squirrel.

Its a wingless cochamouse!

Naked chinchilla. Stressed out or mangy. Look how far forward the feet are under the body-- they get around by jumping, not crawling like a rat, squirrel, guinea pig, or groundhog.

I'm wrong, ears are too small. What IS that thing?!?

Mom?

MOM!

It looks like a hairless Dumbo Rex Rat to me. Used to breed them. Poor little guy was probably dumped out 'cause he was so ugly. You shoulda taken him home and cared for him. You can see he may have had hair at one point, and his skin coloration indicates that he might have been white with a black hood and black feet once upon a time. Anyone saying "it can't be mange, he's not all blood" Well, rats barber themselves when they're stressed. So it's not mange, he's just lost all his hair.

It is 100% absolutely NOT a hairless guinea pig. It has too many toes on the back paws and the ears are the wrong shape. I happen to have 4 live guinea pigs in my living room for comparison.

mrmazoku 1:50 PM - Monday, Jul 16th 2007 Its a toomah it's not a toomah

Has it been Sooooo long? Does no one recognize ET?

I want it to be a wombat really really really bad.. so can you make it be a wombat please? And she's just used Nair so that she can wear short shorts. WOMBAT!

This is Seattle's own version of the Kopi Luwak in which we follow around hopping to get the delectable secretions from it's rear end.

It's a rat that took a dip in hair removal cream! Maybe it ran off some lab where it was tested on him? Do you have any pharmaceutical/cosmetic industry lab nearby? It can also be that he's a mishap from a hairless rat breeder. I own a hairless cat which is just as patchy as your mystery creature. His dad was totally naked, but his mom was a Devon Rex, so he is almost totally bald, but has some patches of curly hair on his back which really look strange.

We love our coffee!

Well, considering its shape and manner of eating I would suggest that you have a lovely denuded nurtia. Specifically a younger one or stunted. And if it is a nutria, let the invasive critter croak.

It is Bill Gates in his natural form.

Definitely a "skinny pig" or "hairless guinea pig". http://www.sphynxncavies.com/AvailableSkinnySows.html http://rabbits-online.co.uk/Baldrick.jpg

Definitely a baby woodchuck. They all look like that.

my vote's also for hairless guinea pig. I've seen these in pet stores and they look exactly like that.

Skinny pig.

Amazing how many definitely's and "come one people"s there are. I'll add my own: Come on people, this is a single, unclear photo, from an unfortunate angle. There's no "Definitely" involved, there's conjecture and informed guesses. Making yourself out to be sure of something you can't be sure of is going to backfire. To me, it doesn't look sick enough for mange.. I'd go with either baby something or naturally hairless something. If it wasn't supposed to be hairless, I think the skin would be very unhappy with being exposed. The skin does not look very unhappy to me..

i think it's a skinny pig. ugly little buggers

how did so many people find this blog all of a sudden? that being said, this is definitely my favorite for the comments: GOD 12:32 PM - Monday, Jul 16th 2007 Sometimes I (GOD) make hairless rabbits. Thats what this is. A hairless rabbit. I apparently turned too much water into wine and well you know how that goes... oops my bad. If you see it again. Kill it. It was a mistake. As you were... -God.

Why does everyone keep saying hairless guinea pig and then providing pictures where the ears LOOK NOTHING LIKE THAT THINGS EARS?! I don't think it looks anything like a guinea pig. Poor guy, whatever it is, I hope it's okay out there.

This is a hairless guinea pig. They are kind of rare but you can find them in a pet store every once in a well.

It's a hairless rat, from an odd angle, the feet are a dead giveaway. http://www.dylonwhyte.com/2007/07/kangahippopossumouse.html

Mangy groundhog. Its perfect http://www.fritchman.com/images/lazy-five-ranch/groundhog-a.jpg

Regardless of species, the hair-tuft placement very, very strongly suggests that this animal is adult, and most likely had hair at some point in time. There are a number of reasons that an animal may lose its hair, with stress, toxins and parasites certainly not the least of them. The angle and quality of this photograph prohibit any certain declaration of species, but my bet is on squirrel.

oh, and Rob, your groundhog is a prarie dog. i used to have one as a pet.

It's not a squirrel or a rat, they are much longer and not as round. It's a Chinchilla that had all of the hair pulled off. Plain and simple. I used to have one as a pet, just with a little bit more hair. They sit just like that too. Big back kangaroo feet like that and short stubby little arms. they hop around and are sold as pets. That probably explains why it didn't run away when you took pictures of it.

It looks about the size and dimensions of a Chinchilla. A Chinchilla is a large rodent that is either bred for its coat or kept as a pet. I'm very sure it is an abandoned or escaped Chinchilla pet, that has lost it's hair due to stress, poor diet, or disease. If the animal were to be covered in fur that is the color and length of those sad little tufts, it'd look like this guy: http://www.lillyarts.com/assets/images/Chinchilla-Inca-newer.jpg this pic hints at the characteristic wrinkling seen on the skin http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/SmallMammals/images/chinchilla.jpg the bottom pic shows the weird long feet of a reasonably well-hung chinchilla. Sorry, the photo set is about the sexing of chinchillas http://137.222.110.150/calnet/sexing/page8.htm to all other guessers: Not a guinea pig - wrong shape, not a naked mole rat - wrong face, wrong dimensions- not a naked rat - wrong feet and the head is too huge. The huge head is your clue, that's a chinchilla. listen, if you see the poor little guy again, trap him and give him to the spca okay? my guess is he wasnt blind or slunking, he was close to death and beyond caring. He's likely starving and freezing without his coat..you could also put an ad on craigslist announcing a lost chinchilla seen in your vicinity. Someone may respond.

Come one people! That thing is a HUMAN! Don't step on it like a bug! Pick up that little humuncula and buy some clothes for it ASAP! hold it close to your bosom! Take it to the mall and teach it to say words!!! Soon you will be happy! For all you know that little pink promise could be Jesus himself!!!!

It is the hiphopopottomous (of course!)

I agree that it is a chinchilla (not the baby Jesus, sorry Henry) sans fur. This could be from mange or any assorted form of rendentia alopecia nervosa. To the layman Doctor I present this: He is clearly depressed. This pitiful state of depression- probably caused by acute remova nongrata (rapid expulsion from the home sans clothing) is the cause of baldness in most mamillian species. I would suggest going out to that field twice a day with an ordinary bottle of Monoxidil (found at the nearest Drugstore) and apply gingerly to the beast. Hopefully this will improve the unsightly alopecic squirmer into something much more verile and ready to face the world alone. Aprise me of the progress and let me know where to send the bill.

Looks like a sick mountain beaver http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ws/nwrc/gfx/Mountain%20beaver1_wr.jpg The head looks the same and it doesnt seem to have a tail. The patched fur is a give-away that its not naked to begin with - and the patches that remain resemble the same consistency of mountain beavers. Just a thought.

I don't know but I bet it tastes like chicken.... mmmm

Looks like a squirrel who is missing his hair for some reason. Got into a bottle of Nair in the trash? Born without hair in a bizarre genetics mixup? Found himself too close to a fraternity 'round rush time?

It's a baby Agouti. Seriously.

There's my kid! thanks for finding him!

Come ONE People!!! Are we really supposed to believe that Dr. Mosher is a real Doctor? I mean come ONE! The typos alone tell me that he has never set foot in a medical school. Ever. I believe that he is a fake "Doctor" and that the creature that you have presented is Photoshopped beyond belief. One can tell by the compromised pixel structure of the progressive (3rd scan) layer of the jpeg that this is just a photo of someone's ugly foot (with cute little ears (and a greasy rat leg) added to it). I've seen enough of these demonic hoaxes to last a lifetime. Every time some terrorist Darwinian non-patriot goofer tries to post some mutant "genetic accident" to prove that there is no God, I find myself having to type in Jesus' mighty honor to stop the digital madness. I beseech thee webizens to pull thee plugs of thyne devil-boxes from the walls- take off your shoes and take a little walk out to the nearest pile of weeds and look down at your naked foot on God's green ground AND TELL ME THAT THERE ISN'T A SUPREME BEING MAKING THIS SHIT UP AS WE GO!!!!

No way is that a guinea pig. The ears and feet look nothing like one. It is also definitely not a naked mole rat. Wrong face shape, not enough wrinkles. Also it doesn't look like a squirrel, the eyes are too small. Also it's not a hairless rat, the face shape and ears are wrong. Since there's only one photo and that photo doesn't show the face well and doesn't make it clear whether it has a tail it's impossible to say what it is for certain. My guess is that it's a mangy rodent probably a mountain beaver, a nutria, a groundhog, or some other similar rodent. If we had more shots and details as to whether it had a tail and what its teeth looked like it'd probably more possible to make a more certain call.

I'm sorry Mr. Sneed, but I must take time from my busy surergy schedule to counter your simpleton tirade. That is a depressed Chinchilla. Not Jesus. Not a human foot. I spent 12 years in medical school, damn near starving to death to get my medical degree and I am not going to have some rabid bible thumper tell me what's what with some creationist babble about Photoshop. So I can't spell. Big deal. I can diagnose rodent depression like nobody's buisness, and I tell you-- that is one sad rat.

You spelled "surgery" wrong DOCTOR!!! I don't care how tough it is for you to lie like this, but I know (because Jesus tells me so) that we are all looking at a non-Christian web hoax (of the highest order). I feel sorry for all of the armchair scientists who are scratching their heads to figure this out right now. I say- take that same effort, time and energy to open the good book to Paul: 13:77 and read away: "The meek shall hide in weeds of scorn until the eyes of Jesus yorn (means: to yawn approvingly)". Doesn't that tell you everything about this optical fiasco? We have been had! All of us... Every ONE!

It looks as if it has 4 prominent toes on it's back right foot This would eliminate chinchilla (3 prominent toes) Also where's the tail? Eliminates marmot, muskrat if no tail. Perhaps the picture just obscures the tail. Head is too thick to be a squirrel. Wish there was something to put it to scale in the picture. Poor guy...whatever he is, he isn't supposed to be there.

http://infowright.com/mtbeaver/ http://www.infowright.com/mtbeaver/Mountain%20Beaver%20008.jpg I like mangy Mountain beaver as a guess. right number of toes, correct size of ears, correct body shape, no tail, lives in WA. I'm sticking with that

looks like a baby wombat

Ned I must say that my hands are trembling with so much rage right now that that poor child in Op13B might not live because I can't operate on her. Instead I type. To your bafoonish self-serving rant. For those of us that deal with the sciences, I can only attest to the hear and now. The same hear and now that has to save your life at 3 in the morning with a gourd the size of a Volkswagon stuck in your sanctimoneyous rectum... Think about that before you type sneed- because I check ID's at the door my friend, and you never know when I might be a little too busy diagnosing rat depression to operate on a fucking moron.

Hairless nutria? That's what the ears and size look like.

I think that its Micael Moore, looking for reasearch on his new documentary, and you saved us from a few clips from the upcoming "BaLDO" and the ruthless monopoly of Starbucks

There is no size reference so my best guess is also a mountain beaver with a serious skin condition. Mountain beavers will leave their burrows when sick and this one definitely looks sick.

That "thing" is a naked mole rat; or at least that's what it looks like. Although I am pretty sure that naked mole rats don't usually leave the confines of their underground homes and I do not think that they are even native to the United States. But still, that seems to be the best guess as to what it is... it's definately not any sort of hippo. Even pygmy hippos are quite large. This is quite an interesting photograph and best of luck figuring out what it actually is.

Thank you for locating my ex-girlfriend.

It's a squirrel, somewhere near the end of it's lifespan, and in poor health.

This appears to be a hairless, possibly a patchwork hairless, domestic rat. The ears indicate it is also a variety called Dumbo (due to the ears being placed lower on the sides of the head). It may also be a Manx (no tail) or the tail may be off to one side. The head appears odd because of the movements of the rat as it was busy grooming itself.

my guess is a possum baby that somehow got out of momma's pouch. They are marsupials. I say this because the feet look like a possum's feet and they move slowly

It's just a hairless rat - we had one of these for a pet (rats are actually very good pets). It only looks odd because of the camera angle.

DOCTOR MOSHER, HERE, HERE, BUFFOONISH SANCTIMONIOUS blashphemer. That image is trying to unglue the fabric of humanity with its ruse-and you are just making things worse. Regardless of your black tirade against me and all that is right in the universe, there is no excuse for bad spelling: REVELATONS 22:49 "When words becomye befuddled with the vexes of weak agendas, it it then that I stryke to blot thee from myne immortal kingdom". Learn to spell before you address me with your "medical" hatred, Mosher. I'm sure that my friends at the church will have a lot to say about your license to practice medicine in the state of North Dakota... The clock is ticking for you (as well as that little girl). And when you do meet your Maker "Dr." Mosher, I am going to be RIGHT by his side- telling him what you wrote today. And then- yes then we will see who is taking NAMES at the DOOR!

I couldn't agree with you more Ned... ALL DAY I have been beggin someone to go out there and save that BABY! I have tried to call the news- I am about to get in my car and drive to Oregon. Anyone out there reading this in Oregon-- that is a KID! A HUMAN BABY! Just look at it! Wile Dass Guesse confirmed that it has 5 toes-- FOR GOD'S SAKE GET OUT THERE AND START RESCUING HIM!! Remember all of you WOMBAT-Guessers, you will be held ACCOUNTABLE for DOING NOTHING!!! I JUST PRAY FOR YOU that it isn't the Baby Jesus in the weeds. If it is, he is going to kill you for this.

Squirrel. With advanced mange. And possibly bot-fly.

how about a groundhog with some skin condition like an allergic dermatitis. Just a guess

As a bible Scholar, I must apologize for Mr. Sneed's mis-minding of the proper verse for Rev: 22:49. In the King James version, REV:22:49 reads: "When my words become Jumbled, it is YE who will STUMBLE!". I believe that it is more of an issue of incorrectly paraphrasing God's wrath than mistaking a rat for a foot (Sorry Ned- but I'm still on your side!). AS for Dr. Mosher, if you really want to do some good DOCTOR, perhaps you should stop diagnosing "Depression" and go operate on our PATRIOTS IN IRAQ!!!! Those brave boys are getting their brains blown off while you bitch about how tough Medical School was?!?!? Shame on you DOCTOR. I wish that they taught surgery in the Bible- cause I would read-UP and then buy a plane ticket to sew up every one of those GI's tonight.

Ned- Are you pretending to be me? IF you are-- then WATCH IT!! Confused, Ned Sneed.

I'd say it's a GOPHER with skin disease. There was actually a sighting of this exact same thing about a month ago in Wenatchee, WA, which is in the east part of Washington: http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070606/NEWS04/706060334/1001 They, too, said it "looked like a tiny hippo". The one in the article looks pretty similar in size to the picture here. (Note that the picture at the top of the Wenatchee article, the long skinny purplish animal, is a naked mole rat. The actual gopher is pictured on the right side.) Given the proximity of the two cases both in time and place and the similarity of the descriptions (I don't think anyone would ever say a hairless rat or squirrel looks like a "hippo"), I think it's pretty likely it is in fact a gopher.

Go catch that bastard!

I agree that the poor thing looks like a hairless rat, probably someone's escaped (or "released") pet. Hairless rats are not found in the wild, they are bred for pets. (Yes, rats make fabulous pets, no rat bashing please) This familiarity with people would explain the not running away.

Naked Mole Rat. See and learn more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_mole_rat