Guess

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Justyn forwarded me a picture today snapped from outside of an office building in the seattle area - we're both fairly convinced it's the missing link:

click to see it in its natural environs

Other slightly more realistic guesses as to the identity of said beastie include:
  • kangahippopossumouse
  • common pigmy hippo, native to the PNW
  • diseased miniature baby hippopotamus
  • la chupacabra
  • diseased marmet
  • Naked mole rat
Personally I find Chupacabra the most convincing. Thoughts?

313 Comments

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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!

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 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

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

It's a mountain beaver. My friend and I had almost exactly the same experience in Seattle last year. We saw a weird hairless rodent thingy near the marina. It let us get really close and take a bunch of pictures, then scuttled off. We showed the pics to our biology prof. and he identified it as a mountain beaver. I don't have the pics anymore, but that's what that is.

Millie I have the book right in front of me. MILLIE ANd just because you read the BIBLE does not make you my FRIEND MILLIE. I know, I imagine that Heaven will be like a big department store (with no cash registers!) where you and I can meet likeminded souls and protect the universe from above MILLIE... But that would be job-time and not friend-time for me MILLIE. I have a few friends that I like to jam with- with my ROCK band, and that is it. So step off my welcome mat MILLIE. I know what I READ sometimes is a little different from WHAT I FEEL-- and that is the BOTTOM LINE with translating GOD'S WORD! Feel the TRUTH. That rat is a FAKE. It was built (as an unholy image) by this site as a means of discussing DEVILISM (I mean Darwinism) to young people that like to look at gross things. In the words of BILLY GRAHAM: "I'm RIGHT! So GOOD NIGHT!!!!"

WTF is going on?!?!?

It's a baby hairless guinea pig. http://tinyurl.com/2zrduw

How convenient for you NOAH that your precious PHOTOS have disappeared. How many people to you plan to fool with that lame LIE? MOUNTAIN BEAVER? That is an easy out for a difficult issue my "friend". Do you expect to "call it a MOUNTAIN BEAVER when your feet are on fire (dipped in hell's fury like an ice-cream cone in chocolate sauce)? WAKE UP and get to a bible as fast as you can poor friend. That is a human foot.

Looks just like the hariless rat that I had for a pet! Did it have a tail? Is probably wasn't deaf/dumb but rather somebody's pet and therefore had no fear of anyone as it was domesticated. They often have big dumbo ears and spots. Here is a picture of one : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fancy_rat#Hairless_rats

Just because I read the bible DOES NOT MEAN that I can't tell that is a NOT A FOOT. It isn't. I don't care about your department store fantasies or your ROCK band Ned. I know that we will be friends in heaven someday. I picture heaven like being on a 747 flying to Eternity. And when I get up to go to the bathroom (at 900,00 ft), I will be sure to say hello to you in Coach. And guess who (or what) will be sitting on my lap? That baby (non-foot) whatever that is cring in the weeds.

Just because it is deaf and dumb does not mean that it can't be a Chinchilla. Try again Lisa.

So Millie- why would we need to go to the bathroom in heaven?

My vote goes to a Nutria whelp- I actually was quite alarmed recently to learn that , yes, there are a bunch of these originally south American rodents living locally now! Suckers get BIG, too!

that is my exwife or her mother not sure have to see from the front.

I agree with Marv. Just beacuse it is Deaf and Dumb does not mean that it isn't depressed either. There is a myth that depression only affects people with IQ's over 120. I don't have an answer for the other 93% of humanity, (perhaps Ned can enlighten us), but I know the signs and syptums that are blaring from that photo. It is no hairless rat. It is a Chinchilla, who- if he weren't so depressed- could probably ace the NYT crossword in about 4 minutes (while drinking his morning coffee). Ned is an idiot. And the idea of an eternity listening to his crap-rock in a Mervyns or being stuck on an interstellar plane ride with Millie is about as appealing as a gun to the head. To hell with all of you. Let's get that Chinchilla some Prozac!

God doesn't care about your IQ Doctor Mosher! PS. What part of 120 spells "Symptoms" wrong?!

I agree NED! You know, I read in READER"S DIGEST (look it UP people) that the average I.Q. in our US ground troops rests between 82 and 83. I know that God is looking down on those troops like yo are all looking at that picture of the hairless rat- and just like many of you (who probably DON'T CARE what the rat's IQ is), God is not selective with is choices (just look in the mirror). Much like the free-box in a garage sale (with 3 billion souls stashed in it behind the velveteen teddy-bear!), HE is not going to lock the door on you if you can't spell "surgery".

Actually, part of the entrance exam is a spelliing test. Good Luck. G.

Lisa You are the one with the big dumbo ears sweetheart. Wikipedia? I have changed a million entries in that thing and I still have to correct it's mistakes on an hourly basis. Sweet Child, I encourage you to read something that does not grope for an answer in the dark (from strangers no less) It is called the BIBLE and it is the best friend you will ever have. Ever.

Whatever it is, I'll bet it's delicious!

Wow, all it takes it one genius and the whole game of guess-the-animal turns into another unintellectual pissfest. Get a life, you guys. Go back to guessing the animal.

It looks like a HAIRLESS RAT (No, NOT naked mole rat.. pet rat!) It was most likely NOT dumb and NOT deaf. If it was an escaped pet, it wouldn't be scared of humans, and hence wouldn't move until someone got too close. If it had a tail, I assure you its a hairless pet rat. The angle is awkward, but the size, proportions and head shape all look like a pet rat to me.

Oh, I'm SORRY eclectic Hamster-- I guess you weren't the ONE genius!!!!

Spare us the playground monitor bit eclectic hamster. It is people like you that make the world crowded. Thank GOD that in heaven we won't have to consider space issues (such as yours). Good luck guessing that it isn't a Photoshopped HUMAN FOOT genius!

Absolutely a squirrel with severe mange. Poor little guy...

Eclectic Hamster- the animal is you. I have guessed correctly. Sadly (as usual) the only prize is the understanding that people who generally consider themselves fit for police work are the people that we should all lock-up. I'm sure you know how much you suck- so I won't waste time typing for that cause. Why don't you try to grow a SPINE and TELL us what you think the fucking thing is instead of being a lackluster buzzkill with absolutely NOTHING to offer? You must be used to that station in life-- but why don't you wow us with something/anything as a means of avoiding the realization that you should probably just kill yourself so that someone/something more valuable-- (starting with that nasty hairless rat) in the future will have more to eat.

It's bigfoot - fucker's smaller than I thought.

I live in Seattle and I've seen a Mountain Beaver near Golden Gardens Park (which is in the city limits). I'd say it's a hairless (possibly very young) Mountain Beaver. http://www.siskiyous.edu/shasta/map/mp/limb.jpg

My vote is with the hairless Mountain Beaver. I originally thought skinny pig, but having looked through each and every one of these bloody comments, I think the Mountain Beaver is definitely spot on (assuming you can account for the hairlessness, which could be the result of mange etc.).

It's not a hairless or mangy or sick ANYTHING. it's a god damn baby woodchuck. we got em all over the place here in wisconsin. they live everywhere. u people are retarded.

The animal is a hairless domestic rat, and he needs help because he is either lost or someone has dumped him. Someone please take pity on the poor creature and set a live trap so he can be saved. Or call a local rat rescue for help - he or she will not survive outdoors for very long.

Looks a lot like a hairless pet rat to me. Their hair can be horribly patchy in very odd spots, especially when they're molting. (Hairless rats are some of the most hideous creatures on this earth.) And those are *not* dumbo ears - they're standards. Dumbos are farther down and much, much larger/wider. However, the front leg is very thick for a rat. Plus, the head shape does seem a bit bulbous... so it might have been one of its rodent cousins.

If I read one more comment about that creature being an ex-wife or Mother-in-Law I am going to scream. As an ex wife who happens to be a mother in law- I am a true Aphrodite goddess who deserves an apology. One who does not look like a wounded capybura or whateverthe hell you simps are pretending that ugly mucky-duck is. I am more beautiful than the best, last trickle of imagination you couldn't work up the brain power to find while you were jerking yourself off- cro mag(s). SO Wake up and smell the reality. That pathetic rodential boot-scrape pretending to be something woth anyone's time is far less important than you learning to respect women. Especially me.

I hate to be the one to tell all of you, but that is what we in the pet-grooming industry call a "summer cut". I would venture to say that it is a slightly embyonic char-pei that just got a trim. He is probably out for a walk or something. Check to see if he a microchip. If not, take him to the pound.

I know a thing or three about wildlife and that is NO WOODCHUCK Pete. I've raised a few on the mountain myself and I know when I see one in the ferns. I'm afraid that you are looking at the pre-natal droppings of the formerly prehistoric eyesore known as the Taper. Catch it if you can-- I know a lot of zoos that would give BIG BUCKS for a find like that. If you go back, put on a pair of winter gloves when you grasp him. Don't use yarn or knit gloves. Spit on each hand and then pick him up. Otherwise you'll get bit. And if you know anything about Tapers, you won't be able to read much after that. Keep him in the glove box when you drive back to town. Good Luck to you.

PLEASE!! That's my child!! Returnit to me!

This is a hairless rat, and it's not going to survive for very long. PLEASE whoever took this picture, please take some measure to save this animal. There are many rat fanciers who would be happy to adopt a fancy, hairless rat (Seriously. I volunteer at an animal shelter, and when we get hairless rats in, they are adopted immediately).

What is it with you people and frat boys? Any legitimate frat boy wouldn't save this thing; he'd eat it. Jeeze. http://www.grumpyprofessor.com/

I am getting tired of people who keep saying this thing is in the rodent family... That is like telling me that it is a mammal. OF COURSE IT IS SOME KIND OF RODENT!!! IT IS A LAB RAT!!! What I would start to wonder (if I lived near the Seattle area) is what kind of "28 Days Later" nightmare is about to explode on your asses thanks to this LAB-REJECT? Go get a shovel and smash that thing into a nice safe pancake before you regret it. Be sure to wear boots and a couple of pair of pants (tucked into the boots) for protection.

Ignore the drunken housewife! That thing is diseased! It is called survival of the FITTEST! Not survival of the shabbiest death-rat this side of the Sierra Madre! SMASH IT TO OBLIVION!!! Otherwise, Seattle will change from the "city of good will" to the city that used to not be infested with flesh-eating zombies!!!

From a rat fancier and vet-tech: This is a rat. Possibly hairless, as others have mentioned. More likely suffering from mange and, by the looks of the belly, an intestinal parasite.

I am a staff writer for Rat-Fancier Magazine and I agree with the Drunken Housewife that there might be a happy home for that creature-- especially after the world reads my upcoming article titled: "feelings aren't just for the attractive and/or furry" and I am writing it all by myself. I'd tell you all more about it, but we have to consider our magazine sales above public service. Remember-- September is when it will be published!

I don't really care what the hell that is,its not a naked mole rat. They live under ground, and only in very remote parts of the world. It's a fucked up squirle or Master Splinter in the Flesh! Did you happen to see 4 turtles some where around your place?

Smart money is on squirrel. Nothing has been wagered that is worth beating the bushes with a net to settle but smart money is on squirrel. The folks who claim to have disproved squirrel really have not met any kind of burden. Squirrels are common and probably at least 5X more likely to be seen “outside an office building in Seattle” than all the other suggestions combined. When have you been out near an office building and seen something as exotic as a naked mole rat or other invasive species? Was that more recent than seeing common species like say a squirrel. A wildlife worker says it’s a squirrel, has seen more than one like it this year and has a very good explanation for the lack of tail and current behavior you might want to give some weight the voice of experience. It does look a lot more like the previously pointed out naked squirrel photo than any other suggestion… http://www.wildbirds.org/images/harry.jpg just sicker and more beat up. The other explanations are a lot of fun to bat around and push for but if your want to know what reality is please remember that isn’t always fun. Probability favors the probable so strongly above what you might happen want something to be, if you don’t believe me than start playing the lottery.

It's a hairless rat. I've seen alot of them on the rat forum I belong to. Poor thing, I wonder if someone dumped it? :'(

Not a naked mole rat. Wrong foot, wrong posture, wrong head shape. observe: http://budak.blogs.com/the_annotated_budak/2006/10/yeah_but_its_st.html Not a nutria. Toes not webbed. Also, does not appear to weigh twelve pounds, and if a baby, no mother in sight to nurse it, and it would still be nursing if it were young enough to be naked - not sitting there eating something. Toes are not large enough to be a naked mountain beaver; they should be larger in proportion to the body. Ears are higher on the head than a mountain beaver. The ears and hind foot most closely match a rat, wild or domestic, and you can observe how from an angle the head can take on a heavier look: http://www.maldony.com/images/IMG_0064.JPG This is in fact a rat with its mouth full and its tail curled around away from the camera. Perhaps a less-than-hairless hairless who disappointed the breeder, or a shaved one, but a rat just the same.

Lemmiwinks! Zack, methinks that's a new record. I love you too Mikey.

Its Dick Cheney

Its a freakin pet dog that's been shaved. You guys kill me. It's totally obvious.

Whistle Pig. Hands down.

No it's not a naked mole rat, squirrel, beaver, skinny pig or any other such craziness. Look at the ears and hind feet, it's just a plain old hairless rat. Look at the pictures you see on Google image search and you can tell. ">http://images.google.com/images?q=%22hairless+rat%22&svnum=10&hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=off&start=42&sa=N I read about rats, I keep pet rats, I go to dangerous parts of town to watch rats, I collect toy rats, I dream about rats when I sleep at night, I even named myself after a rat. Believe me I know something about rats. And most disturbing of all? I'm not joking about any of this.

MANGY BEAVER

HEY I DROPPED ONE OF MY EGGSACS WHEN I FELL TO EARTH!!! that's where that little bugger got off to

I think what everyone is forgetting with all the funny comments and jokes is that someone dumped a helpless domestic animal and left it to die. A hairless rat cannot survive in the outdoors; hairless rats in cages need special treatment to stay warm and healthy. People dump unwanted animals all the time, and too often pet owners are just too lazy to even find an animal shelter for their 'beloved companion'. A humane death at the hands of a shelter worker would have been far more preferable than what most likely happened to the pictured rat. And, in my personal experience, hairless rats are still seen as novelties and are easy for shelters to adopt out (hairless ratties feel like warm peaches!) If the photo had been of a dachshund dumped on the local rez, starving, dehydrated, and with bloody feet, would the photo still be the Missing Link? Or an example of animal cruelty and just how suckful human beings can be? Lydia

my guess is - this is escaped and evolved microsoft tester.

I wonder if it blends?

Looks like a hamster with skin problem.

Just a tip for all you budding biologists out there, don't try to figure this out by doing a GIS for "hairless beaver."

I'm fairly sure the proper name of this creature is the 'Photoshopomos'.

I thought everyone in Seattle looked like that!!

It kind of looks like a baby wombat, i doubt it though since they wouldnt be outside of australia

it's the not so rare photoshoptus BS

Aaaahhh... sorry, folks. That's my scrotum. Wondered where the little devil had got to. D'you think you could post it back this way? I'm planning to use him in a few days...

Zack--Please tell Justyn: This is a baby pet rat that someone unfortunately has dumped. Hairless rats are a variety that ws bred for a purpose (another shameful, painful, human assault upon helpless animals, I assure you). Justyn--where is this one? I would like to send one of the rat fanciers in our society to rescue her, before she sucumbs to exposure, or starves to death. Pet rats are not very good at finding or creating shelter, nor finding and storing food. With no natural furry protection, and no mother to teach her how to live, she is pretty helpless, and needlessly suffering. Rat fanciers love these sweet little critters, and would be thrilled to bring her home, where she will be well-loved and well-treated by experienced 'rat people'. Please contact me at flashrats@ (in the interest of no spam) yahoo dot com, tell me where she is, and one of us will go rescue her immediately. Please don't post it here-not everyone loves rats. You know what I mean. Best, Rat Doc in Berkeley (yes, really).

It is most likely a squirrel with mange or a genetic defect that made it born with little or no fur. Naked mole rats like in Africa, stay primarily underground, usually don't stand on their haunches, and are not the size of the given creature, unless it was the Queen, whom spends almost all her life underground.

Paris Hiltons Dog after a bad perm

it is an ugly motherfucker that's what it is! :)

Update: After consulting with several rat-loving and expert opinions, the following rat characteristics were identified in the "Kangahippopossumouse" picture: - The feet and posture definitively peg this creature as a rat. - The ear position slightly akin to a "Dumbo" rat, however the ears are not as round or as large as a standard "Dumbo", which are know for their highly placid demeanours. - Coat is that of a "Patchwork Rex", much like a fully hairless "Rex", this coat features hair with very fragile follicles that lead to tendency for the hairs to become brittle and break off almost constantly, leading to a very patchy appearance. - Tail is either bent to the backside and under the rear of the rat, or it is actually a sample of a rather specialized "Tailless Rat", which have a genetic disorder that leads not only to absent tails, but also to a foreshortened body, as seen in the "Kangahippopossumouse" photo. All in all, the unanimous conclusion is that this was once somebody's very specialized pet which has either escaped or been let go. The chance of this sort of aberration appearing in the wild rat population is almost zero, due to fascinatingly strong wild rat genetics.

Its a baby lop-eared rabbit. We had them around our yard all the time growing up.

Further to what Kusari has said, I disagree that there are any "Dumbo" characteristics in this creature, having bred dumbo rats myself for some years. As for "hairless Rex" - this is more properly known as "double Rex", and occurs when two rex rats are bred together (normal rex rats are produced by pairing a smooth-coated rat carrying rex with a rex rat). The specimen is undoubtedly female, as all male rats have quite noticeable balls! My personal view is that this is an abandoned female double rex rat - who sadly is likely already dead by now as such animals are poorly suited to fend for themselves in the wild, and she will likely have been killed by a predator or a wild rat.

Baby groundhog or whistlepig

OK....so by the way it is holding its face and the hunch of the back you can tell it is a hairless rat that is cleaning herself. I dont see her tail and I realize that this is what is leading people to beleive she is a "naked mole rat" but her hips are wide in stance so perhaps she is a manx, or tailless rat. I have one who has curly hair and she stands like that as well. I hope this animal got help and did not die just because she is an aquired taste.

it looks like the baby squirrel my sister's cat brought home one day. Although I can't explain the random tufts of hair.

Looks like a bald squirrel.

You are all wrong it's a Sumatran Rat Monkey. Beware its bite!

I had a pet black bear hamster that looked exactly like that at the end of his life. He lost all his hair and could barely hear or see. Honestly, I think that's just some kids escaped pet hamster that has somehow avoided death.

Baldrick's mother.

With the exception of the few individuals that have correctly identified it as a hairless rat and know that it needs to be rescued NOW, all of you are sick mother fuckers and deserve a slow, painful death. If I EVER meet one of you sick bastards I will beat the living shit out of you, strip you of your clothes, and leave YOU out in the middle of some woods to struggle for survival like that poor rat is doing! He's fighting for his life out there and no one gives a damn! Where's the person who took the photo?! There has to have been a hundred people that have seen the rat! He's a domestic rat and can easily be picked up and placed in a travel cage with food and water for a trip to the vet. Get off your lazy asses, stop laughing and making jokes, and go rescue that rat!!! We already know that he's outside an office building in Seattle. I know it's not much to start looking with, but it is a start, so start the search!! As much as I would love to rescue him, I am on the other side of the country, but for everyone in that area, start looking!!

My vote? A NUTRIA, which is a large plant-eating cousin in the rat family. Native to S. America, and some southern states, it generally lives around water (rivers, lakes, etc.) and is a pretty good swimmer to boot. It's been trapped for fur, and some people actually try to grow them for food. And, apparently, they are 'tasty' (although I've never eaten one), and Wikipedia says the "meat is lean and low in cholesterol." Even so, too much like a big old rat for my taste. Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutria

Mountain Beaver... a SHAVED Mountain Beaver! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Beaver

Manbearpig!

It is a mountain beaver, Aplodontia Rufa. Its nakidity is a mystery, most likely it is a baby. I don't think the skin looks unhealthy enough to indicate mange. The ear shape and hind feet and claws are the clues. Note the match in photos on the web.: http://www.infowright.com/mtbeaver/mtbeavergarden.html

Perhaps it is a Chinchilla that is ill/old. I know my dogs lose hair when they get old, maybe its the same thing.

Looks like something that fell outta my ass about a week ago.

What kind of bullshit post is that TOUGH GUY?!?! Why don't you buy a plane ticket to Seattle and save that thing you weeping man-pussy! Spare us all your stupid phoney PETA RAGE and apply it toward anything other than trying to save some nasty hamster from the gallows of my BOOT!. The true comedy is watching the world go to hell in a handbasket as an average of 20 people die a day in Iraq alone while MORONS like you shed tears for a hairless fucking RAT in the weeds. Grow up mighty MIKE! Why don't you stand up for those defenseless MAMMALS? Not CUTE ENOUGH FOR YOU?Why don't you go kill an exterminator on behalf of our non-furry friend and get yourself in put in jail Mr. Sensitive! What about the cockroaches and ants? Does PETA have a policy on that? What about garden slugs and worms? Should we save some tears for them as well? It is a DISEASED RAT sorely in need of a TRAP! And you are a DISEASED HYPOCRITE IN DIRE NEED OF A LOBOTOMY!!!!

Stop picking on Mike! You know it takes a real man to stand up for the meek and defenseless. I am sure that there are plenty of sticks and stones for the Iraqy people to fight back with. That little "rat" as you call it is a tiny baby Christian boy! Yes I am telling you the truth. He is all alone and has lost his clothes. For all any of you know, it could be the baby Jesus!!!

I think Mike's comments are kind of sexy. I mean all of that RAGE and FIRE for a little aborted rat!! Va-VOOOM Mikey!!! Bring it on Baby!! I'm in Virginia if you are walking to Seattle right now!!! And instead of looking for animal abusers that you can strip down and beat to death with your sensitive fists, maybe we can abuse our ANIMAL desires with the same ingredients (know what I mean?)...

That's it! I DARE you to show yourself ANTI MIKE!!! I dare you- because I will find you and I will make you PAY for your hearless thoughts!!!! I joined PETA 6 years ago with the hope that I could put a stop to the relentless madness of skinning and stuffing the teddy bears for their fur. When I joined, I made a vow to stand up for our 4 legged friends of all denominations so that they would have a brave modern primitive warrior (named MIKE) as their master and leader. I am going to make my way to Seattle and I will find you Anti-Mike. You will pay for your insolence the PETA way MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!

How is Mike going to meet us in the future and kick our asses? Especially if he can't even afford bus-fare to Seattle?

A drunk walks up to a barkeeper one day and says, "If I show you a trick will you give me a free drink?" The Barkeep says "Depends on how good of a trick it is." The Drunk reaches into his pocket and pulls out a frog and places him behind the piano. The frog starts to play the sweetest jazz riff the barkeeper has ever heard. He pours the drunk his drink. The drunk, after killing his drink says, "If I show you another trick can I have another free one?" The barkeep says "If it is anything like that last one, you can drink free all night." The drunk reaches into his other pocket, pulls out a rat, sets it on top of the piano, and the rat starts scatting along with the frog." Impressed, the barkeeper starts to pour drinks as fast as the drunk can drink 'em. After several hours, a big time Hollywood agent walks in, sees the act and franticaly asks the barkeeper who it belongs to. The barkeeper points to the drunk who is passed out on the floor. The agent wakes him up and says, "I will give you 1 Million dollars for that act." The drunks says "not for sale". The agent says, "Ok, 100 grand for just the scating rat." The drunk say, "deal" The agent writes the check and leaves with the rat. The barkeeper looks at the drunk and says, "Are you nuts? You had a Million dollar act that you just broke up for a whimpy 100 g's?" The Drunk says, "Relax, the frog is a ventriloquist!"

I am shocked by these comments! SHOCKED! Any of you who compare a poor defenseless rat to the citizens of Iraq could not be more off-point. Just because we PETA members stand up for little creatures does not mean that we have to care about injuries to humans. We don't. People have arms to fight with and legs to run with and that's the difference folks... Why on Earth should any of us give 2 seconds' thought to a mosque being blown up when Madonna chooses to wear chinchilla over faux-fur? That baby rat needs a coat and would probably have one if it weren't for the fur industry. Shame on all of you!!! Stop thinking about Iraq and start helping that Rat!!!!!

Run far, far, away... THE SNIPES ARE AFTER YOU! http://scottsigler.podshow.com/

Okay for one thing Mike learn to spell it is HEARTLESS not HEARLESS and another thing you PETA dumbasses don't realize is that animals have claws and teeth they can fight back and if they don't have claws they have legs to run away with. Faux fur is so fake and its not as soft or as silky as real fur by all means Mike if you are going to Seattle to save that Sumatran Rat Monkey by all means stop by Houston, Texas along the way and I'll gladly kick you're monkey loving emphasis on loving ass!

The comments posted by 'Mike' at 5:37 PM - Tuesday, Jul 17th 2007 are not my comments. I said my piece in my first post (10:47 AM - Tuesday, Jul 17th 2007), and now I will let Karma take care of things. Be warned, everyone against me and the rat, Karma will get you! Payback's a bitch!

Hmmm. Off topic but Darwin was wrong. It is not the survival of the fittest. When some cataclysm occurs the niches are destroyed along with those that fit into them. What survive in the newly configured environment are the misfits like this one might be.

i would bet money that i's just a squirrel with either a) a skin disease or b) the double rex recessive fur trait common to rats. single rex causes curly or fuzzy hair, double causes the hair to be so fine that it easily falls out or is broken. there are many "false hairless" rats for sale.

I agree with the comment from July 17th. It is indeed a Moomintroll...definitely not Moominmama, because she has a purse. Feed him pine needles so he can hibernate. Is it true that PETA saved, um, rescued a bunch of animals, and then froze them to death because they couldn't find adoptive parents/homes for them? How many people vote for photo shop job?

That looks so close to my old hairless boy, bobby, that if I didn't know better I could say it's a photograph of him. He was a hairless rat who lived to the ripe old age of three and a half, and had the same wrinkled-up ears, the same chunky head, the same folds of skin all over him - and those same tufts of fur that grew nonsensically randomlike. If it is a hairless rat, you almost certainly have an abandoned, lost, or escaped pet in that photo. If he's as old as he looks to me (three years) then he doesn't have much life left in him, and being left outside is going to leave him with even less. There's very little chance a wild hairless rat could live to the age that one looks, and a pet one isn't going to survive long. Hopefully you have warm nights and mild summer days there at the moment, and someone willing to give him a home finds him before anything else does. Kath.

brindlefly!

It looks like a baby wombat

It is a Babirusa ! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babirusa LOL

it's a baby hippo

It's definitely not a naked mole rat. They are far more hideous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nacktmull.jpg Looks like a squirrel sans fur, to me. Here's one in a similar pose: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Eastern_Grey_Squirrel_in_St_James%27s_Park%2C_London_-_Nov_2006_edit.jpg I see the eastern grey variety up close almost every day and I can tell you they are mostly fur. Their tails are really very spindly under all that bushiness. A denuded squirrel would look pretty strange. Like this creature, I would imagine.

OMG! It's a Snipe! There going to kill us all!!!!! Run in fear and terror!!!!! www.scottsigler.net Listen to the Snipe Hunt parts 1-3, scariest shit you will ever listen to.

The comments made by "Mike" @ 8:47pm on 7/17 pretending to diss the comments of ME: the REAL "Mike" made at 5:37pm on 7/17 were entirely false and untrue. I am the one and only hammer-fist swinging PETA THOR who is going to walk his karma-proof ass all the way to SEATTLE to save that little baby in the bullrush! Take that HATER fake-"Mike"- and stick it where my fist(s) WILL FOLLOW! I promise. I'm walking as I type and I'm TAKIN' NAMES as I go-- and if I find ANY of you (through my elaborate and fool-proof pedestrian interview process) who have turned your backs on that poor innocent rat-- who is crying in the night for help... I am going to summon the power of the mighty PETA gods and BEAT DOWN all of you within an inch of your collective lives... Yes, some of you might die to help balance the average of my collective wrath- but that is just the PETA way (so get used to it HUMAN MORTALS!).. Next I- Mike- shall strip thee of thy clothing and teach you a few lessons in RAT humility the PETA way. I will most likely not give the clothing back (hence you will die broken and naked in the moonlight). SO grow some eyes in the back of your heads Laffers! I'm comin' and I am 100% Mike. I might not be able to afford a plane ticket- but goddmmit- I am not afraid to beat, and kill and maim anyone (and I MEAN anyone) who dares even giggle at that hairless rat somewhere waiting for me in the weeds of Seattle. Just try laughing at that picture and tempt the gods of FATE. I'm like Johnny Appleseed- plantin' the SEEDS of PETA PAIN! I'll find you (I will). Don't run-- you'll only die TIRED!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: I've suddenly decided to alter my walking route to Houston to find you PETA Hater (commenting from 8:01 pm 7/17)! I am looking forward to our showcase showdown P.H.! Also- know that my typing "hearless" instead of "heartless" was the fault of my keyboard and not me. I was typing "heartless" and the keyboard malfunctioned- failing to provide the "t" that my eternal, blood-curdling threat required. Fear not P.H., because I am going to make a little side trip to Houston and I will scour the city looking for you until I find you... Then do you know what I am going to do? I'll give you a HINT-- you've read it before: "I will beat the living shit out of you, strip you of your clothes, and leave YOU out in the middle of some woods to struggle for survival like that poor rat is doing". Can you even fathom that Man? Take a puch SO HARD that the fecal matter in your sissy bottom will blast out screaming-- to EVACUATE the sinking ship of your deflated cowardly karmically-challenged corpse (which will be magnificently poised atop my mighty PETA fists). And before that stupid imposterer tries to write back and tell you that he has "made-peace" with all of this-- ask yourself-- What would the REAL Mike do here?

Who knew it would only take one semi-hairless, unidentified rodent to make you page explode?

I have asked my friends, a group of Internet Researchers, formerly Independent Contractors of Google (Google Answers Researchers). --We have determined this animal to be a hairless guinea pig: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=hairless+guinea+pig&gbv=2

Bring it on Bitch! I'll even narrow it down more for you I live in a community at the intersection of Antoine and Veteran's Memorial. There's a Wal-Greens there along with a McDonalds that serves scrumptious chicken nuggets made from baby chicks along with other delicious animal products! There's also a Jack in the Box providing me with more red meat foods to give me the added strength to implode your face with one punch. That's one thing you peta idiots don't realize is that all that veggie eating makes you into wimps! Oh and to me it's not PETA its peta because like green peace you don't deserve to live on the same planet as us.

By the way the period goes inside the quotation marks or is that another mistake that isn't your fault but that of your keyboard? I can't wait to beat your face in.

EVEN BIGGER ANNOUNCEMENT! I will setup a paypal account to sponsor my trip to Houston so I can beat the living shit out of P.H., strip him of his clothes, and leave HIM out in the middle of some woods to struggle for survival like that poor rat is doing. As soon as the accounts up I'll post it hear; all I ask for: is two dollars from everybody to sponsor my trip down to Houston and take care of business the PETA way!

If that's a hairless squirrel, Seattle either has some HUGE dandelions or small squirrels. Head to rump (excluding tail) most squirrel sub-species are around 25 cm. (or 10 inches). Red squirrels are smaller at a head to rump measurement of 15 cm. (6 in.) long. That would make the dandelion directly in the foreground about 3 times larger at 75 cm. or (30 inches) or in the case of the red squirrel 45 cm. (18 inches) Dandelion Taraxacum officinale: "The basal leaves are individually up to 10" long and 2½" across." Meaning, at maximum the plant shown is 50 cm. (20 inches across) Potentially, based on average measurements, a red squirrel, but frankly....it looks photoshopped to me. (Spousal unit uses photoshop for a living) My favorite future famous dead artist:www.ghostwomanstudios.com

The rat is fine, it is eating and doens't require any help from anyone. Get a life... lol...

It looks to me like a rodent (rat, squirrel, muskrat - take your pick) afflicted with Cushing's Syndrome. Its a pituitary malfunction so it can be caused by a tumor. It causes hair loss, a full face (they call it "moon face"), thin skin, and a pot belly appearance (my dog who had it was very tubby around the middle but his legs were very scrawny in comparison). That's my vote.

I got sick of waiting for Mike and I went inside.

Hey SillyNilly- you doens't spell so good! Perhaps't You and Mike should meet for a little remedial reading/writing/bitch-ass fighting lesson before you check yourselves in to the halfway house in Houston where Peter-Piper-Peta-Hater lives!

Why do the PETA supporters insist that this mystery animal be captured? It seems fairly likely that whatever it is, it is a wild animal, and should be allowed to live out the rest of it's life. I don't think it is reasonable to expect someone to try to catch some unidentified animal, especially when it seems to have some sort of disease. There is also no reason to get angry at anyone, since I seriously doubt that someone shaved and released an animal for the sheer joy of knowing a rat was shivering somewhere in Seattle. That being said, I cast my vote for mountain beaver! (It's the ears)

There is NO WAY that thing is a naked mole rat. Naked mole rats don't have ears that big. This is probably some kind of naked rat or squirrel, either once a kept pet, or some kind of freak of nature. It also doesn't have any tail.

yeah, J, did you photoshop that? clearly it's a lie.

ok A. im pretty sure that weve narrowed it down to being some type of pig and B. i am the owner of 2 pugs so i know what creepy pig-rats look like in there natural habitat and that is for surelly a pig-pug

hairless pig-pug my bad but seriouslly people its deffinitlly a type of pig im just going for the pug thing cause pugs are freaky

Keep in mind a few things here, the creature has no tail and external ears. No tail means it's most likely not a rat or a squirrel of any sort. External ears means it's more likely a surface dwelling animal. Also, the picture is actually blurred especially around the muzzle making it look like something it is not. The face is pointed and not blunt as it may appear in the photo. It's also difficult to make out the size. It's obviously small but not clear on how small due to the foliage, dandelions can actually get fairly large. It's possible that the hairlessness is because it's a newborn animal which would also explain how it reacted and that it "slunk" away. Disease would not make the thing mostly hairless it would be the other way around. Genetic disease would more likely had it stillborn rather than actually live to this point. Adding in geography, a newborn mountain beaver is actually an attractive explaination... unfortunately, with all the evidence the most valid explaination is that it's a baby Chupacabra. :) We've come full circle... ah the circle of life!

It's way too early for me. I read the first sentence and thought it was inplied that this animal had neither a tail nor external ears.

obviously, it's an old radioactive Lebanese rat

Did anyone ever find the REAL answer?

I'm sorry, its a hairless Manx rat. Im pretty sure most people know what it is. Either way, no one is likely to find it again until it is dead. Considering it was cleaning itself in the picture it has probably adjusted to being outside, though it will likely die in the winter it is highly unlikely that the animal will be caught. Some people were apparently very upset by the joking, but that is just what people do, that is a large portion of how we amuse ourselves. None of the people who wrote on here released the animal or harmed the animal in anyway. So RELAX Freaks! I found most of the responses to be quite amusing and will probably check back to see the hilarity that ensues. BTW when I read "I'm like Johnny Appleseed- plantin' the SEEDS of PETA PAIN!" I laughed so hard I could barely breathe!

Well, after a solid week of NOTHING, we can all see that Mike was just talking when he threatened to save that furless-rat and beat everyone up between wherever he is and Seattle. Here's to you Mike- defender of nothing; battleguard of vitriolic empty threats... It takes a pitiful Champion of the Incompetent to defend the honor of a (now) dead rat with a non-existent pay-pal account's promise of violent retribution. You will suck until the end of time my cowardly pedestrian friend-- and all of us laughing at your sorry responses know it.

That thing is made out of Marzipan!!!

Hey PETA NEUTRAL! He needs to be captured so that we can hold him and pet him and tell him that everything is going to be alright. It should not be allowed to live out the "rest of his life" if the rest of his life is going to be spent in the weeds being laughed at by a bunch of Internet Text-Thugs. Shame on all of you for Making fun of the Rat-- and of Mike. He is a relentless champion of the Under-Rat: Willing to HITCHIKE to whomp the laughing heartless masses and pick that little rat up with his mighty fists and hold him/her to his (Mike's) bosom. I wish that I could meet you Mike. I would give you a trophy for "Bravery in the Face of Sarcasm". You SIR are America's HERO.

That creature that you call a MOLE RAT is actually a hairless South African Hippotat. It is the Noth American hybrid of the Hippo and the Rat created by the great scientists at the Purdue Chicken Corporation in South Bend, Indiana. The Hippotat is a solitary creature known for his predilliction for fermented/stagnant gutter water (as feed). The reason that he "slunk" away is because he was most likely drunk (as a "Skunk"). This is the common state of being/existence for the Hippotat. They are (unfortunately) pre-disposed to the wonderous vices of alchohol/low-forest narcotics and basically spend their little lives staggering between the toad-stools trying to get as high as they can "fly" (as they say). Much like the Purdue "Legless ChickWingSect- pat. No:19198764B", the Hippotat was bred/designed to be a low-cost alternative for the famed happy hour: "Buffalo Wing". The Hippotat is genetically engineered to be breaded, fried and slathered with a delicate "Honey Mustard Sauce"- compliments of the Hormel corporation (a wholly owned subsidiary of Purdue Chicken Industries NLC). IT is rare to see them in the daylight! Call 1-800-PUR-DUE-CHIKEN-CORP if you should see (or smell) him again. Thank You.

Hey Amanda That is not the MANX rat. It is the NO-THANX rat-- an anti-social off shoot of the hairless "Manx" family, but genetically pre-disposed to relentless bouts of depression as well as heightened inellect. (Hence his lonely contemplative stance in the weeds). Since Winter is at least 4 months away, I suggest that every armchair vermin-webtologist get off their collective fannies and waddle their way(s) to Seattle to find and cheer that little fellow up. With enough encouragement, he might muster the nerve & verve to crawl back to the rusty cage that he fled from. Thank you for your comment though Amanda- we all know that you meant well.

How many of you would pay to watch that thing fight for his LIFE? Lemmie Know. Mike.

Silly people. It's an adult crack-horse.

not a chinchilla - the ears are too small and the claws on the back feet are wrong

Only Chuck Norris can answer this mighty enigma!

Sorry Klause-- I have no idea what that blob is. But I would love to fight both of the "Mikes" (Vick and the broke PETA loser who is hitchiking from the "East Coast" to Seattle via Houston) who are posting responses in this Criptid-Tirade. Like most wimps- that rat-thing needs to learn to fight for itself. It is simply too pathetic-- too pitiful for me to waste my valuable ass-kicking time guessing what it could be. It could be a Champion. It just needs to learn from a proper Dojo.

This is a squirel with a bad case of mange i saw something exactly like this a couple years ago

I'm sure that furry (well- not so-furry) friend is still sitting in the weeds waiting for someone to give a damn and come save him. Every sorry-assed responder needs to search their soul and think about God's little baby out in the bullrush.... Wait a minute... If God made that thing and HE/SHE didn't come help it-- does that mean that there is no GOD? If an all-knowing, all-seeing entity could just snap his//her fingers and put this little fuzz-ball back in his nest- then why didn't he/she? For that matter, why didn't he/she stop the Inquisition or the Holocost? Have I just come to the conclusion that there is NO GOD? So then who created that little merkin for all of you to laugh at? It must've been God-- bu then if some of you are still responding (and God hasn't struck you down) then what does that mean? Does God have Mange? Is that little non-furry mess God him/her self? This has become a meltdown of my entire belief system!

That is one sad sorry squirrel with scarcoptic mange. Poor thing will die as soon as winter hits. Animals with raging mange have been in the news a lot recently as "El Chupacabras" There's currently a dead dog in Tx being DNA tested because the lady who found it swears it's a chupacabra. There was also a hairless skunk photo earlier this year that made the rounds.

That is definitely not a naked mole rat. Just google a picture of one and you'll see they are quite dissimilar. I also vote a squirrel with a severe case of mange. Sorry- but those of you who vote cupacabra, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere.

On second look- I dont think its a squirrel anymore. I agree with someone else who already posted on this- it looks like a mountain beaver.

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