

Joshua Freeman, CP24.com





The world was waiting for a groundhog Tuesday, but in Toronto a raccoon showed up instead.

Transit riders spotted one of the furry scavengers trying to hop a ride on a southbound subway at Spadina Station at around 8 a.m. during the morning rush Tuesday.

Brief delay at Spadina, southbound due to a raccoon aboard the train! @TTCnotices pic.twitter.com/Q3yPzLU5iK — Heather Leach (@heatherlleach) February 2, 2016

The smoky-eyed mammal was pictured peering into purses on a train and sniffing at the feet of riders waiting at the platform.

The unexpected rider caused a brief commotion, with at least one woman climbing atop a seat to try and distance herself from the raccoon, who was apparently not fazed at the idea of sharing a crowded subway ride with some bleary-eyed humans.

However other passengers seemed more amused by the visit:

Fun ride on ttc this morning @CP24 pic.twitter.com/eGEZCykxZG — Tatyana Marayeva (@TMarayeva) February 2, 2016

It’s not yet clear how the raccoon got into the transit system.

"We have no idea how it got on the train. TTC facilities are fenced and secure against human intrusion, but animals do sometime make their way onto TTC property," TTC spokesman Brad Ross told CP24.com.

Trains were briefly delayed before the raccoon eventually disappeared into the subway tunnel.

No word yet on what this means for spring…