# Big, Creepy, Unidentifiable, Dead Thing.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 10, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509 "2003-11-10T23:45:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/1 "2003-11-10T23:45:58Z")
… in the back of a truck. Sitting in traffic, my husband interupts my very important comments about something very important, _(I don’t remember what I was talking about)._ “What the…”, and when I looked at him, he had a very WTF look on his face. So I look where he’s looking, which is at a truck in the next lane and ahead of us. It was a TDOT (Tenn. Dept. of Transportation) truck so I asume the “thing” was roadkill or had been found on the side of the road. It was partially covered with a tarp, with the feet and part of the legs exposed. The first thing I thought was “big dog”, but this thing was HUGE, about 5’ between front legs and back legs. the fur was short and tan colored, but there was some long hair hanging down in the space between the tailgate and the bed, which would be in the area of the things back, unless it was a whole different roadkill victim all together. The feet were shaped more like a dog but the pads were cat shaped. Whoever hit it was left with some dammage, and probably a few nightmares. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/2 "2003-11-10T23:56:49Z")
A _bear_? ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/3 "2003-11-11T00:07:40Z")
A _bear_? ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/4 "2003-11-11T00:11:32Z")
The legs were long and skinny like a dog and the fur was a light tan. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/5 "2003-11-11T00:16:41Z")
Maybe it was a mountain lion! ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/6 "2003-11-11T00:48:00Z")
I thought about a mountain lion, but I don’t think they get that big and we’re not in the right area. ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/7 "2003-11-11T01:23:41Z")
“Black” bears come in all sorts of colors. Cinnamon to black to blonde. So the color could be right for a bear. But the long skinny dog-like legs? Eh. Maybe it’s not from this Earth… ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/8 "2003-11-11T02:21:58Z")
It’s possible that it was a REALLY big dog. I’ve seen Mastiffs that looked too big to be dogs. Some dogs are enormous, and if you’re not used to seeing them, could get you to go WTF??? ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/9 "2003-11-11T02:23:21Z")
Ugh! I wasted my 500th post on **that?** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/10 "2003-11-11T02:25:27Z")
Were there any strange lights in the sky these last few nights? You know those gray aliens always like to come out during an eclipse. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/11 "2003-11-11T03:08:50Z")
Frankenpuma! ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/12 "2003-11-11T03:16:35Z")
BTW- there is a wildlife sanctuary near Kingston, TN withe “big cats” (lions, tigers etc.) You anywhere near Kingston? Maybe one of the big kitties died. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/13 "2003-11-11T03:48:52Z")
Well I was in the area and I didn’t see nothing strange. Actually I rode in the back of a TDOT truck and took a nap for a while so maybe we passed it while I was asleep. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-creepy-unidentifiable-dead-thing/212509/14 "2003-11-11T04:00:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eats\_Crayons \* > \*\*BTW- there is a wildlife sanctuary near Kingston, TN withe “big cats” (lions, tigers etc.) You anywhere near Kingston? Maybe one of the big kitties died. \*\* Kingston’s on the other side of the state from here. It could very well have been a coyote. I’ve seen them squashed on Gallatin Rd just down the street from The Gap, on my way to Hendersonville. It could very well have been one of those that TDOT scouped up off the highway, when they weren’t too busy propping up their shovels.