# What is this mystery animal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 27, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159 "2004-07-27T21:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/1 "2004-07-27T21:39:38Z")
> [@](#): > > A mystery animal is on the loose in Baltimore County and not even the experts can pin down what it is. > > A Glyndon man found a way to secretly record the beast while it grazed in his yard. For a while it was just lurking in the woods watching the Wroe family until the Wroes started watching it. Follow the link for pictures. [http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/3545312/detail.html?z=dp&dpswid=1946268&dppid=68757](http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/3545312/detail.html?z=dp&dpswid=1946268&dppid=68757) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/2 "2004-07-27T22:43:33Z")
Another mystery creature missing its fur? Do we have some prankster on the loose with a set of sheep shears? Or maybe Freaky Fred the barber? Hard to tell the size of the creature from the photos, but I get the impression that it’s substantially larger than a fox. This one looks very hyena like, and moves like one, except that the forelegs don’t look long enough in relation to the rear. Spotted hyenas have forelegs that are longer then their rear, and slope off to the rear, contributing to their unusual appearance and gait. They also have rounded ears. Maybe some local zoo is missing a [brown hyena](http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/grasslnd/animals/hyena.htm)? Equally likely would be a dog of some heavy-jawed breed. Or a hoax. Another article is running a poll as to what people think it is: [http://www.nbc10.com/news/3547406/detail.html](http://www.nbc10.com/news/3547406/detail.html) The animal looks like it’s in poor health, whatever it is, and a terrific case of mange or parasites has probably largely defurred it. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/3 "2004-07-27T22:54:10Z")
[Previous thread on the subject.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=267249) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/4 "2004-07-27T22:58:00Z")
I begin to wonder if some travelling sideshow has sick hyenas. Every time it looks like one’s gonna die, they dump it. A few days later, they dump another. All up & down the East Coast. ---
**Author:** ![WillSantini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@WillSantini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillSantini)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/5 "2004-07-28T03:58:23Z")
Chupacabra? ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/6 "2004-07-28T05:23:19Z")
It’s an Eastern Jackelope, the puny relative of the [Great](http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/day/04_16_2001.html) (accept no substitutes!) [Western Jackelope.](http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/day/04_16_2001.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/7 "2004-07-28T05:35:33Z")
[Lotsa Hyenas.](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://clouded.leopard.net/~alari/hyenas/pics/hyena-03.jpg&imgrefurl=http://clouded.leopard.net/~alari/hyenas/pics.html&h=241&w=320&sz=59&tbnid=0BegPrJ1Q3sJ:&tbnh=85&tbnw=112&start=42&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhyenas%26start%3D40%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN) The hindquarters would be much lower than the forequarters in a hyena. Besides,it hasn’t made any noises as far as I have read, and the laugh of a hyena is not something you can miss. Besides, it gets along with dogs instead of eviscerating them! I think it’s some sort of mixed-breed dog, because it seems sort of big for a fox. The poor critter, whatever it is, has mange of some sort. It’ll probably be found dead soon, especially when it gets cold out ☹ ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/8 "2004-07-28T07:17:45Z")
It looks VERY much like a hyena. I’d be willing to write off the hindquarter height question to camera angles and movement. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/9 "2004-07-28T11:42:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Or maybe Freaky Fred the barber? Has Fred been feeling _naughty_ recently? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/10 "2004-07-28T11:46:52Z")
This is actually an old story around here. The people taped the video weeks and weeks ago. They’ve decided that it’s a stray dog with mange. Not a hyena, not a coyote, not some half-breed “hy-ote.” Just a dog. There’s no reason to trap it because it hasn’t harmed anyone. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/11 "2004-07-28T15:26:32Z")
That looks and sounds like it acts a lot like an [aardwolf](http://www.affordableafricanhunting.co.za/Children%20of%20Econo%20Game/Narratives/Narrative%20bladsye/Aardwolf.htm). As you can see from the picture, they’re smaller and built more slightly than other hyenas, with longer back legs as well. Aardwolfs live almost exclusively on termites; if this one couldn’t find any, it would probably go scavenging for anything it could find (like cat food). As far as I know, they don’t make the classic hyena “laughing” sound. And aardwolves are pretty easy-going and don’t have many teeth; this would explain why it’s getting along with other animals. Or, as **BiblioCat** said, it could be a dog. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/12 "2004-07-28T16:57:59Z")
It’s a liger. It’s pretty much my favorite animal. It’s a cross between a lion and a tiger with magical properties. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/13 "2004-07-29T00:14:35Z")
How odd, we had a similar mystery creature seen (and shot- after all this is Texas) and written about in today’s paper. Check out the photo, it kinda looks like a blue hyena [http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA072804.online.creature.18888bcb.html](http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA072804.online.creature.18888bcb.html) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/14 "2004-07-29T00:54:50Z")
> [@chriscya](#): > > How odd, we had a similar mystery creature seen (and shot- after all this is Texas) and written about in today’s paper. Check out the photo, it kinda looks like a blue hyena > > [http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA072804.online.creature.18888bcb.html](http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA072804.online.creature.18888bcb.html) Got a non-register image? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/15 "2004-07-29T01:00:31Z")
> [@](#): > > How odd, we had a similar mystery creature seen (and shot- after all this is Texas) and written about in today’s paper. Check out the photo, it kinda looks like a blue hyena. Eh, IMO not really. The forequarters aren’t massive enough. It looks to me exactly like what the biologist quoted said it was: a hairless and diseased coyote. > [@](#): > > Got a non-register image? On my system, it shows the article and a few seconds later redirects to a registration page. If you can interrupt that process you should be able to see it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/16 "2004-07-29T01:24:50Z")
> [@yBeayf](#): > > That looks and sounds like it acts a lot like an [aardwolf](http://www.affordableafricanhunting.co.za/Children%20of%20Econo%20Game/Narratives/Narrative%20bladsye/Aardwolf.htm). I gotta say I agree with this guess. I looked up [some pics](http://www.uvm.edu/~jdecher/Hyaenidae.GIF) on Google and it matches pretty closely. No stripes, but the mane is there, the tail is right, the crouching hind legs, the ears and snout - the only thing is it’s hairless, i.e. mange, and it’s not native to America. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Ash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@Mr.Ash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Ash)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/17 "2004-07-29T02:30:26Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Got a non-register image? :dubious: [Here](http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=FAE91F84-A264-4AC3-8EA4-9097690CDEFC) is a non-annoying competitor. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/18 "2004-07-29T02:34:39Z")
> [@Mr. Ash](#): > > [Here](http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=FAE91F84-A264-4AC3-8EA4-9097690CDEFC) is a non-annoying competitor. _Aiiiiiiii!!!_ It’s a chupacabra!!! Waitaminute! I thought Jackie Chan kicked it’s ass on his TV show. That _can’t_ be a chupacabra. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-animal/257159/19 "2004-08-02T12:20:29Z")
They caught it. It’s a red fox with a bad case of scabies. Boring, but true.