# YAAID (Yet another animal identification.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 1, 2014, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419 "2014-05-01T04:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/1 "2014-05-01T04:33:24Z")
I’m going with GQ, because I’m hoping there’s an easy factual answer. Anyways, this animal was found somewhere between Branson, Missouri, and Harrison, Arkansas, by a friend. He’s trying to figure out what it could be. I told him I’d check with you guys. Don’t look at the URL if you don’t want to be biased by his guess. [Link to unusual animal](http://s27.postimg.org/81gw299k3/Arkansan_hyena.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/2 "2014-05-01T04:40:19Z")
[Here’s the exact same photo.](http://animalstime.com/hyena-facts-for-kids-hyena-behavior-hunting-diet-and-habitat/) [Original source](http://www.flickr.com/photos/stignygaard/2459104335/) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/3 "2014-05-01T04:46:05Z")
[Taken on Sept. 27, 2007 Tanzania](https://www.flickr.com/photos/stignygaard/2459104335/in/photolist-4Kiy3B-4KQH2C-4KnPVG-4MJ8hV) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/4 "2014-05-01T06:58:05Z")
Okay, so he must’ve linked an image of a file he found online of something that looked similar. He sure made it sound like it was his image, but careful reading indicates he never said he took the photo. Also, weird that I didn’t get any notification for your responses. Anyways, any idea of indigenous lifeforms that might resemble the hyena in that picture? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/5 "2014-05-01T07:00:02Z")
A stray dog? I mean, Hyenas aren’t dogs, but a mangy stray/feral dog could easily look superficially like a hyena. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/6 "2014-05-01T10:07:15Z")
Right, either he saw a dog (or a coyote, perhaps) and somehow convinced himself it was a hyena, or more likely, given the fake photo, he is putting you on. When I saw that picture, and before I saw running coach’s posts, I thought: that’s clearly a hyena, but is that really Arkansas? (Admittedly, I have never been to Arkansas, and it is a large enough state that you could probably, if you looked hard, find somewhere in the state that looks like that at some time of year, but it certainly doesn’t fit my stereotype of the state, and _does_ fit my stereotype of African savannah.) ---
**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:** [May 1, 2014, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/7 "2014-05-01T10:43:33Z")
I think I know exactly what he saw. I read recently there are loads of [these guys](http://www.onesiezoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Kids-Dog-Onesie.jpg) roaming around. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/8 "2014-05-01T11:46:28Z")
A coyote with mange might look similar [http://www.summitpost.org/images/original/216570.jpg](http://www.summitpost.org/images/original/216570.jpg) Also, a bear cub with mange: [http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/sn51dcd33f.jpg](http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/sn51dcd33f.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/9 "2014-05-01T14:19:06Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Also, a bear cub with mange: [http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/sn51dcd33f.jpg](http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/sn51dcd33f.jpg) Bear cub my ass. That has to be a chupacabra. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/10 "2014-05-01T14:24:40Z")
It’s a nauga. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/11 "2014-05-01T14:29:03Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It’s a nauga. A Corinthian nauga, to be precise. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/12 "2014-05-01T14:29:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It’s a nauga. Naugas are nocturnal. They hyde during the day. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/13 "2014-05-01T15:10:02Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Okay, so he must’ve linked an image of a file he found online of something that looked similar. He sure made it sound like it was his image, but careful reading indicates he never said he took the photo. > > Also, weird that I didn’t get any notification for your responses. > > Anyways, any idea of indigenous lifeforms that might resemble the hyena in that picture? **Anyways???** :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/14 "2014-05-01T17:10:55Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > **Anyways???** :smack: Yes, anyways. You’ll have to tell me what’s so head slapping about it. The lack of a picture didn’t stop people from discussing it on Facebook, and it hasn’t stopped people from making guesses here. In fact, you guys are pretty much saying the same things. They even brought up the chupacabra, although I think some of them actually think it really exists. :eek: He thinks a mangy coyote or wolf looks similar, but what he saw had a bigger chest and longer front legs than in any of the pictures he’s found. He also said it didn’t run like a “normal canine”, which he defines as wolf, coyote, fox, etc. Here’s the [mangy coyote](http://www.wildlifehotline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/5029705349_e56f00e779.jpg) he posted. And here’s the [mangy fox](http://wafflesatnoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/rosie.jpg). He still says the closest looking thing to what he saw was the hyena I posted as the first image. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/15 "2014-05-01T17:16:58Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > A coyote with mange might look similar I assure you, a coyote in my company would be better cared for. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/16 "2014-05-01T17:53:33Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Yes, anyways. You’ll have to tell me what’s so head slapping about it. The lack of a picture didn’t stop people from discussing it on Facebook, and it hasn’t stopped people from making guesses here. In fact, you guys are pretty much saying the same things. They even brought up the chupacabra, although I think some of them actually think it really exists. :eek: > > He thinks a mangy coyote or wolf looks similar, but what he saw had a bigger chest and longer front legs than in any of the pictures he’s found. He also said it didn’t run like a “normal canine”, which he defines as wolf, coyote, fox, etc. > > Here’s the [mangy coyote](http://www.wildlifehotline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/5029705349_e56f00e779.jpg) he posted. And here’s the [mangy fox](http://wafflesatnoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/rosie.jpg). > > He still says the closest looking thing to what he saw was the hyena I posted as the first image. What I found head-slapping was posting a picture of a hyena, which clearly wasn’t taken in the geographical area given, and when the hyena was clearly identified as such, proceeding further, upon the basis of…_that’s where you lost me._ Now we’re\*\* in GQ\*\*, making necessarily wild-ass guesses based upon? This thread was over after the first and second responses. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/17 "2014-05-01T18:06:02Z")
“My friend? He lives in Arkansas? And he saw this animal? And it looked like a hyena? Anyway, it wasn’t a hyena, but what you you guys think it could have been?” ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/18 "2014-05-01T18:14:41Z")
To answer the question, the most likely animal was a dog, either someone’s pet out for a stroll, or a feral dog. If it wasn’t a dog it could have been a coyote, red fox, gray fox, raccoon, black bear, skunk, otter, bobcat, cougar, opossum, peccary, feral pig, deer, cow, ostrich, gibbon, or giant squid, in descending order of probability. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/19 "2014-05-01T18:19:57Z")
Or, I suppose, it could have been an _escaped_ hyena… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419/20 "2014-05-01T19:33:05Z")
What you done got thar is yer [Ozark Howler](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozark_Howler), yessir… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaid-yet-another-animal-identification/687419.md?page=2)