Mysterious creature trapped in Md.

Mysterious creature trapped in Md.

www.washingtonpost.com< br />

It has the tail of a rat, the ears of a coyote and the head of a deer. And it’s slinking through the woods near the Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly.

So what the heck is it? Er, no one really knows.

(visit the link for the full news article)

We live far west of where this creature was seen but my husband saw one a few years ago. He may have gotten a photo of it but it was really far away. This is vindication for him for everyone who laughed at him and told him he was seeing things!

What I don't understand is why they released it rather than having some DNA extracted from it. It looks like a hybrid coyote to me, with perhaps a greyhound or deerhound shaped muzzle.

What do you all think?

www.washingtonpost.com< br /> (visit the link for the full news article)

I would say its a Coyote with Mange..........again.

Related link: Teen Kills Possible Chupacabra

This was an article from last month. Maryland has this creature, whatever it is. What I want to know is where is the DNA analysis?

reply to post by ken10

I'd definitely say it has coyote as a predominant breed, but that doesn't explain the doe like face. Coyotes don't look like that in the face so there seems to me to be some domestic dog in the mix.

reply to post by SeenMyShare


Just looks like a hairless dog to me. Can't really get a scope of how big it really is. But my vote is hairless dog.Sorry
Therian
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/19ad6ea88c1c.jpg[/atsimg]

Here is a page showing foxes with Mange, Can you see the similarity ?

Foxes with Mange

why would they let it go?! now we will never know what it is! they should have called someone to pick it up and atleast run a blood test on it! WTF?

Google image search for coyote with mange

My problem with declaring it to be pure coyote with mange is that there doesn't appear to be the sores that should be evident. I'd think if it looked sickly those guys would not have turned it loose.


Mange - Michigan DNR
Mange:

Sarcoptic mange is characterized by thinning and loss of hair, thickening and wrinkling of the skin, and scab and crust formation. Red foxes are the most severely affected, exhibiting a thinning of hair accompanied by accumulations of foul-smelling, wet, crusted exudate about the head, and in severe cases, over much of the trunk and legs. In advanced cases, animals are emaciated and weak.

reply to post by ken10

I agree it bears a strong similarity to a fox and to a coyote, but where are the sores and crusting skin it should be exhibiting? Also, if it were a sick wild animal why is it sitting calmly in the cage and just meanders off when they let it out?

While I wouldn't rule out totally it NOT being a dog, the look is within the realm of acceptable doggy parameters.

Dogs have hairy rat like tails when the hair is short (Pit Bull), or even more ratlike when there is no hair on it at all:

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My thing is why are the hind legs longer than the front? Last picture I put up shows that when you put the peruvian hairless into it's stance their back legs stick out further than is normally allowed for aa dog set in stance, indicating that the back legs are likely a little longer than the front.

At about 1:05, you can see that it lacks muscle weight, which would deform it's full potential healthy look, which masks what it is. Also, since you can see it's feet, although not in high detail, it is clear that it does not have a hoof, so it is not a deer.

The tail is abnormally long, but still within dog range.

reply to post by SeenMyShare


I think it's probably a fox. This is due to the sharp snout, the fact it's back legs are longer than the front and the length of the tail. If you pay attention when the animal is running away in the video, you can see a white tuft of fur at the very tip of the tail.

I was amazed at how calm it seemed, I guess the full belly was responsible. Even without the hair, it's kind of cute.

reply to post by Therian

Counting the squares in the wire in front and in back of it I approximate its length to be about 20" nose to base of tail. That's a 1" square wire cage it's in. Fox or small dog is likely but again, I don't think it has mange or they'd not have turned it loose. Mange gives off a really rank odor, and the animal is weak and debilitated by the time its lost that much hair.

My first instinct was hairless fox as well.
It just definitely struck me as a fox, it had the sweet fox eyes... I thought el chupa was bigger anyway!

reply to post by tncryptogal


Found a pic of a hairless Fox. Will be the first to admit this certainly looks closer to the original then the Hairless dog I posted.. Any ways here yah go..

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/697f2b7be330.jpg[/atsimg]


Therian

reply to post by Therian
I have to admit this is darn close to the image minus the horribly roachy topline the original has! The face is very close. But again, why aren't there sores if its mange? I'm beginning to wonder if its a mutation kind of like the mutation that caused the hairless breeds of dogs? Neither your photo nor the original video show me a sickly animal.

reply to post by SeenMyShare


My educated guess since I used to work for a guy who raised them, is that you are seeing a fox with scarcoptic mange, a very bad case of it from the looks of it, have they done a DNA analysis?

reply to post by Rossa


Unfortunately the idiots turned it loose and then called a veterinarian to identify it via the video. Stupid! They should have called the vet while they had it caged and the mystery would be solved. My first question was why did they turn it loose? It should have been taken for DNA analysis, and treatment if it did in fact have mange.

I vote a hybrid created by NIH lab located just a few miles from the site. Back in the 80s a friend of mine worked there. He created a glowing rose by using phosphor cells from sea algae. By 1990 he created a glowing hairless mouse with the same process.

They created hairless mice years before in order to study epidermal and subcutaneous tumors. Hairless lab animals have been a hallmark of research labs for years.

I bet the chimera was released on purpose to see if it could survive and to check dominant traits regarding diet. I bet it's also being used for RFID experiments. That's why I assume they were told to release it. It stands to reason they made phone calls after capturing it.

The most basic tenet of new species identification calls for categorizing a new animal. Many biologists make their career on identifying lesser new species such as annelids (segmented worms). Discovering a new mammal in north america is a career making event.

reply to post by SeenMyShare


If you havent seen mange up close and personal, it doesnt always have the sores, often as they scratch they lose thier hair and thats it. Also, the way it seemed to be acting in the cage, sick, as if its energy supply had been depleted, another sign of mange, as the mites suck blood, and create an anemic state. Also, it could have severe allergies, that seems to be more and more common in animals, my german shepherd is a perfect example, he is allergic to EVERYTHING, including his own dander.