Strange wolf-like animal killed in Montana puzzles wildlife officials

FoxNews.com/Science ^ | May 25, 2018 | Robert Gearty

[ETL]

A large wolf-like animal shot and killed in Montana has wildlife officials and social media wondering what it was.

A rancher shot the gray-haired beast on May 16 when it ventured too close to his livestock in Denton.

The rancher reported that he killed a wolf but wolf specialists looked at photos of the animal and doubted it was a purebred wolf, ABCFoxMontana reported.

“The canine teeth were too shot, the front paws too small and claws on the front paw were too long,” Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Bruce Auchly said in a news release Thursday.

“Nevertheless, social media was quick to pronounce the animal as everything from a wolf to a wolf hybrid to something mythical," he said.

[Cold Heart]

That’s not quite how it works with government. Remember, the USFS biologists got promoted when they fraudulently claimed they found lynx hair in a Washington forest.

[Doc91678]

You’re right. In the Southern Tier of NY state we’ve been experience the same type of thing. Seems the Eastern Coyote has crossed with either a wolf, or large domestic dog. I’ve shot two that weighed over 120 lbs., each. I’ve talked to the DEC and they claim they’re hybrid coyotes. Some call the coy-dogs.
Seems that there are times they’re not shy and out during the day.

[txhurl]

Telllll me somethin’ good.... tell me dat you love me, yeahhh...

[Dexter Morgan]

When the Chupacabra makes it that far north, it gets protection and is identified by its new name, ChupaDACA.

[dhs12345]

Of course, man-bear-pig.

[rfp1234]

But he tragically made a wrong turn into Sum Ting Wong.

[lefty-lie-spy]

Awesome Lon Chaney Jr. and Warren Zevon reference ping!

[lefty-lie-spy]

Damn, I wish I had seen your tagl line before now. I’m a huge fan since I was in high school in the 1980s. I was lucky enough to see his performances live in Sacramento, and I still wear the T-shirt from the Mr. Bad Example tour.

[NoCmpromiz]

We have coy wolves wander through here (Orange County, NY) from time to time. Had one walk right up the drive, go past me within 25 feet, and disappear into the woods to the north of the silo. Did not seem to be too concerned with my presence. The pack tended to make its circuit through the area on a cycle of about two weeks.

Have not seen (or heard) any of late probably because we now have another critter that the 'experts' tell us does not live in the area. But unless there is another animal that sounds like a female cougar (puma, wild cat) advertising her presence to any similar critter who would be romantically interested, we have one (or more) of those 'don't live here' animals hanging around.

The coywolves 'circuit' through the area has been strangely absent ever since Ms. Kitty started voicing her presence.

-----

(From that vast repository of all human knowledge, Wikipedia.. ;-)

Coywolf is an informal term for a canid hybrid descended from coyotes and gray wolves. Hybrids of any combination tend to be larger than coyotes but smaller than wolves, they show behaviors intermediate between coyotes and the other parent's species.

Eastern coyotes range from New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. Their range also occurs in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Coyotes and wolves hybridized in the Great Lakes region, followed by an eastern coyote expansion, creating the largest mammalian hybrid zone known. Extensive hunting of gray wolves over a period of 400 years caused a population decline that reduced the number of suitable mates, thus facilitating coyote genes swamping into the eastern wolf population.

[GingisK]

Maybe it is the return of the banana boat rat.

[Noumenon]

Werewolves of Montana again...

[Salamander]

Obviously, it’s a Dire Wolf.

#WinterIsHere

[Oratam]

A rancher shot the gray-haired beast on May 16 when it ventured too close to his livestock in Denton.

More likely he heard him howling 'round his kitchen door.

[Theoria]

It does look like a Shunka.

[jmacusa]

That’s what I was thinking.

[jmacusa]

But as I understand it wolves breed within their own pack. An alpha male and an alpha female. Why would they accept a dog?

[Equine1952]

Political correctness.

[wardaddy]

Is this wolf Accidentally Like a Martyr .....next one someone should call Lawyers Guns and Money orbetter yet ....call Roland....these things like scary

Whatever happened to zevonismymuse here?

[ApplegateRanch]

Above is a link to an article I recall from years ago. Looks to be a similar creature. The guy’s grandfather killed it in Montana 121 years ago.

Crypto ping?

From the story linked in #52:

The “ringdocus” or “shunka warak’in” - two of the names it has been given over the years - strongly resembles a wolf, but sports a hyena-like sloping back and an odd-shaped head with a narrow snout. Its coat is dark-brown, almost black, with lighter tan areas and a faint impression of stripes on its side.[snip]

The tale was again picked up by writers Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark in their book “Cryptozoology A to Z.” In that book, Coleman linked it to a Native American legend about the “shunka warak’in,” a creature that snuck into camps at night to steal dogs.

[redinIllinois]

Wow!

Thanks for posting the picture.