Strange creature of Maine

[Darwin again]

Strange "hybrid mutant" found dead in Maine.
There's a pic, too. Pretty gnarly.
Anybody ever hear of this animal before?

Article:
08-16) 17:55 PDT Turner, Maine (AP) -- Residents are wondering if an animal found dead over the weekend may be the mysterious creature that has mauled dogs, frightened residents and been the subject of local legend for half a generation.
The animal was found near power lines along Route 4 on Saturday, apparently struck by a car while chasing a cat. The carcass was photographed and inspected by several people who live in the area, but nobody is sure exactly what it is.
Michelle O'Donnell of Turner spotted the animal near her yard about a week before it was killed. She called it a "hybrid mutant of something."
"It was evil, evil looking. And it had a horrible stench I will never forget," she told the Sun Journal of Lewiston. "We locked eyes for a few seconds and then it took off. I've lived in Maine my whole life and I've never seen anything like it."
For the past 15 years, residents across Androscoggin County have reported seeing and hearing a mysterious animal with chilling monstrous cries and eyes that glow in the night. The animal has been blamed for attacking and killing a Doberman pinscher and a Rottweiler the past couple of years.
People from Litchfield, Sabattus, Greene, Turner, Lewiston and Auburn have come forward to speak of a mystery monster that roams the woods. Nobody knows for sure what it is, and theories have ranged from a hyena or dingo to a fisher or coydog, an offspring of a coyote and a wild dog.
Now, people are asking if the mystery beast and the animal killed over the weekend are one and the same.
Wildlife officials and animal control officers declined to go to Turner to examine the remains. By Tuesday, the carcass had been picked clean by vultures and there was not much left of the dead animal.
Loren Coleman, a Portland author and cryptozoologist, said it's unlikely that the animal was anybody's pet.
After reviewing photos of the carcass, Coleman said he was bothered by the animal's ears and snout. It reminded him of a case years ago in northern Maine in which an animal shot by a hunter could not be identified. In the end, wildlife officials got a DNA analysis that showed the animal was a rare wolf-dog hybrid, he said.
Mike O'Donnell, who is married to Michelle O'Donnell, said the animal looked "half-rodent, half-dog" to him.
It was charcoal gray, weighed between 40 and 50 pounds and had a bushy tail, a short snout, short ears and curled fangs hanging over its lips, he said. It looked like "something out of a Stephen King story."
"This is something I've never seen before. It's an evil-looking thing," he said.
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[hikerjohnd]

Wild - Maybe it is out of a Stephen King story...

[bfitz]

Dean Koontz!

[Gray Blazer]

Horrible stench?? I think I've smelled it near some of the privies....it could be the elusive Poop-a-cabra!

[opqdan]

The chances of it being a new species of large mammal living in a fairly populus area, which has never been trapped or photographed and no carcass or bones have ever been found before? Little to nill.

The chances of it being a known animal with odd/rare markings and possibly a disease or defect? Very high.

Occam's razor.

Kind of like all those cupacabra sightings that turned out to be foxes with mange.

[Two Speed]

Possible that it's a new species, but extremely unlikely. Far more likely to be a hoax IMHO. One thing that interests me is why this is reported in a San Francisco paper. Been keeping an eye on the internet and haven't seen any reports out of Maine.

[sherrill]

Spot! That's what you get when I let you off the leash and you sleep in a shelter.

[Kerosene]

An Associated Press stringer wrote the article, so the story could show up in almost any paper. It's interesting that the only picture I've seen is a small headshot that doesn't show any of the "rodent-like" traits ascribed to the animal. I'll wait for the "autopsy" results [is it still called an autopsy if it's not a cadaver, which is defined as a dead human body???]

[Maineiac]

[is it still called an autopsy if it's not a cadaver, which is defined as a dead human body???]


It may be called a necropsy. When visiting a college recently, they brought in a seal which had been found dead on a beach here in Maine and the professors at the college were preparing to do a necropsy. The dictionary has the same definition for both necropsy and autopsy: post mortem examination.

[atraildreamer]

An Associated Press stringer wrote the article, so the story could show up in almost any paper. It's interesting that the only picture I've seen is a small headshot that doesn't show any of the "rodent-like" traits ascribed to the animal. I'll wait for the "autopsy" results [is it still called an autopsy if it's not a cadaver, which is defined as a dead human body???]

Necropsy...for animals...If I remember my CSI episodes correctly.

[Two Speed]

. . . Any other maine papers that you'd like to see?

Interesting, but as Kerosene noted this was originally posted on AP. Looking at the articles they appear to be variations of the same document, with largely the same words, paragraphing and phrases used. Could be a genuine report cut to fit available space, could be one faked report repeated in slightly different formats.

I'm not trying to be snide, but there are a lot of hoaxes out there and I honestly would appreciate a little "ground truth" before getting too excited. Seeing as you live in the area what personal knowledge do you have?

[humor]Barney! I TOLD you to get the h*** out of that shelter and now look what you've done![/humor]

[Alligator]

ABCnews picked up the story.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2322365
"By Tuesday, the carcass had been picked clean by vultures and there was not much left of the dead animal. "
Maybe they'll get some DNA.

[VictoriaM]

Sure looks like a dog to me.

[tarbender]

That is one ugly mother whatever it is.

[StarLyte]

That is one ugly mother whatever it is.

Yes it is.
Can't wait to see what else the media will dig up.

[Darwin again]

Possible that it's a new species, but extremely unlikely. Far more likely to be a hoax IMHO. One thing that interests me is why this is reported in a San Francisco paper. Been keeping an eye on the internet and haven't seen any reports out of Maine.

It's an Assocated Press story, distributed nationally and I just saw a segment about it on CNN (paranoia is painless and free...).

Wolf-dog hybrid mutant. But look at the neck on that bad boy. Wouldn't want to light that beastie up with my Petzl on the way to the privy.

[gr8fulyankee]

Aol news has a full body shot of the canine.

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/ob...=2&_mpc=news.8

[SGT Rock]

Looks sort of like a mix breed chow to me.

[neighbor dave]

you sure it's not this guys brother??
http://www.five.tv/media/image/11791379.jpg

[RITBlake]

that thing looks delicious