Incredible footage reveals a mysterious beast prowling the woods of northern Minnesota, leaving researchers wondering what species it is.
The Voyageurs Wolf Project, a research group from the University of Minnesota, shared incredible footage on Facebook from a trail camera showing an unusual dog roaming the wilderness.
The sighting has sparked heated debate over whether the animal is a rare hybrid between a wolf and a dog, with researchers claiming they have never seen anything like it.
The animal, described as “wolf-like” and “dog-like,” was captured on camera several times between the winter and March 20.
“This was one of the weirder observations we made this winter,” the group’s Jack London posted on Facebook on August 20th. “A wolf-like, dog-like canid that roams the area. It looks like a wolf-malamute mix or something.”
Incredible footage has revealed a mysterious beast stalking the woods of northern Minnesota, leaving researchers wondering what species it is
The Voyageurs Wolf Project, a research group from the University of Minnesota, shared incredible footage from a trail camera on Facebook, showing an unusual dog roaming the wilderness
The mysterious creature has been spotted more than 10 times in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, usually traveling alone.
However, the animal was seen twice in the company of adult wolves, further increasing the mystery surrounding its identity.
“Our first two observations – Feb. 29 and Mar. 3 – were of this animal and two true adult wolves that were roaming. However, none of the wolves in this pack were part of a permanent pack in our area.”
‘The one sequence of all three shows how different the appearance of this canine is from that of the wolves in our environment.’
Researchers say they’ve never seen a “wolf” that looks like this.
The animal, described as “wolf-like” and “dog-like,” was captured on camera several times between the winter and March 20.
The mysterious creature has been spotted more than 10 times in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, mostly traveling alone
They are confused by the animal’s appearance, particularly its unusual color and size, and have proposed two main theories to explain the creature’s origins: a mutated wolf – making it extra large and fluffy – or a wolf-dog hybrid
They are confused by the animal’s appearance, particularly its unusual color and size. They have come up with two theories to explain the creature’s origins: a mutated wolf, making the animal extra large and fluffy, or a wolf-dog hybrid, a cross between a wolf and a domestic dog.
“It’s notable that we’ve never seen a ‘wolf’ that looks like this before, but we suspect this canine is a wolf with a weird mutation that makes it super fluffy and extra large (seems unlikely, but we’re trying to weigh the options)… or a wolf-dog hybrid,” London wrote.
“Since we have not found evidence of wolves breeding with dogs in our area, nor have we heard of this happening in northern Minnesota, we believe it is highly likely – if it is indeed a hybrid – that the animal is a hybrid that was released or escaped.”
The group stressed that their speculation is merely a hypothesis and that there are currently no confirmed answers as to what the mysterious beast is and where it came from.
“Of course, this is all speculation and your guess is as good as ours. I’m just trying to figure out what the most likely explanation is. Or maybe this is the reincarnation of London’s Buck from Call of the Wild.”
In April, a pack of wolf-dog hybrids terrorized the neighborhood for months, killing at least two pets.
In April, a pack of wolf-dog hybrids terrorized a neighborhood in Shingeltown, California, for months, killing at least two other residents’ dogs
Officers have already taken one of the at least dogs into custody after the owner surrendered him. That operation, which took place on March 25, can be seen here
The seven “feral” animals attacked and killed a medium-sized dog on March 26. They struck again last week, local police said.
The crisis took place in Shingeltown, California, a small town along California State Route 44 in the hills just below Mount Lassen.
Residents claimed to see the roaming pack almost daily and demanded action be taken.
Officers took one of the dogs into custody after its owner surrendered it. In a statement, officers in the town of just over 2,000 people said they were investigating the incidents.