Strange 'Wolf-Like' Animal Baffles Wildlife Officials in Montana

A large wolf-like animal shot and killed in Montana on May 16th has wildlife officials and social media abuzz at the appearance of the strange looking creature. 

The rancher initially contacted Montana's Fish Wildlife and Parks after he shot what appeared to be a wolf on his property ABCFoxMontana reported. But, when game wardens sent photos of the animal to a wolf specialist in Great Falls, they realized what they found may not be a purebred wolf after all, but rather a hybrid. 

According to a statement from the FWP, the animal was young, non-lactating female and a member of the dog family which includes dogs, foxes, coyotes, and wolves. 

“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."

The animal's carcass has been sent to a laboratory in Bozeman where the state veterinarian will test the creature's DNA. But until the lab results get back, the identity of the strange wolf-like creature will remain unknown. 

Due to a backlog of cases, it's unknown how long the testing will take. 


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