News

Biologists asked to help identify

by J.F. Knebel, Record Outdoor Writer
Wednesday, July 25, 2007 8:06 AM CDT

A strange hairless, fanged creature with a protruding stomach and hind legs longer than its fore legs was run over and killed on Buenger Road off Hwy 183 five miles from Cuero Saturday, July 14 in front of the ranch of Steve and Phylis Canion.

Hairless animal This hairless canine-looking animal was killed on a county road between Yorktown and Cuero recently creating flurry of questions and speculations here and around the state. (Photo by Phylis Canion)

Mrs. Canion, who discovered and took pictures of the creature, said this was the weirdest and ugliest creature she had ever seen; and she should know, having been to Africa twice on safari. In fact she is so convinced that it has scientific value that she kept half of it in her freezer and is inviting Texas A&M and the Texas Parks & Wildlife to come and take DNA samples to determine its genus.

Though she had caught glimpses of it during the past few months, until now she had never seen it up close. It measures 40 inches in length with an estimated weight of 30 lbs.

What makes the situation even more unusual is that a similar creature was found run over near Five Mile Creek also on that Saturday between 7 and 8 a.m., and another found Tuesday morning near the San Antonio highway bridge over the Guadalupe River.

This makes Canion, who has lost eight kittens and 24 chickens over the past several months, believe all the heavy rain and high water has caused these creatures to move to higher ground.

Local game warden Michael Hoffmann and TP&W biologist Ryan Schoeneberg admit they have seen nothing like the Cuero creature but believe it to be either a mangy disfigured coyote or some form of hybrid dog that could have crossed with a coyote.

They point to the 2004 "Elmendorf Creature" found near San Antonio that turned out to be a coyote with demodectic or sarcoptic mange as well as two others discovered in the same area in 2006 by a local zoologist.

Print this story   |   Email this story