A strange wolf-like creature has been killed in Montana, but authorities have admitted they have no idea what it is.
The animal was shot by a farmer, as is required by state law, after it came within several hundred metres of his stock.
But on Thursday (local time) after inspecting the animal the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) announced it had little idea what the animal is.
"Wolf specialists looked at photos of the animal and collectively doubted it was a purebred wolf: the canine teeth were too short, the front paws too small and the claws on the front paw were too long," a FWP spokesperson said in a statement.
A DNA sample was sent for testing, with a spokesperson admitting there was little chance of any consensus on the animal's origin until they came back.
"We have no idea what this was until we get a DNA report back," spokesperson Bruce Alchy told the Great Falls Tribune.
The FWP wildlife management section chief Quentin Kujala later clarified it is most likely to be a wolf-dog hybrid.
Until those DNA results are back though, it seems social media will let its imagine run wild with more mythical possibilities for the animal's origin.
Commenters on the Great Falls Tribune page suggested creatures such as a Chupacabra, werewolf and even a living example of a direwolf.
Newshub.
