Ugliest, scariest animal I've ever seen

[lumberzac]

I think it's some sort of Chow Chow mix. If you notice in the AP photo, the animal has a blue tongue.
AP Photo:
http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/AP_Photo/2006/08/16/1155761434_6340.jpg
Chow Chow Photo:
http://petsurvivors.com/images/our_dogs/Katrina_Chow_06_lrg.jpg

 

[Mr. X]

Now, if there were a pack of these, roaming the woods and surrounding hikers it would be evil.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I flipped one of Chip's pictures around so that I could get a better look - not particularly scary that way. Definitely canine, and a powerful one from the size of it's neck, but the legs and hind quarters aren't out of proportion. I'd tend to agree with Lumberzac's post that it may be a Chow mix. And yes - animals eyes glow red - see it with deer in the headlights all the time.

Lots of hype, but it sure is alot more fun to read this stuff and conjure up stories about wild beasts in the Maine woods than read about the mess in the Middle East.

 

[Rick]

I apologize if this offended anyone. Link

 

[Chip]

I think it's some sort of Chow Chow mix. If you notice in the AP photo, the animal has a blue tongue.
AP Photo:
http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/AP_Photo/2006/08/16/1155761434_6340.jpg
Chow Chow Photo:
http://petsurvivors.com/images/our_dogs/Katrina_Chow_06_lrg.jpg

Folks, we may have a winner here ! Nice call, Lumberzac !

Expert: Animal could be feral chow
Bangor Daily News, ME - 5 hours ago
... His early opinion: That the beast was possibly a chow, a breed of dog, that had turned feral. The breed originated in China where ...

 

[KMartman]

I flipped one of Chip's pictures around so that I could get a better look - not particularly scary that way. Definitely canine, and a powerful one from the size of it's neck, but the legs and hind quarters aren't out of proportion.

Chow would certianly make it a powerful dog. Blue/black tounge kinda lend themselves to the chow as well. Could be something that was mistakenly bred with a hiena or dingo. Possibly someone moved from somewhere and had one of those animals as a pet?

Who knows.

M

 

[chuck]

It doesn't look that strange to me just some mix , a mutt that died with a grin on its face. I think if I saw it running around with its mouth closed I might say something like "Oh look at that medium sized dog" or something like that. But I guess with all the strange noises and dog maulings they have been having I would be little more scared or see something a little more in it.

 

[Mr. X]

Gotta be honest here folks, the picture of the lady who spotted it last week and called it "evil...evil looking..." would frankly scare the hell outta me if I saw her in a dark woods...
Link

Whoa momma, fright night!

 

[giggy]

important follow up

I guess they found another one: this one looks almost human

http://www.herr-der-ringe-film.de/v2/media/galerie/sonstiges3/londonexh07.jpg

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Westley: No, no. We have already succeeded. I mean, what are the three terrors of the Fire Swamp? One, the flame spurt - no problem. There's a popping sound preceding each; we can avoid that. Two, the lightning sand, which you were clever enough to discover what that looks like, so in the future we can avoid that too.

Buttercup: Westley, what about the R.O.U.S.'s?

Westley: Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist.



Sorry couldn't resist.



Oh, and the blue tongue might just be because its post mortem. Don't really know what color it was when alive.

Keith

 

[DougPaul]

I agree with SAR-EMT 40 - glowing eyes are nothing unusual. Almost all animals have eyes that will reflect & refract light.

Strictly speaking, animal's eyes don't glow. (That would require them to actually produce light, rendering them blind under low light conditions.) They only appear to glow when WE shine a light at them.

Some animals (eg cats) have a reflective layer behind the retina to increase the senitivity to dim light. This also increases the amount of reflected light. The optics of the eye also tend to return reflected light back to the source making the eyes appear very bright to those very close to the light source. (A bit like a bike reflector.)

Doug

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Strictly speaking, animal's eyes don't glow. (That would require them to actually produce light, rendering them blind under low light conditions.) They only appear to glow when WE shine a light at them.

Some animals (eg cats) have a reflective layer behind the retina to increase the senitivity to dim light. This also increases the amount of reflected light. The optics of the eye also tend to return reflected light back to the source making the eyes appear very bright to those very close to the light source. (A bit like a bike reflector.)

Doug

Human animals reflect with a redish color. No one has ever seen that in a photo, have they.

Correct! They don't generate their own light. Otherwise we would see their eyes all the time except when they blink. It is reflected off the back of the retina. Thats why I mentioned it is reflected in the photos.

Keith

 

[chuck]

This link has more photos and info and Chow mix photos
http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/mainepix/

Bear eyes reflect orange, Davy Jones's just sparkle.

 

[griffin]

I can't believe the Globe actually published this.

The Weekly World News, I would understand.

Poor dog.

 

[Artex]

I guess they found another one: this one looks almost human

http://www.herr-der-ringe-film.de/v2/media/galerie/sonstiges3/londonexh07.jpg

Dad?!?!?!?!

 

[Dugan]

I think it's some sort of Chow Chow mix. If you notice in the AP photo, the animal has a blue tongue.

Chows are not the only breed of dog to show darker pigment in the tongue/mouth. I believe that any heavily pigmented dog can have enough pigment to have a dark tongue. I've seen this also in Newfoundlands, Standard Poodles (black), a couple of Terriers, a Portuguese Water Dog, and a Greyhound (also black). So, by itself, a black tongue, or spots of black on the tongue, is not a clear indicator of breed.

Not to get too disgusting but... I'm listening to a murder mystery book on tape where a medical examiner notices that the tongue of a dead human is almost black. Generally speaking, can the tongue darken for some reason upon death? If so, perhaps it might apply to this animal?

Thanks to DougPaul for his usual thorough explanation. Yes, I'm aware that eyes don't actually glow. I was going for popular vernacular because that's what most people call it despite the inaccuracy.

 

[una_dogger]

Not to get too disgusting but... I'm listening to a murder mystery book on tape where a medical examiner notices that the tongue of a dead human is almost black. Generally speaking, can the tongue darken for some reason upon death? .

My best educated guess would be proteins breaking down, eg, decomposition. The amino acids of tissues are broken down to peutrecine and cadaverine a short time after death, and those are the smelly ones.

 

[dug]

Looks like a Chow/Rotti mix had a romantic evening with a wild bore.

 

[marty]

Looks like a Chow/Rotti mix had a romantic evening with a wild bore.

Or a wild bear.

 

[charlos]

poor 'lil guy.