[Al Thompson]

I think Tuner is over that way........ :D


http://www.news-record.com/news/local/rand/creature_060304.htm

Wait! It's a ... : Unidentified creature stumps experts

6-3-04

By Mark Brumley Staff Writer
News & Record




ASHEBORO -- First of all, this is a real newspaper, not a grocery-store tabloid.

So, the story you're about to read is true.


Randolph County resident Bill Kurdian photographed this unidentified animal in his back yard May 20. Kurdian took the photo with a motion-sensing camera. (Photo courtesy of Bill Kurdian)

It starts with Bill and Gayle Kurdian throwing out dried corn for the wildlife in their neck of the woods in eastern Randolph County, and an odd-looking creature taking them up on their hospitality early last winter.

"What in the world?" Bill Kurdian asked himself when he saw the animal for the first time.

About the size of a fox, but with short brown hair and a long cat-like tail, it looked more like an animal in a National Geographic spread out of Africa than any critter native to the woods of central North Carolina.

[Art Eatman]

Certainly a well-fed critter.

Just off-the-cuff, it looks like somebody's pet or trapped fox that was mostly-shaved as a joke, and then turned loose.

For the Real Deal, a fully-haired critter is at
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?threadid=24748 ; scroll down.

:), Art

[Chuck Dye]

Arrrgggg! That is an old world canid I have seen before. Now the problem, which will bug me for days, is whether I can dredge the name out of the mud of memory, or must admit defeat and run a search!

[spectr17]

Looks like some nasty mange. I videoed a coyote this spring that had mange and he looked the same way. Their tails look like rope when they get it. Wierd looking.

[Iain]

A google search on 'fox mange' yielded the following:

It is a red fox and be warned, it ain't pretty. Here (http://www.terrierman.com/mange.htm)

Do you mostly have grey foxes? The link mentions that gray's rarely get mange. It looks a lot like a gray around the face.

[grislyatoms]

The animal in the first picture has what appears to me a healthy coat. I don't think it's a mangy fox.

[JohnKSa]

No, it's not a messed up fox.

I've seen a pic one of these somewhere before. Might actually remember where in the next week or so.

[Stand_Watie]

My eyes may be playing tricks on me, but that critter looks like it might be a nursing female.

[cooch]

Has anyone considered the possibility that it's an otherwise healthy fox with a genetic fault affecting to growth of its pelt?

I haven't heard of it with foxes, but have seen it in cattle.

Most canids have at least two types of fibre in their coat, what would they look like if they had only one..... maybe the undercoat?

Cooch

[H&Hhunter]

It looks an awfull lot like a serval cat! But I can't say for sure?

[Ol' Badger]

If they don't know what it is then that means its ok to shoot them right?
:evil:

[Iain]

H&H - I don't think you mean serval, they're spotted. It looks like a canid to my untrained eyes. Things can look pretty different when they're shaved as the actress said to the ...

Cooch could well be on the right lines. Do people keep foxes as pets? Can't imagine they domesticate well but if I kept one and let it out to kill chickens at night (not that I would) I might shave it for a) a laugh and b) keep an eye on the flea/tick/mange problems.

[spectr17]

Some of the peeps in our game camera forum say the pic appears to be altered. Look at the shadow from the animal and also any camera flash that lights up an animal like that at night the animal usually has glowing eyes.

[H&Hhunter]

St Johns, yeah you're right. what is the cat that lives in the Savanah regions that has those big pointy ears the thin face and a flat cream colored coat?

Is that a canid?

In anycase that thing looks alot like that critter.

[Art Eatman]

Categorically and beyond the shadow of a doubt: I dunno. :D

But: I brought up both pictures for comparison. The head shapes and the ear shapes are very much the same.

Art

[NRA4LIFE]

Looks like somebody bred a Basenji with a kangaroo, a house cat and a deer.

[sturmruger]

That sure is a differant looking creature. Looks to be half cat half fox.

[Harry Tuttle]

http://www.news-record.com/graphics/june/creature060304.jpg

it's not a serval:
http://www.lpzoo.com/tour/factsheets/mammals/images/serval.jpg

i think i've seen em before on da discovery channel
its not a fennec or a civet or a genet...

almost looks like a bat eared fox
http://www.wildlifesafari.info/images/thumbnails/bat_eared_fox_1.jpg
but they are bushy tailed

i'll show it to a buddy
it's someones escaped exotic

[Iain]

This might help out - Link (http://www.canids.org/SPPACCTS/sppaccts.htm)

That covers all 35 wild canid species, no photos but might trigger some memories.