UV: Mysterious wolf-like creature killed in Montana ID'd through DNA test

Authored by unv.is and submitted by LinkDude80

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) revealed the identity of the mysterious wolf-like creature that was shot dead in the state last month. Officials confirmed in a news release Monday that DNA results proved the animal was a gray wolf.

“The lab compared the animal’s DNA with thousands of other DNA samples from wolves, coyotes and dogs. The conclusion was clear – this animal is a gray wolf from the northern Rocky Mountains," the statement read.

Montana FWP officials initially weren’t certain what the creature was when a rancher fatally shot it on his property.

STRANGE WOLF-LIKE ANIMAL KILLED IN MONTANA PUZZLES WILDLIFE OFFICIALS

The agency said an inspection of the animal at its laboratory “revealed a relatively normal looking, dark brown wolf.”

FWP officials initially weren’t certain what the creature was when a rancher shot it. ((Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks via AP, File)

Officials say the wolf weighed 84.5 pounds and was around 2 to 3 years old.

“The wolf was a non-lactating female, which means she didn’t have a litter of pups,” they explained, noting that “any unique physical features she has might also appear in her siblings or parents and may continue to be passed along by others in her family.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service geneticist Mary Curtis says it’s not unusual for there to be physical variations of animals within a species.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

kiwi_eagle on June 18th, 2018 at 22:14 UTC »

There was a thread about this on /r/UnresolvedMysteries since it looked sort of odd. Includes pictures and anecdotal comments about canines.

https://np.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/8m4r0e/mysterious_furry_creature_shot_in_montana/

Hit-Enter-Too-Soon on June 18th, 2018 at 21:35 UTC »

It was so wolf-like that it was actually a wolf! Whoa.

ItsDominare on June 18th, 2018 at 21:18 UTC »

Upvoted simply because of perfect title.