Cryptomundo » Alton Mystery Animal

Alton Mystery Animal

Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 28th, 2006

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Troy Taylor, an Alton, Illinois, publisher and investigator, has passed along some new photographs of a mystery animal that was seen for two days, around his town recently.

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Taken by Tom Westley, Taylor notes that the photographed animal frequented the corner of Third and Langdon before it moved on.

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Interestingly, stripes were seen on it by some people, while others said they were sure it was a bobcat. But most of us can clearly see something else here, and these good photographs leave little mystery as to what this animal is.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 28th, 2006 at 5:35 am and is filed under Breaking News, CryptoZoo News, Cryptozoology, Eyewitness Accounts. You can follow responses via our RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is not allowed.

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48 Responses to “Alton Mystery Animal”

English Boy responds: June 28th, 2006 at 6:25 am
looks like a fox to me
Tobar responds: June 28th, 2006 at 6:39 am
Yeah a mangy one at that.
cradossk responds: June 28th, 2006 at 7:00 am
Aye, tis a fox. Somethings wrong with it, but tis a fox none the less
voodoochild responds: June 28th, 2006 at 7:01 am
Aren’t the legs a little long for a fox? I say coyote.
Bennymac responds: June 28th, 2006 at 7:02 am
someone needs a flea bath.
fredfacker responds: June 28th, 2006 at 8:06 am
I would guess coyote puppy with mange.
sluggo responds: June 28th, 2006 at 9:01 am
wile e coyote…they are in the field behind our house quite often..funny runners they tend to “hop” at the hind end…
Berkastler responds: June 28th, 2006 at 10:07 am
It’s a young coyote with very short hair. maybe it’s got the mange, dunno. Definitely a coyote.
Loren Coleman responds: June 28th, 2006 at 10:16 am
Yes, okay, everyone seems to be on the same page, correctly, about this being a canid with mange.

But folks, look at the distinctive coloring and patterns here on this animal. Which animal is reddish with black leggings and black on the ears? A coyote or a fox?
kokodhem responds: June 28th, 2006 at 10:26 am
Mange, mange, mange… that’s all I ever hear anymore. These things are all over Texas and people have taken many clear photos and even produced bodies that have returned “inconclusive genetic results.” But all anyone ever says is “it’s a mangy coyote or something.”

Apparently, there is such a vast outbreak of mange across the US that it’s a wonder there are any non-mangy ‘yotes and foxes left. *said with a sarcastic smirk*
larzker responds: June 28th, 2006 at 10:37 am
These photos are unsatisfactory. They’re not blurry enough there is no foliage obstructing our view of it.
planettom responds: June 28th, 2006 at 10:38 am
I’m leaning towards a fox. I originally thought coyote, but after comparing the colors of the two animals and comparing some photos, I’m leaning towards fox. A puny fox at that, possibly ill, or with a skin disease. So Loren, I vote fox!
Ranatemporaria responds: June 28th, 2006 at 10:46 am
Anyone thought it might be a Jackal? The feline conection would explain the long tail, a fox’s tail would be “bushier”. (That’s the opinion of my girlfriend, who has just come back from Botswana and Swaziland)
kk responds: June 28th, 2006 at 10:56 am
It’s definitely a red fox in horrible physical condition.
jim_brikiatis responds: June 28th, 2006 at 11:02 am
A simple fox that directs a flea circus…Yes it is a cryptid!
MattBille responds: June 28th, 2006 at 11:02 am
There’s a genetic condition called Sampson which can appear on foxes: they have only the short, fine underfur, and not the long coat of “guard hairs.” The animals are otherwise healthy.

See: National Geographic News
Ranatemporaria responds: June 28th, 2006 at 11:02 am
oooh, how bout a hybrid? Dont forget the domestic dog comes in a myriad of forms/breeds all of fall under the same species. I belive dogs and wolves can hybridise not sure about any other canines tho?
L Ron Hubbub responds: June 28th, 2006 at 11:42 am
Looks like Bigpaw to me…
oldbutnotstupid responds: June 28th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
What this animal is (fox or coyote)is not as important as the fact that it is very ill and it may not be mange. If like some have said these are showing up all over, someone better find out whats wrong before the illness spreads to domestic dogs and possibly people. there is definately something here needing a more serious investigation by wildlife people.
Jeremy_Wells responds: June 28th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
yup… my vote is a fox with a bad case of mange…
Jeremy_Wells responds: June 28th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
the reddish coloring overall, with black legs and ears, definitely point to a fox, not a coyote
MattBille responds: June 28th, 2006 at 12:46 pm
I really think this one is solved. It looks identical to the Sampson-afflicted fox documented from North Carolina in March.

Matt
John Ryan responds: June 28th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
I think we should listen to MattBille on this one…
One Eyed Cat responds: June 28th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
The Size of the animal is the key to me and I’m not personally satisfied enough to take a guess which exact animal it is, but definatly canine not feline.

I’m starting to wonder if some people need required vewing of some ‘wild animal’ shows to learn what some animals look like
KenMD responds: June 28th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
How is this a Cryptid?

Not sure why we even have these discussions.

Everyone shave your dog and look how funny he/she looks.
bralin responds: June 28th, 2006 at 2:35 pm
I vote for the Sampson affected fox as well. The very first one of these I saw was the Elmendorf (sp?) beast. The first thing I thought of was that it is fox with a horrible case of mange. Maybe this is Sampson disease is nothing more then an adaptation to the warmer temps being experienced all over the world or possibly a result of weaken immune systems due to polution and other environmental stresses.
kamoeba responds: June 28th, 2006 at 6:24 pm
I live about 90 minutes from Alton (home to the now-deceased world’s tallest man ever) and it is not uncommon to see foxes in our area. I’m guessing it is a severely mangy fox.
Jos Gagné responds: June 28th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
It’s a fox, nothing else. We have the same mangy ones like that all over campus. PS don’t feed these critters, they keep following you like crazy afterwards.
-Jos
Lesley responds: June 28th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
I see coyotes on almost a daily basis and it doesn’t look like a coyote to me, even if it had mange. It looks more like a fox, but still not totally. I think it is some kind of mixed breed.
mintoreo96 responds: June 28th, 2006 at 8:02 pm
Looks too small for a coyote, too big for a fox. That tail is very interesting, plus the way it cranes it’s neck to scratch.
MMTHPOOLGHOSTCAMPR responds: June 28th, 2006 at 8:38 pm
I live in a town where our High School mascot is the Coyotes. I have seen the same type of creature in the San Joaquin Valley for the last 40 years, colors change slightly depending on time of year, nothing new to locals.
margaret deharpporte responds: June 28th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
Check out a good photo and description of either an ardwolf, or Tazmanian wolf. Many of the same characteristics.
twblack responds: June 28th, 2006 at 8:55 pm
An adult fox in poor health.
shumway10973 responds: June 28th, 2006 at 9:53 pm
definitely a fox I say, though I tend to lean towards what #17 was saying. happened out here in california between the red wolves and coyotes. now our coyotes in calavares county are quite big. at least this one actually looks like a “normal” fox. when the “experts” said the elmendorf beast was no more than a mangy dog I had to scream at the monitor. I’ve never seen any canine that looks like that.
ilexoak responds: June 28th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
A mangy fox just like that was captured in MD some time back. Had the neighborhood in a tizzie before that.
sasquatch responds: June 28th, 2006 at 10:53 pm
Fox
kscryptoholic responds: June 29th, 2006 at 2:45 am
Certainly looks like a mangy red fox to me. Living here in Kansas, I see coyotes frequently and fairly mangy ones at that. They look quite different than this critter. I have read that state wildlife agencies have purposely released this mange epidemic to control the numbers of coyotes. This may explain the many sightings of diseased animal like this poor speciman.
sowhatofit responds: June 29th, 2006 at 8:00 am
devil dog…
LoriJMartin responds: June 29th, 2006 at 9:24 am
Whatever this thing is, I saw one in Eastlake (Lake County), Ohio a few weeks back. It ran across a main road and went towards some houses situated on Lake Erie. I called the Willoughby police dept on my cell phone who transferred me to th Eastlake Police. I told them I just saw a jackal or something like a scrawny, sick, but large jackal or coyote. Today, my husband e-mailed me this article and asked me if this is what I saw & I was amazed to see that is EXACTLY the same animal I saw! We do have some coyotes in Lake County, but it’s rare to see them. However, they aren’t as big as this animal and they have thicker fur.
Lee Pierce responds: June 29th, 2006 at 9:03 pm
The coloring is a bit suspect, but judging from the long tail, long legs and stride I believe it is a young coyote.
Genna20 responds: June 30th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
It’s the chupacabra…lol…Well, it is certainly not a coyote…The markings on it’s tail are indistinctive of a coyote’s….Though I really couldn’t tell you what it is, that is what it isn’t.
Mnynames responds: July 8th, 2006 at 8:07 am
Larzker (#11), that is the funniest posting I’ve read in a long time…So I suppose this mystery animal doesn’t warrant “Amazing” status?
kidkarysma responds: July 20th, 2006 at 4:17 am
Could it be a fox/coyote hybrid?
spooken2 responds: August 10th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
It is a Red Fox with mange
bruiser71 responds: August 14th, 2006 at 11:16 am
If this is a fox with mange then why are there reports in Texas, Virginia, North Carolina in May, and just recently in the low country of South Carolina where I am from. All I have to say, there must be one hell of a case of mange going around the southern states.
bruiser71 responds: August 14th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
Also Sampson, in foxes only occurs in 1% of the fox population
Evanstonian responds: September 5th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
My neighbor and I saw this same exact animal yesterday (Labor Day 2006) in Evanston, Illinois. Surely it couldn’t have traveled 300 miles from Alton to Evanston–especially in its obviously emaciated condition!
Trish07 responds: February 27th, 2008 at 12:46 am
My comment is a little late but I have info to add. My neighbor is the one who took movies of the strange animal here in Glyndon Maryland. We have nicknamed it HYOTE. The Game Wardens caught a small fox with mange and claimed they got it. They just wanted to put an end to the story. Fact is, they didn’t catch the strange animal at all. I also have a photo of a strange footprint in the snow outside of my sliding door. The paw print is not a cat or dog and is way too large for a fox.

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