Comments on: Maine’s Dog Killer cont.

By: LaFlamme

LaFlamme — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 04:25:11 +0000

More people were making the hyena suggestion during last year’s Doberman mauling in Wales, Maine, not far from Greene. At least a half dozen people, unacquainted with each other, told me what they saw looked like a hyena. In Greene more recently, almost everyone described a big cat, without much variation.
http://www.marklaflamme.com

By: Kalashnikovnik

Kalashnikovnik — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 01:25:03 +0000

the spotted hyena is the most common species, and the one most people think of when they hear the word “hyena”. my only issue with the hyena/bobcat thing is that if most people saw a spotted hyena at a distance or obscured by trees or whatever, they might think “it’s a bobcat” – because of the spots, but if they saw a bobcat i doubt they’d think “it’s a hyena”. but it’s way to early to rule anything out. i’m just curious to hear some eyewitness descriptions of the coloration of this thing. once some more detail about the appearance surfaces it will be easier to say what this critter definately is or is not. may turn out to be nothing more then coyotes, but in the mean time i’m enjoying watching this mystery unfold in my state

By: Brindle

Brindle — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 00:11:54 +0000

OK OK – I can’t do the tabby and striped hyena thing.

By: Brindle

Brindle — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 00:09:49 +0000

Sorry, I assumed a spotted hyena because that was the only similarity between a lynx, bobcat and hyena that I could think of – besides the four legs, one head, two eyes kind of stuff.

By: Kalashnikovnik

Kalashnikovnik — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 22:37:19 +0000

yes that is a very good point. if i were to see a spotted animal in the maine woods i doubt the default response of most people would be “that is a hyena” most people would likely assume they had seen a bobcat.
although i’ve spent enough time in the woods and watching nature shows where i think i could distinguish a cat of any species from a hyena.
of course i haven’t actually heard anything about the color of this “hyena” yet either. have any of the witnesses described spots (these would likely be indistinct at a distance anyway) there are four living species of hyena recognized by science and only one of them is spotted.

By: Brindle

Brindle — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 20:48:21 +0000

Yes sir, I agree it could be possible. The coat patterns of spotted hyenas, lynxes and bobcats can be similar. But hopefully the observer would note a serious silhouette and size discrepancy, although I don’t think I would want to bet my life on it.
But if you find hoofprints on a beach, are you going to look first for a horse or a zebra? I am assuming we are not imagining a beach on the African continent.

By: Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 19:54:19 +0000

Ben Willis writing off this blog makes the valid point that a quick sighting of a lynx or bobcat can look an awfully lot like a hyena.

By: LaFlamme

LaFlamme — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 18:49:51 +0000

More calls and letters coming in on the creature sightings in Greene. Stand by.

By: Brindle

Brindle — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 18:30:13 +0000

Just another comment on brianinja’s very interesting article,

The critter the nogoodnicks rode in the Lord of the rings looked very much like the reconstructions I have seen of the short faced hyena (crocuta brevirostrus). In fact, it was a dead wringer, except possibly for scale.

Since it supposedly became extinct in the very near geological past, I have read that it might remotely be conceivable that it is responsible for a few mystery creature sightings. But fossil records indicate that this animal was larger than today’s hyenas and was probably a truly scary customer.
From the recreations I have seen, the short faced hyena looks nothing like the sad little critters in the mystery beast photos.

Of course, this is only my version of reality.

By: Brindle

Brindle — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 18:02:59 +0000

brianinja, nice article on the mystery beasts and interesting website!

I want to point out something that probably everyone already knows. Hyenas are currently thought to be related to cats and civets and should be utterly incapable of producing canid-cross off spring. I believe canids and hyenas had a common relative something like 50 million years ago (I’m pulling this from memory – I may be off a few million years). If there is a hyena-canid cross, some one is going to have to seriously start re-working the evolutionary tree.