A mysterious creature was spotted in a West Virginia park, leaving experts confused and struggling to identify the species.
In Huntington, West Virginia, a strange creature has caught the attention of both local residents and internet users.
The sighting happened in Ritter Park, where Brittany Keller, a local resident, recorded footage of an unknown animal on the morning of October 24.
As she was heading to work, she noticed this unusual creature wandering near some deer.
Experts baffled over footage capturing bizarre creature in West Virginia park
Brittany described the animal as “strange-looking,” with a dark coat and a long, curved tail.
“When I stopped to take a better look, I realized it was nothing I had ever seen here before,” she said.
When she paused to take a closer look, she realized it was unlike anything she had ever seen before.
The footage she captured shows the creature moving through the park, which has sparked curiosity among the community.
People struggle to identify the mysterious creature
The residents of Huntington reacted with a mix of surprise and humor.
As Brittany shared her video with people nearby, one woman exclaimed, “Oh my gosh! But really, what is that?”
This question echoed in the minds of many as discussions about the creature’s identity began.
It kinda looks like a coatimundi, which people do get as pets. It’s very skinny, though. Poor thing.
Fox or lost pet, looks like it could use some help before winter hits, one user said.
Haha that’s a coatimundi, native to Mexico and Central America. Perhaps someone’s pet and released it, the second user explained.
Looks like a giraffe with different legs, different head and a different body, the fur looks different too, the third user wrote.
Surprisingly the deer are not afraid of it, another user said.
Awe, looks like an animal with an old can stuck on its mussel so it cannot eat, which explains why it is so thin, someone said.
People proposed various theories about the creature.
Some people suggested that the animal might be a lemur, while others even thought it could be a young lion cub.
These guesses only added to the mystery surrounding the creature.
Brittany decided to share the video online, where the debate grew even more intense.
Many viewers were convinced it was a lemur.
However, Andy McKee, an expert from the Zoology Zone Science Center, quickly challenged this idea.
Experts provided insights into the creature’s identity.
McKee explained that lemurs are native to Madagascar and it would be very unusual to see one in West Virginia unless it had been someone’s pet.
This theory quickly lost support in light of his explanation.
Instead, McKee proposed that the creature could be a fox suffering from mange, a condition that leads to severe hair loss and scabbing.
This could explain why the animal looked so unusual.
McKee explained: “Lemurs are from Madagascar, on the island, so this would be very, very odd that there would be a lemur out in this area unless it was someone’s pet.”
“It looks more like a fox with mange or some type of issue than a lemur.”
In the video, the creature appeared very thin, which led some social media users to think i resembled a coatimundi, a type of animal that some people keep as pets.
However, others were not so kind in their guesses.
One user jokingly suggested it might be a Chupacabra, a mythical creature from Latin American folklore that is said to suck the blood of livestock.
Such comments added a playful tone to the situation, despite the genuine confusion.