The American Hyena?

I've been reading about the American Hyena but there seems to be very little proof of its existence. I wanted to pose it to the cryptozoology community here who would probably know more about this topic than me. Where do you stand on this - did the American hyena actually exist? Of course, any links to credible stories or accounts would be appreciated! Thanks!

There is a photo of him at this link: Free Republic.
Apparently he was found after being lost for years.
Original B&W photo:


Photo after recovery:

The rifle he is holding is the actual gun used to shoot the creature.

a reply to: PreHerStoria

Looks like my ex-wife......

originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: PreHerStoria

Looks like my ex-wife......

The man with the rifle or the dog.............

a reply to: nwtrucker

Wow ,you were married to my mother in-law ?

a reply to: DEANORULES24

Could be. I'm old enough...

originally posted by: butcherguy
There is a photo of him at this link: Free Republic.
Apparently he was found after being lost for years.
Original B&W photo:

Photo after recovery:

That thing is ugly...

Wolf with a mangey coat. Abnormally dark coyote. Who claimed this was a hyena?

originally posted by: Atsbhct
Wolf with a mangey coat. Abnormally dark coyote. Who claimed this was a hyena?

The animal was described as such by people that sighted it before it was shot. It was because of the relatively low hind quarters when compared to the shoulders.

Here's another image:

cryptomundo.com...

There are a few possibilities.

1) Deformed wolf or wolf-dog hybrid
2) Injured wolf or wolf-dog hybrid (a hip or spinal injury)
3) A wolf or wolf-dog hybrid that was mounted by someone with no real skill at taxidermy or pelt preservation
4) Soem comination of those options.

Personally, I'm certain bad taxidermy is a culprit here. A combination of lack of general skill, and - from the look of it - too small a mount for the pelt.

IS it one of these?

a reply to: Mandroid7

Those dogs look soo creepy. I totally want one to keep the damn kids off my lawn!

Looking at the B&W picture It resembles a wild boar or is that a picture of a boar?

You can read some basic information here - The Cryptid Zoo: American Hyena - and also find some more links on the topic. Speculation on such a beast would surely be varied, as some sorts of crossbreeds could be responsible in some sightings. One of the lesser discussed cryptids, though interesting.

originally posted by: TheTengriist
Here's another image:

cryptomundo.com...

There are a few possibilities.

1) Deformed wolf or wolf-dog hybrid
2) Injured wolf or wolf-dog hybrid (a hip or spinal injury)
3) A wolf or wolf-dog hybrid that was mounted by someone with no real skill at taxidermy or pelt preservation
4) Soem comination of those options.

Personally, I'm certain bad taxidermy is a culprit here. A combination of lack of general skill, and - from the look of it - too small a mount for the pelt.

Another possibility...While it doesn't look like a Hyena as I know them, I suppose it's within the realm of possibility that something like a hyena escaped from a zoo...then mated with a wolf (assuming that's a possible combination) *note a quick Google search seems to suggest an offspring between the two would be unlikely at best, but I didn't find definitive answer either way*

My guess is it may just be a strange (slightly deformed) wolf.

originally posted by: TheLieWeLive
Looking at the B&W picture It resembles a wild boar or is that a picture of a boar?

Naw...Unless they mounted a dogs head on a boars body, and it's just a fake taxidermist stunt.

I've seen boars (one raided my campsite once) and they do resemble the picture, though...At least from the neck back. They've got that hunched over 'back legs shorter than the front' look to them.

originally posted by: butcherguy
There is a photo of him at this link: Free Republic.
Apparently he was found after being lost for years.
Original B&W photo:

Photo after recovery:

The rifle he is holding is the actual gun used to shoot the creature.

The first photo and the second one ain't of the same creature.

The creature in the first photo is commonly referred to as the shunka warakin.. which roughly translates to "to carry off dogs" or at least that's what I've heard.

Hyenas do not exist in the Americas and as far as I'm concerned there isn't a single piece of fossil evidence that supports the possibility of their historical occurrence in the new world.

The creatures in this thread are most likely abnormal (unusual) canids. Could be a mix of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) and a dog of some sort (C. familiaris).

originally posted by: Mandroid7

IS it one of these?

That's Quasi Modo...He just won the ugliest dog competition.

Yeah, I have to admit that I had a lot of skepticism about an American hyena mostly because of the fact that there were no remains or fossil records to support it. While I agree the creature pictured appears to be the results of poor taxidermy or a slightly mutated wolf, I can see why people may have mistaken the creature for a close relative to the hyena. Thanks for all of the information, everyone!

a reply to: bhornbuckle75

There are a lot of hurdles to that.

1) Physiologically-speaking, the organs involves are just incompatable. especially if we're talking male wolf + female hyena. I'll spare the details, but... yeah, that's not happening.

2) even if it were to occur, hyenas and wolves are no more closely-related than cows are to deer. They have (vaguely) similar body plans because they both fill the same niche - pack predator that chases down its prey. But beyond the same (vague) silhouette, they're on very different branches of carnivora, and even on the weird chance that sperm meets egg, it would be a dud.

3) getting there is a real struggle. Hyenas and wolves are incredibly different, behaviorally-speaking. In many ways they are exact opposites, particularly in tail and ear communications. The vocalizations are of course incredibly different. And the sexual social dynamics... well... again sparing too many details, let's just say there's no chance in hell.

It's just two very incompatible species.