It's been a week since a farmer in the US state of Montana shot dead a large, 'wolf-like' creature and wildlife experts are still baffled as to what it is.
The mysterious creature looks like a wolf but authorities insist it can't be pure-bred because its teeth are too short, its front paws are too small and claws are too long.
The carcass has been sent off for DNA testing Source: Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
So what is it?
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks has confirmed the animal was young, non-lactating female and a canid, which means its a member of the dog family which includes dogs, foxes, coyotes and wolves.
They are now relying on DNA tests to determine exactly what the species is.
"We have no idea what this was until we get a DNA report back," Bruce Auchly spokesman for the Department, told the Great Falls Tribune.
The carcass has been sent to the department's lab in Bozeman - southern Montana - where tissue samples will be collected and then shipped to the US Fish and Wildlife Service Laboratory in the state of Oregon.
Experts say its front paws too small to be a wolf. Source: The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
In the laboratory, scientists will extract DNA from cells, looking for markers specific to individual species. Those markers are then compared to samples of known species on hand.
This process can take time, depending on the laboratory’s backlog of cases, meaning it could be months before the mystery is solved.
It could be months before the mystery is solved Source: The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
In the meantime, the public has been wildly speculating about what it could be.
Some say it looks like it came from the Ice Age, while others suggest it could a hybrid dog species or even a relative of Bigfoot.
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