Photo: Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park/facebook
Somewhere in the wilds of Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in Mission, Texas, lurks an animal that left rangers scratching their heads.
The shot shows a furry, squat creature on four legs, sniffing at the ground. The photo is black and white and was captured at night.
Over 1,500 people responded to the park’s query, sending back responses that ranged from silly to serious.
“A good ol' Texas size rat,” wrote one Facebook commenter submitted as their gust.
But many animal lovers that replied identified the mystery animal as a badger based on their encounters with the critter.
After the responses poured in, the Texas park updated its original Facebook post.
American badgers can be found from Canada to Mexico, including in Texas.
Texas Parks and Wildlifedescribed the American badger as “a short-legged, wide-bodied, shaggy-furred member of the weasel family” that helps “control rodent populations.”
“While American Badgers are not commonly seen in the valley (partly due to their nocturnal behavior), this is part of their natural range,” the Texas park added online.
Dallas Animal Services
Officers from the Dallas Police Department found thecaramel-colored pup huddled near a dumpsterduring a patrol duty in February. While rescuers agreed the animal was cute, they couldn’t decide if the pup was a dog or a coyote.
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Dallas Animal Servicestook Toast in and set up a DNA test to solve the mystery. The test results came in on March 12, with theanimal shelter posting on Facebookthat “Toast is a DOG.”
“As we suspected, she turned out to be a beautiful little mutt,” Dallas Animal Services added.
source: people.com
