Thoughts Regarding Cryptid Sightings in North America.

A recent item regarding a putative hyena sighting on the Eastern seaboard has helped put a number of apparently unrelated lines of inquiry together.  As posted here there are a lot of sightings failing to identify the creature.  Yet the information often is conforming.  We are observing a bushy tail and we are observing a Mohawk like mane as well likely raised to show display and down otherwise.  The hind legs are very strong as well.

These same features are been reported for the land based chupacabra reports and this means that they are the same lineage.  I am also seeing a wide variation in reported body size but that conforms to female male differences and other variation.

The recent report identifying it as a hyena is actually simply wrong but it tells us that the coloration is similar.  It also reminds us just how easy it is to misidentify most creatures unless they sport a noteworthy trait that forces them apart.  Maybe we are been spoiled by bears, lions and bigfoot.

I have also posted that the best suspect genus is that of the giant sloth.  This is important because they evolved from a completely different life way that we are now piecing together.  They may even drain blood for food although i still prefer unknown giant vampire bats for that trick.  What they do do is kill and bury their victims.  That is important because that is how they have avoid us so successfully.  We never find their victims.

It also means that they make a fine living on jack rabbits and deer.  Larger game can be tackled but it is also beyond their actual needs and represents way too much trouble.

Such a strategy offers a steady supply of maggots as a food supply and easy safe hunting.  For that matter, the initial kill supplies a shot of blood to satisfy current cravings and that easily explains blood drained chickens and goats.  It even explains blood drained cows as well.

The bottom line is that we do have another cryptid in the Americas and it looks sort of like a hyena rather than a dog ,but with a bushy tail and upright mane.  It has been spotted everywhere, but has never been properly identified or ever captured.  It is an extremely dangerous ambush hunter and operates nocturnally.  It is also arboreal as well and is able to make long leaps.  It has the practice of burying its kills after draining their blood and this makes actual spoor rare.

It ability to leap from tree to tree makes cornering with dogs an impossibility.  It will also be death on dogs.

This is actually developing into an excellent profile.  They are not rare and they are all dangerous.

Better yet we have sharply reduced dozens of  local prospects down to one likely genus that is plausibly what we are looking at.  I was half there, but understanding size variation and male female differences provides us all the scope we need.

We may still have a gargoyle out there, but i suspect that the first choice needs to be the giant sloth.

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