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Lutoulang

An illustration of the lütoulang by an unknown artist, from a Chinese source.

The lütoulang (驢頭狼; Chinese: "donkey-headed wolf") is a cryptid canid reported from China, noted for its donkey- or horse-like head and its slender limbs. Its body is usually compared to that of a wolf, and it is said to either bray like a donkey or howl like a wolf.

It may have been known in ancient times as the "bo", which is mentioned in a number of ancient Chinese works as a predatory animal resembling a horse, which hunted other carnivores. Sightings peaked in the mid-20th Century, when several specimens are said to have been killed, and continue to this day.

Various identities for forward to explain the lütoulang include a deformed wolf, a living primitive hyena, a living bear-dog, a living hyaenodont, a living mesonychid, or - more improbably, given its behaviour - a living chalicothere. Incidentally, fossil evidence shows that hyaenodonts preyed on other large carnivores, including false sabre-toothed cats.

Sources[]

  • Xu, David C. (2018) Mystery Creatures of China: The Complete Cryptozoological Guide
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