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.
Description[]
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 is especially noted for its donkey- or horse-like head and slender limbs.
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.
Explanation[]
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