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[[File:Nintchdbpict000408851535.jpg|thumb|293x293px|The unusual paws were among the characteristics experts thought not to belong to either a wolf or dog]]
 
[[File:Nintchdbpict000408851535.jpg|thumb|293x293px|The unusual paws were among the characteristics experts thought not to belong to either a wolf or dog]]
 
[[File:Wolf-truck.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Some speculated that the shaggy beast could be a prehistoric creature]]
 
[[File:Wolf-truck.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Some speculated that the shaggy beast could be a prehistoric creature]]
'''Note:''' While a page on [[American Hyena]]s already exists, this page only focuses on the Shunka Warakin mythology/sightings.
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'''Note:''' While a page on [[American Hyena]]s already exists, this page exclusively focuses on the Shunka Warakin mythology/sightings, which has, arguably, more canine like appearance.
   
   
'''The Shunka Warakin, '''or '''Shunka Warak'in''' is an animal mentioned in American folklore that is said to resemble a wolf, a hyena, or both.
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'''The Shunka Warakin, '''or '''Shunka Warak'in''' is an animal mentioned in American folklore that is said to resemble a large canine such as wolf or a hyena, or an animal species that has the resemblance to both.
   
 
== Overview ==
 
== Overview ==

Revision as of 11:36, 16 April 2021

Ringdocus large
Montana fish wildlife parks 3

On 25 May 2018,a wolf like animal,resembling Shunka Warakin was shot in central Montana.

Nintchdbpict000408837906

Wildlife specialists noted that there was something 'a bit off' about the creature, and have speculated whether it could be a wolf/dog hybrid

Nintchdbpict000408851535

The unusual paws were among the characteristics experts thought not to belong to either a wolf or dog

Wolf-truck

Some speculated that the shaggy beast could be a prehistoric creature

Note: While a page on American Hyenas already exists, this page exclusively focuses on the Shunka Warakin mythology/sightings, which has, arguably, more canine like appearance.


The Shunka Warakin, or Shunka Warak'in is an animal mentioned in American folklore that is said to resemble a large canine such as wolf or a hyena, or an animal species that has the resemblance to both.

Overview

According to cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, Shunka Warakin is a creature unknown to modern sources. Its name means "carries off dogs." An animal shot in 1886 by Israel Ammon Hutchins, on what is now the Sun Ranch in Montana, has been suggested by Coleman as an example of this mysterious creature. Joseph Sherwood, a taxidermist, acquired it from Hutchins, mounted it and put it on display in his combination general store-museum in Henry's Lake, Idaho. Sherwood named the beast "Ringdocus". This stuffed trophy, the only piece of physical evidence, was never examined by qualified scientists and went missing for some time, before it was rediscovered in December 2007.

Theories

Cryptozoologists suggest that the Native American folklore can be explained by prehistoric mammals such as hyaenodons, dire wolves, members of the subfamily Borophaginae (hyena-like dogs), or Chasmaporthetes (the only true American hyena). Others suggest more mundane explanations. For example, between December 2005 through November 2006, an unusual-looking wolf killed 36 sheep (and injuring 71 more) in McCone and surrounding counties in Montana. It was shot on November 2, 2006, in Garfield County, Montana, after killing a grand total of 120 sheep. Initially, Montana wildlife officials were unable to identify the 106-pound, reddish-yellow animal. Loren Coleman suggested it was a Shunka Warakin, but it has since been identified by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department as a four year old male wolf with unusually red colored fur.