Chinese yeti out of woods

[Amiel]

A bizarre creature dubbed the "oriental yeti" has baffled scientists after emerging from ancient woodlands in remote central China.

The hairless beast was trapped by hunters in Sichaun province after locals reported spotting what they thought was a bear.

One hunter, Lu Chin, said: "It looks a bit like a bear but it doesn't have any fur and it has a tail like a kangaroo. It also does not sound like a bear - it has a voice like a cat and is calling all the time, perhaps looking for the rest of its kind, or maybe it's the last one"

Local animal experts have shipped the beast to scientists in Beijing for DNA tests.

Assuming it's not a hoax, a stunt precipitated by too many beers at an April Fools party, or a shaved kangaroo...the finding is certainly definitely interesting, especially so if they can prove, conclusively, that it is in fact an altogether new animal; or may very well be a cryptid.

Watch this space.

[Serpentine]

I saw that. It looks like a very, very sick dog or something similar. Its skin doesn't look like it's naturally bald...

edit: It looks like this, by the way:
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01610/yeti_1610004c.jpg

[Amiel]

Thanks for the pic, Serp! Yeah, it does indeed like a very sick dog; the quote about the call akin to that a cat threw me off, plus I was going off an all-text description. The text made it sound more awesome than what it was.

The appearance of the animal could be due to environmental pollution; the creature may very well be a stray pet or pet that had gone feral.

It kinda looks a bit like a binturong.

[Anuan]

I saw that... I've no idea why they're calling it a 'yeti,' yetis being large and intimidating.

Just looks like a diseased, maybe malformed animal to me.

[Amiel]

Possibly for dramatic effect. There's also the obvious journalistic embellishment. It also helps that pictures were not included alongside the article.

Aww, I wanted it to be the discovery of an actual cryptid.

[Eldan]

I see no reason why that wouldn't be called a dog, actually.

[Lycan 01]

It looks like it needs to be put out of its misery, if anything. :smalleek:

It could be a breed of wild bear with a funky tail, perhaps, which came down with mange or some other weird disease.

Poor thing. That's really all I can say. :smallfrown:

[DraPrime]

I think what we really have discovered here is a zombie dog. As long as no one is bitten, we can count this news as insignificant.

[Escef]

Reminds me of the pictures of the raccoon with an advanced case of mange that people were trying to pass off as a chupacabra.

[Amiel]

It does look very sad :(

If it is a zombie dog, and if it manages to escape and proceeds to infect humans, we may have a situation on our hands.

[ForzaFiori]

I think what we really have discovered here is a zombie dog. As long as no one is bitten, we can count this news as insignificant.

insignificant? sure, it may only be a class 1 outbreak now, but in china, that cold VERY quickly spread to a class 2 or even 3, and then, we have a HUGE problem.

All news of zombies are significant. without forewarning, all of humanity could be doomed.

[Dr.Epic]

I saw that. It looks like a very, very sick dog or something similar. Its skin doesn't look like it's naturally bald...

edit: It looks like this, by the way:
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01610/yeti_1610004c.jpg

That thing looks way too small to be a yeti. I looks more like a dog as many of you have said. Not sure what the big deal is.

[Boo]

So it's a naked mole dog?

[Innis Cabal]

Its got open sores all over its body. If that is the animal, its clearly a dog with mange.

[Dr.Epic]

Its got open sores all over its body. If that is the animal, its clearly a dog with mange.

Maybe it's Mr. Scruffy after Belkar hit epic level and thus they have a bunch of animal companion abilities?

[Serpentine]

Hokay, so, it's sort-of got the back parts of a feline and the front parts of a canine, with a distinct lack of fur which the nasty-looking sores indicate is quite probably due to disease (poor thing). Here's a couple of things (which are friggin' adorable) it kinda looks like to me:

Coati
http://accel4.mettre-put-idata.over-blog.com/0/13/42/39/coati.jpg

Genet
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Genetta_genetta_felina_%28Wroclaw_zoo%29.JPG/240px-Genetta_genetta_felina_%28Wroclaw_zoo%29.JPG

It seriously reminds me of something else, but what that is escapes me...
Of course, it could just be a mongrel dog with an unusually long tail.

edit: It has been suggested (http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0406/Oriental-Yeti-found-in-China-is-no-Yeti) that it's actually another animal I considered but decided was too cat-faced, a civet:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-07/24/xinsrc_052070424210125008551.jpg

Looks like I looked up the wrong sort of civet, because this one, the one mentioned in the above article (a palm civet) looks just right.

[Yarram]

So it's a naked mole dog?

I see what you did there...

[Deth Muncher]

Looks more bearlike than doglike, IMHO. Could be a mangy bear?

[Serpentine]

I seriously see not the tiniest hint of bear in it :smallconfused:

[Deth Muncher]

I seriously see not the tiniest hint of bear in it :smallconfused:

The head? It looks like a bald bear head to me.

[Phae Nymna]

I have been away for far too long.

It would appear we have another mange or staph afflicted creature who's been discovered and called something new. I'm actually rather glad that something that ooooooogly aint its own species.

If there were such a thing as a Chinese yeti, I would hope for a ten foot tall moon-bear with giant bat wings and desiccation beams that shoot from its eyes.

[Serpentine]

The head? It looks like a bald bear head to me.Doesn't look anything like it to me (except in that bears and canids have similar shaped heads). But, bears aren't exactly part of my everyday awareness, so you'd probably know better than me *shrug*

[Deth Muncher]

Doesn't look anything like it to me (except in that bears and canids have similar shaped heads). But, bears aren't exactly part of my everyday awareness, so you'd probably know better than me *shrug*

Right, I forgot that your expertise is stuck on kangaroo/spider/dingo/serpent forms.
/blatant Australian stereotyping

<3 :D

EDIT: No really, I was joking. Don't kill me Serp. Especially if I come to your continent.

[Boo]

EDIT: No really, I was joking. Don't kill me Serp. Especially if I come to your continent.

In Australia, animals hunt YOU!

[Deth Muncher]

In Australia, animals hunt YOU!

FACT. whitetext

[kpenguin]

In Australia, animals hunt YOU!

and, in turn, those are hunted by feral cats.

Feral cats. Scary enough to threaten AUSTRALIA.

[Serpentine]

Well, they can be pretty scary... (http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2007/03/australias_new_feral_mega_cats.php)

[Boo]

That is both adorable and horrifying. Adhoriblying?

[Zeb The Troll]

No, a bear's head is much broader at the ears as compared to the nose.

Wiki. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear)

[Serpentine]

That what I thought... Really don't see bear at all :smallconfused: Can you give a sample of what sort of bear you're thinking of?
Hrm. The back and shape of its head and its ears look like some sort of canine, but the nose itself looks... different, more like... I dunno, a possum or something. Maybe even a bat. The way its back curves, and the length of its tail, looks more cat- or possum-like to me. The neck, too, looks to long for either of those.
I think the civet might be the one...

[Kobold-Bard]

I'm guessing the "yeti" comment is just because it's a thing from the woods they couldn't identify rather than anything about it's size/hairiness etc.

(I skimmed the thread, sorry if this has been addressed)

[Sliver]

A Japanese yeti will be a huge bear with tentacles, obviously. RAPE BEAR

[Kobold-Bard]

A Japanese yeti will be a huge bear with tentacles, obviously. RAPE BEAR

http://comeroundhere.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/bearsharktopus-30363-1253244193-27.jpg
So...this?

[Sliver]

Too much shark in my bear, not enough tentacles.

[Deth Muncher]

Too much shark in my bear, not enough tentacles.

Yeah. That's just your average run-of-the-mill Bearsharktopus. You need MUCH more rape to be a Japanese yeti.

[Fostire]

That what I thought... Really don't see bear at all :smallconfused: Can you give a sample of what sort of bear you're thinking of?
Hrm. The back and shape of its head and its ears look like some sort of canine, but the nose itself looks... different, more like... I dunno, a possum or something. Maybe even a bat. The way its back curves, and the length of its tail, looks more cat- or possum-like to me. The neck, too, looks to long for either of those.
I think the civet might be the one...
Civet seems to fit quite nicely.
A quick google image search gives me this picture of a civet:
http://itech.pjc.edu/jkaplan/sctag/Malagasy_Civet/index_files/pic9.gif

it's in the exact same pose as the picture of the "yeti", has the same cat-like body, and the nose and ears seem similar as well. The only difference (other than lack of hair) seems to be that the snout in the "yeti" is a bit wider than this one.

[Kobold-Bard]

Yeah. That's just your average run-of-the-mill Bearsharktopus. You need MUCH more rape to be a Japanese yeti.

There aren't many places that would consider a bearsharktopus run-of-the-mill. I love it :smallbiggrin:

[Telonius]

Going back to Serp's picture... I've seen some similar descriptions of wild animals in the US recently. There have been a bunch of reports of people spotting a chupacabra or some kind of devil-dog, where it's all hairless and skeletal and creepy-looking. It sounds an awful lot like a super-advanced case of mange, but I seem to remember them interviewing some veterinarians who said that with a mange case as bad as they're describing the dog shouldn't even be walking let alone raiding chickens.

Personally I think a new species of mange is a lot more likely than a new species of dog or other cryptid.

[Serpentine]

For the purposes of comparison:

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01610/yeti_1610004c.jpg[/QUOTE]
http://itech.pjc.edu/jkaplan/sctag/Malagasy_Civet/index_files/pic9.gif

Looks right to me. Poor thing :smallfrown: I hope it gets looked after.

[Deadly]

Huh. Creepy and sad at the same time.

What's that huge hump on its back? Looks very unnatural to me.

[Serpentine]

Pretty sure it's just its back. Cats have something similar, if they sit the right way. You can see the same sort of shape on the civet.

[Deadly]

It just looks unusually large and... strange to me. But maybe that's just the lack of fur.

[Serpentine]

Well, compare to these:
http://bestiarumvocabulum.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/hairless_cat.jpg
http://www.assetsoflife.com/The-Cat-Place/Cat%20Images/Sphynx.1.JPG
http://www.breeds.traditionalcats.com/BreedInfo/FAQTSphynx/Sphynx2.jpg
http://animal-world.com/Cats/Cat-Mutations/images/Sphynx(CanadianHairless)_FelisCatusWCtMu_Ap6F.jpgW hile it does have a distinct back shape, I'm pretty sure it's also exaggerated by it position.

[Deadly]

None of those look malformed in quite the same way, they look fairly typical in fact. The "yeti"'s back looks bloated and far too sphere-like to me.

You're probably right about the exaggeration due to position, since noone else have remarked upon it, it just looks really unusual to my eyes.

[lesser_minion]

Well, hairless cats can occur naturally - someone just decided that it would be nice if they were a breed as opposed to a random generic defect, and now we have a whole pile of hairless cats.

Personally, I find that to be rather distasteful, but cats that are genetically hairless are at least better than ones who have been abused or diseased.

[Fostire]

Well, hairless cats can occur naturally - someone just decided that it would be nice if they were a breed as opposed to a random generic defect, and now we have a whole pile of hairless cats.

Personally, I find that to be rather distasteful, but cats that are genetically hairless are at least better than ones who have been abused or diseased.

Would a hairless cat still produce the thing people are allergic to? if not then a hairless cat seems like a great way for allergic people to have one as a pet.

[Syka]

Would a hairless cat still produce the thing people are allergic to? if not then a hairless cat seems like a great way for allergic people to have one as a pet.

I'm pretty sure they can. I'm not sure though. Some breeds are hypoallergenic, but this goes for furred cats, too.

[Fostire]

I'm pretty sure they can. I'm not sure though. Some breeds are hypoallergenic, but this goes for furred cats, too.

I know the allergen is related to the hair but I don't recall if it was part of the hair or something that coats the hair. If it was part of the hair, then a hairless cat would most likely be hypoallergenic, but if it was something produced at the skin then it's possible that it still produces it.

And I know about the hypoallergenic breeds, but last I checked they were some sort of patented breed produced by some company that sells them for like two grand each. It would probably be more cost effective to just get some cat off the streets and use the money for allergy medicine (which, if you have other allergies like me, you'll probably need anyway).

[Coidzor]

I know the allergen is related to the hair but I don't recall if it was part of the hair or something that coats the hair. If it was part of the hair, then a hairless cat would most likely be hypoallergenic, but if it was something produced at the skin then it's possible that it still produces it.

And I know about the hypoallergenic breeds, but last I checked they were some sort of patented breed produced by some company that sells them for like two grand each. It would probably be more cost effective to just get some cat off the streets and use the money for allergy medicine (which, if you have other allergies like me, you'll probably need anyway).

Part of it is the hair, part of it is a component of the saliva that is imparted to the hair through grooming, IIRC.

[Syka]

Yeah, I'm not allergic to the cats themselves, it's pet dander that makes me react. This also means I react to SOME cats, but not ALL (I was fine with both of my ex's cats, I'm fine with a friend's cat as long as I don't touch it, and I can't even be in another friend's house because their cat makes my nose go nuts).

I never know how it'll be until I'm there.

It's bizarre, but I'm pretty sure it's not just the hair.

[Danne]

I'm going with "civet with a horrible case of mange," myself. That poor animal needs a vet, not a bunch of scientists poking at it.

Most people with pet allergies are related to the animal's dandruff. (Google says the protein is also in their saliva, which is a new one to me, but whatever.) Hairless cats are hypoallergenic -- the lead singer of one of my favorite bands loves cats but is allergic, so they have a hairless one, which apparently works for them.


If there were such a thing as a Chinese yeti, I would hope for a ten foot tall moon-bear with giant bat wings and desiccation beams that shoot from its eyes.

That would be awesome. :smallbiggrin:

[Bhu]

I saw that... I've no idea why they're calling it a 'yeti,' yetis being large and intimidating.

Just looks like a diseased, maybe malformed animal to me.

The term Yeti refers to at least 3 different cryptids, and several other critters as well

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeti
http://www.occultopedia.com/d/dzu-teh.htm

[Rappy]

As has already been posited, I'm fairly certain this poor dear is a civet affected by mange.

This isn't the first, nor will it probably be the last, "cryptid" created by the media's desire to see something strange in mange. Former examples include the Montauk "Monster" (a raccoon) and the Cero Azul "Monster" (a bloated sloth).