‘Mystery Animal’ Caught On Camera In Texas Park Ignites Debate On Social Media

Texas park officials are facing quite the conundrum after a “mystery animal” was caught on camera inside a South Texas state park.

Now, folks on social media can’t stop racking their brains trying to figure out what the creature could be.

On Thursday, officials from the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park posted a snapshot of the animal on Facebook asking the public to help identify it.

“We’re scratching our heads trying to identify this elusive creature,” read a post from the Mission, Texas-based park. “Is it a new species? An escapee from a nearby zoo? Or just a park ranger in disguise?”

It didn’t take long for Facebook users to toss out their best guesses about what the four-legged creature could be, including “an opossum crossed with a raccoon” and a “chupacabra.”

But so far, no one has nailed down the animal’s true identity.

“Pregnant Badger!” one user wrote in the comments.

Another guessed, “Jaguarundi?” They added: “Rare in Texas but I’ve seen one once.”

“A good ol’ Texas size rat,” another quipped.

A jaguarundi is an endangered cat species that eats birds, rabbits and small rodents and typically hunts during early morning and evening hours. They’re quick-moving and are slightly bigger than a domestic cat, weighing around 8 to 16 pounds.

Several other Facebook users also guessed that the beast was a jaguarundi, but they are extinct in the area, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife.

Park officials later updated their social media post to clarify that the image was captured by a park visitor and that they weren’t exactly sure where in the park the photo was taken.

In the meantime, the agency said it’s likely the animal is an American badger, but will keep the public updated as park employees “continue to investigate this mystery.”