Andean Wolf : Unrecognized mountain dog of South America.
Scientific name:
Dasycyon hagenbecki, given by Ingo Krumbiegel in 1949.
Physical description:
Thick, blackish-brown fur. Back hair is 8 inches long. Small, round ears. Strong jaws. Short, solid legs. Powerful claws.
Distribution:
Andes Mountains, Argentina.
Significant sightings:
In 1927, Lorenz Hagenbeck discovered four pelts for sale in Buenos Aires, Argentina, similar to those of a maned wolf but thicker, darker in color, and with smaller ears. Ingo Krumbiegel examined an odd skull in 1935, supposedly that of a maned wolf but larger and originating from the Andes Mountains outside the animal’s range (lowlands farther to the east).
Present status:
A 2000 attempt at DNA analysis of the remaining pelt at Munich’s zoological museum proved unsatisfactory because it was contaminated with human, dog, wolf, and pig DNA. The pelt had also been chemically treated.
Possible explanation:
The accidental pairing of a Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) skull with a German shepherd (Canis familiaris) pelt.
Sources:
- Ingo Krumbiegel, “Der Andenwolf: Ein neuentdecktes Grosstier,” Umschau 49 (1949): 590–591;
- Ingo Krumbiegel, “Der ‘Andenwolf,’ Dasycyon hagenbecki (Krumbiegel, 1949),” Säugetierkundliche Mitteilungen 1 (1953): 97–104;
- Fritz Dieterlen, “Über den Haarbau des Andenwolfes, Dasycyon hagenbecki (Krumbiegel, 1949),” Säugetierkundliche Mitteilungen 2 (1954): 26–31;
- Angel Cabrera, “Catalogo de los mamiferos de America del Sur, 1. (Metatheria—Unguiculata—Carnivora),”
Revista Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Rivadavia (Zoologia) 4 (1957): 1–307; - Bernard Heuvelmans, On the Track of Unknown Animals (New York: Hill and Wang, 1958), pp. 68–69;
- Karl Shuker, “Pity about the Pelt,” Fortean Times, no. 145 (May 2001): 23
SEE ALSO:
SOURCE:
Mysterious Creatures – A Guide to Cryptozoology written by George M. Eberhart – Copyright © 2002 by George M. Eberhart