It Was in the Park

A second cryptid caught on camera in Texas within a year raises the question: What is going on in the Lone Star State?

Courtesy of the New York Post …

A “mystery animal” spotted in the Rio Grande Valley left Texas park officials — and the general public — stumped.

Officials with the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, with Texas Parks and Wildlife, sought social media users’ help when they posted a photo of a strange-looking — and apparently not easily identifiable — animal on the park’s Facebook page last week.

The furry, short and stout, four-legged creature was caught on footage from the trail cam of a park visitor while walking at night in the Rio Grande Valley.

“We’re scratching our heads trying to identify this elusive creature. Is it a new species? An escapee from a nearby zoo? Or just a park ranger in disguise?” the state park wrote. “Regardless, it’s thrilling to see such an incredible animal in its natural habitat.”

Calling the Rio Grande Valley – or anywhere in this dimension – the unknown creature’s “natural habitat” is rather a premature assumption, is it not?

After much speculation and debate, park officials unveiled what they believed it could be.

“Wow, this photo has got a lot of attention! We agree with most of the comments that this is very likely an American Badger (not to be confused with the Honey Badger that lives in Africa and Asia and is rumored to not care very much),” the state park stated, adding. “While American Badgers are not commonly seen in the valley (partly due to their nocturnal behavior), this is part of their natural range.”

Is the park right? Has the mystery cryptid been positively identified as an American badger?

Photo comparison time

While the cryptid’s overall body shape and gait are indeed badger-like, the coat length, coloration, and markings are nothing like an American badger’s.

But there is another type of badger the creature in the grainy photo does more closely resemble …

If I had to pick the subject of the park photograph out of the lineup above, I’d go with the Japanese badger.

So the escaped pet or zoo animal theory may hold more water after all.

Or somebody opened a wormhole from Japan to Texas.

Has anybody gotten a comment from Elon Musk?

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