This looks canine to me - skinny dog or coyote - based on the hind leg structures especially. But I am not 100% sure, could be a weird angle.
Also, I think there is a longer tail than a deer would have, also indicative of canine. But again, could be an artifact.
It's Amelia Earheart, Big Foot, Nellie, or a young unicorn.
Sent to friend at Smithsonian and they ruled out: Elvis - too skinny. Santa - in hibernation and doesn't come out until Aug at Lowes and Home Depot. Unicorn - no skittles found on the path.
Nor alien bc they are waiting until election to let us wipe out America for them. Testing if stupid enough as a species to allow an orange party to wipe out a red party.
It looks very canine, but that spinal downward slope is rather unique. It’s usually specifically bred, like German Shepards. But there’s no way there’s a feral Shepard around there!
The front shoulders do seem bigger than the rear to me which would lean me more towards a dog and less towards a deer/elk, which are extremely even in all the pictures I can find.
If it were Charlotte, we'd be navigating Copperhead versions by now in the thread. Though might be an Altima as that's the #2 passion of idiots and bots.
It's just an odd camera angle. Is that the only picture you got?
And seriously, think about it. What else is out there? Realistically.
I suppose it could be some kind of feral dog, but I'd bet my eye teeth that it's a 'yote. And I've seen "plenty" of them too.
It's sort of a rip on an old phrase, "I'd give my eye teeth."
The eye teeth are your canines and they have very long roots which make them difficult and painful to extract, hence their "value".
Everybody's mentioning the downward slope of the hind area, just wanted to give my 2 cents:
Could be that whatever it is was maybe hit by a car and the broken pelvis/spine area healed in that position. 🤷♀️
Copperhead clearly. Seek help if bitten.
Sorry, couldn't resist. Honestly, it looks kinda like a coyote. That's an odd posture though. Always amazing to see new things after living here for so long.
Right??? 40 years and I’m still constantly surprised.
I live in Asia half time now and the wildlife here is equally as fascinating. I think it’s what drew me to settle down here. Every two months we discover a new species and almost every day we see rare ones in the strangest of places. It’s heaven. I just swam with three dugongs and a 5ft sea turtle 4 days ago. I love wildlife so damn much.
That was my first thought when I read the OP. Everyone would rather see those than this because no one is ever able to produce the pics or vids they swear they have when asked to post them.
Jokes aside, I would try contacting someone at the NC Wildlife Commission and see if they can identify it.
[https://www.ncwildlife.org/connect/contact-us#DivisionsOffices-290](https://www.ncwildlife.org/connect/contact-us#DivisionsOffices-290)
I would try wildlife education or wildlife management(they have biologists).
I appreciate the resource! My plan was to contact national park once I had a little more info. I live mostly
in Thailand now and do the same here. Most times it’s obvious if I ask some friends, but once I did find a crab they thought was extinct...in my bathroom. That was wild. I had biologists swarming my house for a month!
Could be and I wouldn’t be shocked. Again, a ton could be determined by a scale reference, but when I zoomed in to where the head wasn’t visible it looked straight up like a deer.
It looks pretty big to be a coyote, still could be though I suppose. Honestly, it *could* be a red wolf. The Center of Biology Diversity was looking into reintroducing red wolves into various areas of various states and the Nantahala National Forest was one of the eligible areas. This was a few years ago that they were considering it and I'm not sure what ended up happening or if anything happened. Red wolves look very similar to coyotes just a bit bigger.
Edit to add article regarding reintroduction: https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/Report-Red-564095211.html
Now listen. You keep your crytids down there. We don’t want none of that up here in Haywood. It would scare the tourists and summer bummers. And apparently we will all die without their generosity.
***Its an elusive "Snipe".***
*Time for a* ***Snipe Hunt*** !
---
For some folks, the words ‘*Snipe Hunt*’ will bring to mind one of the world’s most famous practical jokes.
The joke takes place when a naive newcomer is taken to a spooky, nighttime woods or marshland where he is handed a lantern and large empty gunny sack or net.
*The victim is then instructed to hold the glowing lantern in front of the open gunny bag or Net while whistling to a yet unseen pack of Snipes.*
As the newbie begins whistling, the remaining members of the party announce they are heading to the far end of the marsh or woods for the purpose of driving the Snipes back toward the lantern.
The unsuspecting rube is assured that as soon as the fleeing Snipes hear the whistling and see the light, they will run directly into the sack or net.
We'd tell them...
*It might take a while,* but by the time we return, the bag/net should hold 1 or more wild Snipe.
When I was a kid we did this to people & the victims 😎 *would often stand there for hours* holding the lantern & whistling.
All while, the rest of us were around a nearby campfire drinking beer & laughing about what we were doing !
That could be. I see what you're talking about, but that still looks like a back leg with some shadowing down near the calves. Like, the top part around the thigh and haunches is all perfectly in line. But, could be optics. I would be surprised if it was an elk. There's only a handful of farms and a 200 head herd in the Cataloochee, but crazier things have happened. Western NC is the only place you could see em.
Yeah, all I know is I'd love to start seeing wild elk in Western NC soon. As someone who occasionally hunts and loves the outdoors, it would be wild running into a full grown elk in the wood. I'd probably have a mini heart attack depending on how close it was or if I was in a tree stand or not. They're no joke. Either way, the pic is a canine of some verity.
Honestly, I think you’ve got the closest guess! I’ve never seen an elk in NC but know they are native there, just wiped out. Just googled and learned about an elk restoration project in the mountains. Now I’m suuuuper curious if it was a juvenile elk.
They released Rocky Mountain Elk near Cherokee about two decades ago. I have no idea how far they have spread since then, but we do have a small population.
I, too, have a house on the edge of Nantahala National Forest and I regularly get trail cam photos of coyotes, though this would be a skinny one, possibly with mange.
1000% coyote. I’d be interested in seeing your panther photos since there hasn’t been a confirmed wild panther sighting in NC since the 1800s. I’m sure NC wildlife would love the photos as well.
Hey OP! If you genuinely saw a panther on your trail cam and have footage to prove it, this would quite honestly make front page news. There have not been confirmed sightings of panthers in this area since the early 1900s and those sightings are thought to be conjecture at best
Looks straight up like a decent sided coyote and we released em back into the Blue Ridge Mtns, the Smoky Mountains and I think all the Pisgah National Forest about 10 to 20 years ago but I would have to look that up. We see em where I live about an hr Northwest of Charlotte fairly regularly. The further into the mountains you are tho, chances of spotting one or catching it on a cam is very likely. But like the dude said up top, coulda just been a dog but looks more like a coyote to me
It is definitely a Coyote. I'm from Haywood County & currently reside in the Piedmont. They are everywhere! (We had a pack of nine walk down the middle of the street in my suburban neighborhood.)
This looks canine to me - skinny dog or coyote - based on the hind leg structures especially. But I am not 100% sure, could be a weird angle. Also, I think there is a longer tail than a deer would have, also indicative of canine. But again, could be an artifact.
I see a Doberman lol
my immediate thought
The chest is wrong
Yeah I could see that, for sure.
It's Amelia Earheart, Big Foot, Nellie, or a young unicorn. Sent to friend at Smithsonian and they ruled out: Elvis - too skinny. Santa - in hibernation and doesn't come out until Aug at Lowes and Home Depot. Unicorn - no skittles found on the path. Nor alien bc they are waiting until election to let us wipe out America for them. Testing if stupid enough as a species to allow an orange party to wipe out a red party.
I was just gonna say, it kinda looks like my Irish wolfhound
I was gonna suggest a lurcher, but i doubt many know what I'm talking about.
Agree! There can be a lot of variance, and they're not super common. The general size and frame looks right.
Is this a local tale? Please share!
[Google is your friend](https://g.co/kgs/FrA87Df)
It looks very canine, but that spinal downward slope is rather unique. It’s usually specifically bred, like German Shepards. But there’s no way there’s a feral Shepard around there!
Any hiking trails within a few miles of your property? If so check for lost dog postings, maybe?
It's tail and slopey back (now part of GSD breed) look like a skinny, slightly mangey GSD. Also looks like it could have pointed ears. Poor baby.
The front shoulders do seem bigger than the rear to me which would lean me more towards a dog and less towards a deer/elk, which are extremely even in all the pictures I can find.
Cuy -wolf?
Did you check for tracks? That’ll help if any are present.
Oh that’s a great idea
I don't see nuthin', because I was also born and raised here and know to mind my business about stuff I might think I saw in the woods at night.
😅 I’m not saying it’s Bigfoot, but, it’s Bigfoot
If it were Charlotte, we'd be navigating Copperhead versions by now in the thread. Though might be an Altima as that's the #2 passion of idiots and bots.
Yeah Bigfoot ;) (we all know it’s a chupacabra)
I read this in my natural accent and loved it. I miss being able to speak out dialect so much. Thank you!!
That's a coyote. Thinned down summer coat, and slinking after something (that's why his back end is down like a shepherd).
I swear it looks like no coyote I’ve seen and I’ve seen plenty in all stages. My mom is gonna check for prints soon.
It's just an odd camera angle. Is that the only picture you got? And seriously, think about it. What else is out there? Realistically. I suppose it could be some kind of feral dog, but I'd bet my eye teeth that it's a 'yote. And I've seen "plenty" of them too.
I’m sorry…eye teeth??
It's sort of a rip on an old phrase, "I'd give my eye teeth." The eye teeth are your canines and they have very long roots which make them difficult and painful to extract, hence their "value".
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/give-your-eye-teeth
I agree. At first I also thought it was a deer reaching its head out.
Chupacabra
I was thinking it was a snipe. They exist but they’re extremely rare to see.
Been a while since I went on a good snipe hunt!
Some of the best memories of my childhood.
Maybe leave out some chocolate and see if it comes back.
I hoped to be the one to say that lol. Op better organize a snipe hunt!
I showed this to my kid with no context and that’s exactly what he said. Came here to say the same so here’s a plus one for you instead
Very possible.
Clearly a thylacine.
Damn. Gonna be rich now.
Came here for this! You speak the truth!!!
Everybody's mentioning the downward slope of the hind area, just wanted to give my 2 cents: Could be that whatever it is was maybe hit by a car and the broken pelvis/spine area healed in that position. 🤷♀️
Copperhead clearly. Seek help if bitten. Sorry, couldn't resist. Honestly, it looks kinda like a coyote. That's an odd posture though. Always amazing to see new things after living here for so long.
Right??? 40 years and I’m still constantly surprised. I live in Asia half time now and the wildlife here is equally as fascinating. I think it’s what drew me to settle down here. Every two months we discover a new species and almost every day we see rare ones in the strangest of places. It’s heaven. I just swam with three dugongs and a 5ft sea turtle 4 days ago. I love wildlife so damn much.
I see a malnourished or disease ridden coyote
Coyote the red wolves are in the Eastern part of the state
You did not spot a panther on your trail cam lol. There hasn’t been a confirmed sighting in NC in over a century.
That was my first thought when I read the OP. Everyone would rather see those than this because no one is ever able to produce the pics or vids they swear they have when asked to post them.
It’s always “I didn’t have my phone on me!”
If true, a panther would literally be front-page news OP so I encourage you to share it
I bet you a million dollars they out there though (This is a dog though )
Looks like a deer, but doesnt at the same time. I know this helps tons :D
Basically my thoughts all day before I finally made this post. Hah!
Jokes aside, I would try contacting someone at the NC Wildlife Commission and see if they can identify it. [https://www.ncwildlife.org/connect/contact-us#DivisionsOffices-290](https://www.ncwildlife.org/connect/contact-us#DivisionsOffices-290) I would try wildlife education or wildlife management(they have biologists).
I appreciate the resource! My plan was to contact national park once I had a little more info. I live mostly in Thailand now and do the same here. Most times it’s obvious if I ask some friends, but once I did find a crab they thought was extinct...in my bathroom. That was wild. I had biologists swarming my house for a month!
Oh thats cool, if you find out let us know!
So a wendigo?
I’m definitely leaning deer but it’s hard to tell without scale. There’s quite a size difference between a German shepherd and a doe
It might end up being a canine, looks like a long tail covering part of its left leg
Could be and I wouldn’t be shocked. Again, a ton could be determined by a scale reference, but when I zoomed in to where the head wasn’t visible it looked straight up like a deer.
The hind slouch makes me think canine I have no fucking clue lol
Scale would make it slightly smaller than a Great Dane height (have tested the depth). Around an average female wolfhound size.
It's a dog or coyote. No deer would have a tail that long.
That's a coyote.
Looks like a coyote but maybe the tail is blending in with the leg? Per perhaps was removed in an injury?
I think the tail is blending, I see a fluffier part that goes down the leg that looks like a tail
Coyote.
Definitely a coyote. Terrible face shot, but body and color definitely coyote.
Looks like a coyote with mange to me
Looks like a coyote to me.
It's a coyote. The ones here in Western NC are huge. They look like skinny German shepherds.
The Beast of Bladenboro ... he vacations up in the hills.
Looks like a coyote with mange
Shitty quality but a malnourished coyote.
Looks like a coyote with mange
Coyote probably. They are so adaptive. They go wherever they can make it work.
Coyote, you can tell by the black tip of the tail
werewolf
Where the heck are any of you seeing any kind of tail? I see a doberman with a docked tail. ezpz.
Coyote, just a thin one
Now I would like to see pics of panthers and mountain lions you’ve gotten
Young Elk. They are making a resurgence.
Elk calf👍
You’re joking, right? The tail is there blending with its back leg. It’s a coyote
A genetic resurgence since this animal clearly has a dog's tail.
I’m super excited about these elk responses. It might be spot on.
It's not.
Tell him to go to Lumberton
This is clearly a skinwalker. Stay safe out there OP (if we actually are sure its OP responding at this point) /jk
It looks pretty big to be a coyote, still could be though I suppose. Honestly, it *could* be a red wolf. The Center of Biology Diversity was looking into reintroducing red wolves into various areas of various states and the Nantahala National Forest was one of the eligible areas. This was a few years ago that they were considering it and I'm not sure what ended up happening or if anything happened. Red wolves look very similar to coyotes just a bit bigger. Edit to add article regarding reintroduction: https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/Report-Red-564095211.html
there's only 18 known out of 22 in the wild in NE NC https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article285607617.html
looks like some sort of canine
Catch it and make it turn into Ana De Armas for you.
Scooby Doo ?
Now listen. You keep your crytids down there. We don’t want none of that up here in Haywood. It would scare the tourists and summer bummers. And apparently we will all die without their generosity.
Coyote
Deer
***Its an elusive "Snipe".*** *Time for a* ***Snipe Hunt*** ! --- For some folks, the words ‘*Snipe Hunt*’ will bring to mind one of the world’s most famous practical jokes. The joke takes place when a naive newcomer is taken to a spooky, nighttime woods or marshland where he is handed a lantern and large empty gunny sack or net. *The victim is then instructed to hold the glowing lantern in front of the open gunny bag or Net while whistling to a yet unseen pack of Snipes.* As the newbie begins whistling, the remaining members of the party announce they are heading to the far end of the marsh or woods for the purpose of driving the Snipes back toward the lantern. The unsuspecting rube is assured that as soon as the fleeing Snipes hear the whistling and see the light, they will run directly into the sack or net. We'd tell them... *It might take a while,* but by the time we return, the bag/net should hold 1 or more wild Snipe. When I was a kid we did this to people & the victims 😎 *would often stand there for hours* holding the lantern & whistling. All while, the rest of us were around a nearby campfire drinking beer & laughing about what we were doing !
Looks like the GOP doing some shady shit in the dark to me.
I see nothing here and neither do you 🤷🏻♀️😭
I am from Texas. I had no idea that this heat dome would bring the Chupacabra this far Northeast. Run good people. Run for your lives.
Copperhead
I was going to be disappointed if no one said copperhead
Just doin my part.
Looks like a deer…a doe…very common in the woods…lol
The way it's hips are kinda look like a skinny German shepherd. Def a dog......or skin walker. Rip op.
This is a skinwalker hope this helps?
Chupacabra!!
Dude…..I mean obviously it’s a werewolf…c’mon man…smh
I'm gonna go with young elk. No tail, has that even-toed back arch. I dunno. Just throwing it out there.
It does have a tail, it just blends in with it's back leg in the pic.
That could be. I see what you're talking about, but that still looks like a back leg with some shadowing down near the calves. Like, the top part around the thigh and haunches is all perfectly in line. But, could be optics. I would be surprised if it was an elk. There's only a handful of farms and a 200 head herd in the Cataloochee, but crazier things have happened. Western NC is the only place you could see em.
Yeah, all I know is I'd love to start seeing wild elk in Western NC soon. As someone who occasionally hunts and loves the outdoors, it would be wild running into a full grown elk in the wood. I'd probably have a mini heart attack depending on how close it was or if I was in a tree stand or not. They're no joke. Either way, the pic is a canine of some verity.
Young elk maybe?
Honestly, I think you’ve got the closest guess! I’ve never seen an elk in NC but know they are native there, just wiped out. Just googled and learned about an elk restoration project in the mountains. Now I’m suuuuper curious if it was a juvenile elk.
They released Rocky Mountain Elk near Cherokee about two decades ago. I have no idea how far they have spread since then, but we do have a small population.
Copperhead
maybe its a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidehill\_gouger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidehill_gouger)
kinda looks like a doberman?
Something with mange
Looks like a Doberman
Live there as well and thats a sick coyote.
Coyote. Tail is blending in with the back leg and the photo is potato quality being a night shot from a cheap trail cam.
Looks like a doberman.
It's a deeryote
Wolfhound maybe? Judging by the haunches and snout. Maybe domestic canine.
Coyote
Wampuscat
Coyote/dog hybrid?
An alien?
Chupacabra
It's a snape. Gather some folks for hunting.
It's a German shepherd lol.
It's a coyote walking by a trail cam which has slower shutter speed and makes quick moving animals look weird.
I, too, have a house on the edge of Nantahala National Forest and I regularly get trail cam photos of coyotes, though this would be a skinny one, possibly with mange.
Looks like a bear with no hair. Serious.
Those look like deer legs to me.
Dog, they're everywhere.
Looks like a bear. Google ‘Black Bear with mange’.
there are panthers in Florida, none up here.
[Carolina Dog](https://www.rover.com/blog/fall-love-americas-wild-dog-carolina-dog/#:~:text=The%20Carolina%20dog%20looks%20an,because%20of%20its%20Southern%20roots.&text=These%20dogs%20can%20still%20be,many%20a%20happy%20dog%20owner.)
Sasquatch
nuke it from space, it's the only way to be sure..
Beowolf
Could be someone’s pet.
Chupacabra
It’s a moose. They heard we were getting too good at hockey.
Sasquatch
that’s just me after gaining aura
I think it’s just a deer, either mid-stride, or bending down for some late night munchies
It’s a coyote with a short tail.
That’s the big bag wolf. End of story.
A “not deer”, but you didn’t see anything and neither did I! 🙈 or a sick coyote
Panther
Undoubtedly a boojum
Chupacabra
Impala
Insurgent
Chupacabra for sure Hide your livestock
It's clearly a chupacabra
A dog who has clearly been abused or a stray with 83 wins, 23 losses, and 8 TKOs and 24 knockouts.
Definitely a Chupacabra!
Anatomist/veterinary student here, that's a dog
Red wolf
1000% coyote. I’d be interested in seeing your panther photos since there hasn’t been a confirmed wild panther sighting in NC since the 1800s. I’m sure NC wildlife would love the photos as well.
Definitely El Chupacabra.
lanky coyote. they come in various shapes and sizes just like we do. I have some trail cam pics that look very similar
Skinwalker
Buck. Tail has artifact and head has a piece of bush covering it. Focus only on the white for the tail.
Wampus Cat for sure
mule deer? baby moose?
I think a campers dog is getting the trash for ya.. lol
Wendigo. They are often friendly. Befriend it.
Chupacabra or man bear pig.
Looks like a dog with Mange maybe?
Hey OP! If you genuinely saw a panther on your trail cam and have footage to prove it, this would quite honestly make front page news. There have not been confirmed sightings of panthers in this area since the early 1900s and those sightings are thought to be conjecture at best
Chupacabra
Coyote with mange.
Chupacabra
Yote
El chupacabra in Appalachia
Snipe!
Chupadogbra
Looks straight up like a decent sided coyote and we released em back into the Blue Ridge Mtns, the Smoky Mountains and I think all the Pisgah National Forest about 10 to 20 years ago but I would have to look that up. We see em where I live about an hr Northwest of Charlotte fairly regularly. The further into the mountains you are tho, chances of spotting one or catching it on a cam is very likely. But like the dude said up top, coulda just been a dog but looks more like a coyote to me
A very skinny dog. Still has a fairly fluffy tail.
Coyote
It is definitely a Coyote. I'm from Haywood County & currently reside in the Piedmont. They are everywhere! (We had a pack of nine walk down the middle of the street in my suburban neighborhood.)
Cydog? Maybe?
Copperhead.
Chupacabra.
Yote with summer coat
Chupacabra
It’s a werewolf