A photo of a mysterious and truly miserable-looking animal in Tampa went viral on social media earlier this week and despite what many commenters have speculated, it's not a hairless bear, or a chupacabra.
The photo was posted to Twitter on Monday by user Blizzjuuheardd, along with the comment "Boy what the fuck is this shit 😭 I’m getting out of tampa bro."
Boy what the fuck is this shit 😭 I’m getting out of tampa bro pic.twitter.com/4LZAh1tqhv
— Blizz (@Blizzjuuheardd) March 28, 2022
The post has since been shared nearly 20,000 times, with commenters saying it could be anything from the dog from "Coco" to a Florida Skunk Ape.
Well, Miami New Times reached to Zoo Miami spokesperson Ron Magill, who confirmed that the animal is most likely a coyote with a bad case of mange, which can result in hair loss, scabbing and terrible itching for canines.
Magill assured the publication that the animal poses no risk for humans, but small pets and children should avoid coyotes while outdoors.
"Unless it has rabies, it's not gonna attack you. The key thing when you see one is to not turn and run, but to make yourself look as large as possible and it'll run away," said Magill to New Times. "They're pretty widespread but they're very reclusive and want to avoid humans at all costs."
This story originally appeared at Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
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