Dog or mountain lion? Mystery creature that crashed reporter's live shot ID'd after heated debate
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A live shot for a local news station in Utah included a special cameo from a mysterious furry creature that led to a spirited online debate: Was it a mountain lion, dog or some other wild animal?
KUTV's Morgan Saxton shared footage of the random encounter on Twitter Wednesday, asking others to help her identify the creature.
"I think it's a dog, I'm not sure, but anyway," Saxton said as the animal walked past her during the shoot. "There's some sort of creature below me."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Twitter users were quick to offer their takes.
"BYU cougar... but seriously, that’s a mountain lion/cougar," one person tweeted.
"Dogs don't walk like that. It has the same walk as a cat. I am voting for Mountain Lion," another echoed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That’s 100% a mountain lion," someone else declared.
Others insisted it was a canine.
"Very clearly a dog. The tail and ears and how it walks give it away," one person said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"No question that's a dog," another insisted. "The side profile when it first enters the screen is a giveaway. Also, if that is a mtn lion and it just walks casually near people it's the world's first wild mtn lion to just walk casually near people b."
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"Its a dog. Mountain lions walk more smoothly," one user said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Utah Division of Natural Resources confirmed it would find the creature's true identity.
"Our biologists are trying to determine if the animal was a cougar," the wildlife department tweeted. "From the video, it’s difficult to tell."
Officials added they’d go to the area and search for tracks and other evidence.
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It didn't take long for them to identify the creature.
"CONFIRMED: Just spoke woth @UtahDWR They believe it’s a dog, based on the paw prints,” Saxton tweeted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The reporter later shared a snap of the actual dog involved in the incident.
"MYSTERY SOLVED: The owner of this camera-friendly fella just sent us a picture of their pup who made it’s way into my live shot this morning. Come back anytime! #talkofthetown," she quipped.
The DWR later explained how they determined the animal was definitely not mountain lion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The ears are close together, tall and pointier at the tips. — The tail appears shorter than a cougar's tail. — We checked on the tracks, and they were definitely dog tracks," the division tweeted.