Bear? Bobcat? Chupacabra? Photo of paw prints at a Texas park has people guessing

Mitchell Willetts
·2 min read

A picture of paw prints left in the morning frost at a Texas park has people guessing what creature could have made them – and most are guessing wrong.

In their defense, a wide variety of wildlife calls Big Bend National Park home, according to the National Park Service.

On Jan. 14, the park shared a picture on Facebook of animal tracks spotted on a nature trail boardwalk, challenging the public to guess which of Big Bend’s many residents left their mark.

“Porcupine? Large cat like puma, bobcat?” one person suggested.

“The shorter stride would suggest a smaller animal,” said another. “Maybe a fox?”

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One commenter was confident it was their “favorite species, definitely raccoon!”

Raccoon was a popular guess.

“Don’t want to meet up with a raccoon with feet that size,” a comment read.

Some other common guesses included opossum, ringtail, bear, fox, skunk, and coatimundi.

Some weren’t afraid to think outside the box: “That’s a classic chupacabra print if I’ve ever seen one.”

The park service let their participants stew for a couple days before finally revealing the answer: a skunk.

“We believe the tracks were left by a skunk who was out for an early morning stroll,” the Facebook post said.

A handful of folks answered correctly, including one man who seems to possess a deep knowledge of skunks — and even put park officials to the test.

“I’m going with skunk,” he said. “Bonus question: What species? I think the park has Western-spotted, Striped, Hog-nose, and sometimes Hooded.”

“Great answer!” officials responded. “We believe they are skunk tracks as well, and wildlife cameras in the park have confirmed that Big Bend is indeed home to the four species you mentioned.”

Situated in far West Texas, and bordering Mexico, Big Bend park makes up 800,000 acres of desert, boasting 75 species of mammals, from rabbits and bats, to bears and cougars. There are also 450 species of bird, 56 kinds of reptile, and 11 varieties of amphibian.

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