Guess the species (either common or Linnaean) by tweeting at us--we're @PopSci--and get your name listed right here! Plus eternal glory, obviously. UPDATE: We have a winner!
By Dan Nosowitz Posted 10.26.2012 at 2:30 pm 9 Comments

Mystery Animal: Oct. 26, 2012 BigTallGuy

So, here are the rules: To answer, follow us on Twitter and tweet at us with the hashtag #mysteryanimal. For example:

Hey @PopSci, is the #mysteryanimal a baboon?

And then I might say "if you think that's a baboon, perhaps you are the baboon!" But probably not, because this is a positive environment and all guesses are welcome and also this is not a very common animal so guess whatever you want!

The first person to get it right wins! We'll retweet the answer from @PopSci, and also update this post so your amazing animal knowledge will be permanently etched onto the internet. Show your kids! Your dumb kids who thought that was a baboon!

Update: The winner is...@PSoum, who correctly identified this animal as a bush dog! The bush dog is native to Central and South America, though it's primarily found in Brazil, where it's known, oddly, as cachorro-vinagre, or "vinegar dog." It's a basal species of canid, quite primitive--it was originally found in the fossil record and thought to be extinct--and becoming more and more rare. Its closest relative is the awkward-looking maned wolf.

9 Comments

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ashwood
10/26/12 at 2:43 pm

it's a marmoset

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anybodysguess
10/26/12 at 3:06 pm

It's a Bush Dog

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Robot
10/26/12 at 3:09 pm

anybodysguess,
I give you an A+, sir!

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bibleguy125
10/26/12 at 3:14 pm

Looks like a marten.

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anybodysguess
10/26/12 at 3:39 pm

Robot,
I almost didn't recognize you with your new non animated avatar (like the old one better), Well that was my first post, but I've been reading for over a year.
But I have to tell you what I did was use Google's new reverse image search feature where you can input an image and it will tell you what it is, just had to give it a try and it worked perfectly.

Here's the result, .ly/S141hp
Well can't post links, add "bit" before the link

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Hernberger
10/26/12 at 4:00 pm

<---- Agrees with anybodysguess' opinion on your avatar, Robot.

Also, I <3 U for disseminating the information about Google reverse image search. Revolutionized my online world.

It's a Bush dog ---> Confirmed.

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solarflare
10/28/12 at 4:43 pm

hmmm...it looks like a bear but is about the same size of a pig...Bear-Man-Pig!!!! I won

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Robot
10/29/12 at 8:05 am

Can I own one legally in the USA, just curious?

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Robot
10/29/12 at 10:02 pm

He is getting cuter every day I see this blog.
I so WANT ONE!



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