Mystery creature bites, claws family's SUV... Options

[tugboatwa]

http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/storie...k.97e48e12.html

Mystery creature bites, claws family's SUV

By MARIO ROLDAN / NewsChannel 36 - E-mail Mario: MRoldan@WCNC.com

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. -- A mysterious creature leaves its mark, ripping a vehicle to pieces.

"Oh man," exclaimed 8-year-old RJ Gilliam. "I saw the car. I was like, 'What in the world happened?'"

Scratches, bite marks and holes -- that's the surprise the Gilliam family of Lincoln County found in their driveway on Sunday.

"I didn't hear anything," said SUV owner Holly Gilliam. "That scares me, too. Why didn't I hear something?"

The unknown creature destroyed the brakes.

"You know where you can get spotlights, there's big giant holes where it ripped them out," said RJ.

Whatever damaged the 2004 Saturn Vue ripped through fiberglass and caused thousands of dollars in damage.

"I can't see somebody's pet doing that," said RJ's mother.

"Maybe a bobcat or a coyote," the 8-year-old offered as possibilities.

Experts couldn't say for sure what caused the damage.

"They came out and said they'd never seen anything like it and took pictures," said Holly Gilliam.

Whatever it was, it has paws. It left its muddy prints on the hood, no bigger than tennis balls.

"I would have never thought anything could do that," said RJ. "And if it did that to the car, what could it do to me? I'm going to be in the lookout to see if anything is coming at me."

More pictures of the damage available at the link above.

[lookinginmichiga...]

Lizard Man strikes again....???

Whatever it was, it has paws. It left its muddy prints on the hood, no bigger than tennis b*lls.

Doesn't fit it in with a "Bigfoot" does it?
And I'm sure someone took the time to look for potential samples left behind...
They could then forward to MQ for testing!

This post has been edited by lookinginmichigan: Apr 6 2009, 07:20 AM

[eldonkey]

Could a bear have done this?

[Spazmo]

There was probably a critter in the engine compartment...

[Firefly]

That same kind of thing happened to my Mom's neighbor....a pit bull did major surgery on their car trying to get to a cat that was hidden up inside. The insurance company totaled the vehicle due to all the damage.

[bipedalist]

Good G*d, I second pit bull damage. Totaled huh? Pitty the poor creature that was on the receiving end of that barrage.

[NoxieMr]

Wasn't it also N Carolina where MQ featured a vehicle that was damaged similarly? Copycat?
Was she recently divorced? KIDDING

[bipedalist]

south carolina pee dee, lizardman or Bigfoot take your pick

This post has been edited by bipedalist: Apr 6 2009, 05:11 PM

[bigfootnis]

I about had to change pants about 20 years ago when a rat ran out of a pick up truck when I opened the hood to change the oil. My guess is that it was an animal getting at another animal in the inside of the vehicle. I think spasmo hit it on the head.

[CrimsonGoblin]

If they have pictures of paw prints that should answer the mystery in a hurry.

[rockinkt]

Has anybody questioned this suspect?




That I dug my key into the side of his Pretty little souped up four wheel drive
Carved my name into his leather seat
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights
Slashed a hole in all four tires
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats

[CrimsonGoblin]

LOL...good one

[moregon]

If you follow the link above, you can watch a video that shows the "Paw Prints". Here's a screen capture of the frame that shows them, remember about tennis ball size. I can't make out much definition to see separate pads, but it appears too round for a dog's paw. That's IF each of those smudges are a complete print. If each smudge is a pad, then what would have pads that far apart?




Statement by US Fish and Wildlife Service in regards to cougars in North Caroline, where this incident occurred.

Distribution and Range: Sightings of large cats have been reported in many areas of North Carolina. However, most of these reports are unconfirmed as cougars, and none have been the eastern subspecies. The eastern cougar is considered by many to be extirpated from North Carolina.

http://www.fws.gov/nc-es/mammal/cougar.html

I also agree whatever did it was most likely after something hiding in the engine compartment or in the grill area, probably someone's pet cat.



This post has been edited by moregon: Apr 6 2009, 09:29 PM

[wickie]

I'd like to see this thing chew through a 73 Buick, now that would be cool!

[Drew]

http://www.derekandjenniferwed.com/myblog/...20vue%20001.JPG

It looks like there was a light there on the 2004 VUE, so it didn't actually eat the hole to that size, it ripped the light out and chewed the fiberglass up, but it didn't creat the huge hole in the bumper. Also, in the top pic of this thread, it looks like the other side is screwed up in the same place. Kinda weird.

[vilnoori]

Looks like porcupine tracks to me. They are powerful gnawers.

[Theresa]

Last summer, my former boss adopted a couple of stray dogs that wandered up to her house........a pit-bull mix and a Great Dane. About a month later, she got a call from the neighbor lady's son one morning stating that the dogs had been down there during the night killing all the cats and had destroyed the front clip, sheet metal and all, of this lady's van. It ended up costing her a lot of money and the dogs had to be put down..........but the photos of the damage look a lot like this. Also, last week on the news in OKC, Oklahoma, there was a report of a woman who's automobile was being chewed up by an unknown critter.........turns out it was a very large raccoon!! I had no idea they would do this!!

[hopeful]

Looks like porcupine tracks to me. They are powerful gnawers.

Good call, Vil. It does look like the textured pad of a porcupine foot could produce a track like that.

[BuckSquatch]

They all sound feasible but I keep going back to what looks like claw rip marks in the metal. I know they dont make vehicles like they used to, but weak enough for an animals claws to tear through the metal?

[RedRatSnake]

Hi

Metal left the building many yrs ago as a front bumper or in most panels on cars found these days, It's all Fiberglass, Plastic, Urethane, Composite, And what ever the company's want to call there flexible energy absorbing material.

Peace
Tim

[Just_reading_pos...]

Ummm since when are there any porcupines in North Carolina, first the coyotes take over, then the bears and the wild hogs what's next bigfoot? I'm not saying it couldn't be an escaped pet but someone would have probably seen it by now, they aren't exactly fast or elusive.

[missouriguy]

Agree totally with the idea of one animal making a hell of an effort to get at another animal. That must be one hungry son of a gun to have leveled that much distruction. That or he hates SUV's.

[billgreen2005big...]

hey researchers good afternoon wow very interesting new thread & comments about this new article about mystery creature. thanks bill

[vilnoori]

Ummm since when are there any porcupines in North Carolina, first the coyotes take over, then the bears and the wild hogs what's next bigfoot? I'm not saying it couldn't be an escaped pet but someone would have probably seen it by now, they aren't exactly fast or elusive.

Really? You don't have porcupines there? Apparently they're living in Western North America from Alaska clear down to Mexico, and even Texas has them. Forgive me for my ingnorance, I'm a Canadian. lol

[rockinkt]

It was a very good ID attempt on the purported tracks though Vilnoori...IMHO.

[NoxieMr]

Yeah, one big circular pad resembles the print. I'm ignorant too. I assumed common critters like porcupines, possums, 'coons and squirrels could be found throughought just about all the nondesert US. Guess not

[vilnoori]

"iNgnorance." Sheesh. I'm really swift today...must be all this unaccustomed sunshine and vitamin D. Not used to it, it's going straight to my head. lol

[hopeful]

Don't leave me out! I'm porcupine-ingnorant myself!

North Carolina does look a little too far south, however, if they are in Pennsylvania, as stated in the article linked below, then NC may not be that far of a stretch.

http://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/porcupine.htm#2

The common porcupine can be found in most of Canada and the western United States south to Mexico. In the eastern United States, it can be found in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and New England.

[bipedalist]

r.........turns out it was a very large raccoon!! I had no idea they would do this!!

Rabies could probably make you do most anything, but it probably wouldn't have been a very coordinated attack by a rabid raccoon, seems like it would
have had to take three rabid raccoons to pull that off.

[Just_reading_pos...]

Well they would probaby have had to cross through VA before they got into NC and I have never seen or heard of them. I totally understand the assumption they are very common in most of North America.

[vilnoori]

Hmmm...are you sure there's no porcupines in that area? Look at this:

Like other herbivores with sodium-poor diets, porcupines require massive salt supplements to maintain the intercellular chemical balance necessary for proper nerve and muscle function. They'll swim backcountry lakes in pursuit of the yellow water lily, a sodium-rich plant fancied by moose. They'll also chew on sweat-impregnated hiking boots, wooden axe handles, and canoe paddles, as well as outhouses and sheds made from plywood that contains salty glues and fungicides. The salt-encrusted underbodies of cars also invite a good licking.

http://www.backpacker.com/june_1995_featur...cles/146?page=2

Ah, here is a little kid's alleged porcupine sighting report in NC:

One Day

by Victoria Hilhorst

OLPH Catholic School, third grade

One day I was in my bedroom getting ready for school. Our school is a red schoolhouse with one classroom. It is faraway. I put a handful of raisins, peanuts and seeds in a bag, got my notebook and left.

On my way there I saw a porcupine, and yikes were his quills long. His quills were sticking everywhere, even on trees. Soon I was at school where we were taught about the messiah and his mission.

In the afternoon I took highway 95 over a hillside to get home. When I went inside I did my homework.

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/con...c=7&cxcat=7

[hopeful]

...On my way there I saw a porcupine, and yikes were his quills long. His quills were sticking everywhere, even on trees. [And he was eating a car.] ...

Well, that settles it then. There are automobile-eating porcupines in NC!

[Just_reading_pos...]

Oh that report did it for me . One report of a porcupine in several hundred years of history in NC, especially one who's quills were even sticking in trees. Yes I am pretty sure we don't have them, as in I have seen them at the Zoo in NC but no where else.