Ringdocus

Ringdocus is the name given to an unidentified animal shot by Israel A. Hutchins, a Mormon settler in Montana in 1886. Hutchins had it stuffed by a local taxidermist, Joseph Sherwood, who put it on display at his general store near Henry's Lake, Idaho until the 1980s when it mysteriously disappeared. DNA testing has never been conducted on the animal, but there are photographs of it. It is thought by some to be a Shunka Warakin, an extinct wolf the Ute Indians believed existed until the 1800s. Others believe it may have been some kind of boar or possibly a species of dire wolf that may have avoided extinction until the 1800s. Descriptions of the animal were submited to the Smithsonian Institution, where it was given the scientific name "Guyasticutus" (Rocky Mountain Hyena).

Several scientific groups and media personalities have expressed interest in conducting DNA tests on the animal if it can ever be found. [cite web | title=Talk Radio host who would like information on the location of Ringdocus | url=http://www.stevenrinehart.com] In 2006, it was rumored to be in a private collection in the Yellowstone area.

In 2007, Jack Kirby, grandson of the man who shot the animal, tracked it down to the Idaho Museum of Natural History in Pocatello. The specimen was displayed in the Madison Valley History Museum when it reopened in May 2007. [cite web | title=Local Lewspaper Article | url=http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2007/11/15/news/000monster.txt]

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