Shunka Warakin
Encyclopedia
The Shunka Warakin is an animal mentioned in American
folklore
that is said to resemble a wolf
, a hyena
, or both. According to cryptozoologist
Loren Coleman
, shunka warak'in is an Ioway term meaning "carries off dogs." Coleman suggested that the creature was some animal unknown to modern sources.
An animal shot in 1886 by Israel Ammon Hutchins on what is now the Sun Ranch in Montana
has been suggested by Coleman as an example of this mysterious creature. Joseph Sherwood, a taxidermist, acquired it from Hutchins, mounted it and put it on display in his combination general store-museum in Henry's Lake, Idaho
. Sherwood named the beast "Ringdocus
". This stuffed
trophy, the only piece of physical evidence, was never examined by qualified scientists and went missing for some time, before it was rediscovered in December 2007.
Cryptozoologists suggest that the Native American folklore can be explained by prehistoric mammal
s such as hyaenodon
s, dire wolves
, members of the subfamily Borophaginae
(hyena-like dogs
), or Chasmaporthetes
(the only true American hyena).
Others suggest more mundane explanations. For example, between December 2005 through November 2006, an unusual-looking wolf killed 36 sheep (and injuring 71 more) in McCone and surrounding counties in Montana. It was shot on November 2, 2006, in Garfield County, Montana, after killing a grand total of 120 sheep. Initially, Montana wildlife officials were unable to identify the 106-pound, reddish-yellow animal. Loren Coleman
suggested it was a Shunka Warakin, but it has since been identified by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department as a four year old male wolf with unusually red colored fur.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
that is said to resemble a wolf
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
, a hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
, or both. According to cryptozoologist
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is an author of books on a number of topics, including cryptozoology, who was born in 1947 in Norfolk, Virginia and grew up in Decatur, Illinois.-Education:...
, shunka warak'in is an Ioway term meaning "carries off dogs." Coleman suggested that the creature was some animal unknown to modern sources.
An animal shot in 1886 by Israel Ammon Hutchins on what is now the Sun Ranch in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
has been suggested by Coleman as an example of this mysterious creature. Joseph Sherwood, a taxidermist, acquired it from Hutchins, mounted it and put it on display in his combination general store-museum in Henry's Lake, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. Sherwood named the beast "Ringdocus
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...
". This stuffed
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
trophy, the only piece of physical evidence, was never examined by qualified scientists and went missing for some time, before it was rediscovered in December 2007.
Possibilities
Prehistoric mammal
Prehistoric mammals are groups of mammals that lived before humans developed writing. 164 million years ago, in the Jurassic period, Castorocauda lutrasimilis, a mammal-like animal weighing about 500 grams , had a full mammalian pelt, with guard hairs and under fur, webbed feet, and scales on the...
s such as hyaenodon
Hyaenodon
Hyaenodon is an extinct genus of Hyaenodonts, a group of carnivorous creodonts of the family Hyaenodontidae endemic to all continents except South America, Australia and Antarctica, living from 42—15.9 mya, existing for approximately .-Morphology:Some species of this genus were amongst the largest...
s, dire wolves
Dire Wolf
The Dire Wolf, Canis dirus, is an extinct carnivorous mammal of the genus Canis, and was most common in North America and South America from the Irvingtonian stage to the Rancholabrean stage of the Pleistocene epoch living 1.80 Ma – 10,000 years ago, existing for approximately .- Relationships...
, members of the subfamily Borophaginae
Borophaginae
The subfamily Borophaginae is an extinct group of canids called "bone crushing dogs" that were endemic to North America during the Oligocene to Pliocene and lived roughly 36—2.5 million years ago and existing for approximately .-Origin:...
(hyena-like dogs
Canidae
Canidae is the biological family of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that includes wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, and domestic dogs. A member of this family is called a canid . The Canidae family is divided into two tribes: Canini and Vulpini...
), or Chasmaporthetes
Chasmaporthetes
Chasmaporthetes, also known as Hunting or Running Hyena, is an extinct genus of hyena endemic to North America, Africa, and Asia during the Pliocene-Pleistocene epochs, living from 4.9 mya—780,000 years ago, existing for approximately . The genus probably arose from Eurasian Miocene hyenas such as...
(the only true American hyena).
Others suggest more mundane explanations. For example, between December 2005 through November 2006, an unusual-looking wolf killed 36 sheep (and injuring 71 more) in McCone and surrounding counties in Montana. It was shot on November 2, 2006, in Garfield County, Montana, after killing a grand total of 120 sheep. Initially, Montana wildlife officials were unable to identify the 106-pound, reddish-yellow animal. Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is an author of books on a number of topics, including cryptozoology, who was born in 1947 in Norfolk, Virginia and grew up in Decatur, Illinois.-Education:...
suggested it was a Shunka Warakin, but it has since been identified by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department as a four year old male wolf with unusually red colored fur.