A MUMMIFIED creature with human-like hands was found, leaving scientists gobsmacked as they find out what it is.
The creature, called the “Capacabra,” was found at Michigan State University while Cook-Seevers Hall was being renovated in 2018.
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Since then, it’s become a spooky mascot for the school’s Campus Archaeology Program, with some of them working to solve the mystery.
“It is roughly the size of a small cat, and it’s got a very long, skinny tail, which goes hand in hand with cat-like features,” Jerielle Cartales, a PHD student, told the Daily Mail.
“But it has very, like, almost human hands. There’s five fingers, and nails, and everything – it looks almost humanoid.”
The creature is covered with a thin layer of tissue that Cartales said felt like “old parchment paper.”
“It has its nose and its ear still, but they’re very dried out.”
Comparisons have been made to the chupacabra, a mythical, bloodsucking beast from American folklore, hence the nickname the “capacabra.”
Like its namesake, there’s so much about the creature that’s unknown, including its age, however, it can’t predate 1889, which is when the building the constructed.
“So the interesting thing is that it could have been there for a month, it could have been there for 50 years, we don’t really know,” said Cartales.
“Theoretically, I guess we could try radiocarbon dating it, but the building itself isn’t old enough for it to be worth it.”
THEORIES RUNNING AMOK
Since the creature’s discovery, there have been many theories on what it could possibly be, including one expert suggesting it could be an opossum
However, Cartales doesn’t agree.
“And so we were throwing out a bunch of ideas about what it could be,” she said.
“We were throwing out like ‘maybe it’s a dog, maybe it’s a cat,’ but raccoon didn’t even make the list.
“And now, that’s my very strong hunch.”
The mummy was X-rayed to compare its skeleton with other known species, providing a clearer picture of what it could be.
So far, a dog, a cat, and a rat were quickly ruled out as possible theories.
At first, a raccoon seemed like a possibility; however, it’s hard to be sure without a dental comparison, said Cartales.
“A raccoon has the same general cranium shape, and the same with the snout shape,” she said.
“But the osteology text doesn’t have any good images of dentition for the raccoon because their example was edentulous.
“So I’m trying to find an example of a raccoon I can use for dentition. That’s the next step.”
How the creature ended up in the building is also a mystery, with Cartales thinking it may have gone inside an air duct and got trapped.
Mummification can happen in dry environments, which is likely how the creature met its fate.
“If it was found next to an air duct, which seems to me like the most accessible point for an animal to get in from the outside, then that would be a pretty regular supply of warm, dry air, especially in the colder months.”
She added that it gets very humid in the area, but the building offered the perfect environment for mummification to take place.
For now, Cartales believes the creature is a raccoon, “I’m a scientist, I’m never going to say 100% on anything.”
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