“What is this animal?!” asked Reddit user u/lunaapollo on the r/animalid posting board. The board is dedicated to helping people identify various species that initially go unrecognized.

Find the image that was posted embedded below and see if you can recognize what species it is, said to be spotted in Northern Colorado. Then, keep scrolling for a quick analysis and a likely answer.

At first glance, the mysterious animal’s lack of tail and the shape of its snout makes the animal appear to be some sort of wild hog, but that’s probably not the case. After all, Colorado became the first US state to effectively eradicate invasive feral swine in 2018 after a 15-year effort to do so.

By zooming in, the animals ears become more apparent and suddenly, it looks a lot more like a canine than some sort of swine.

The most likely answer is that the animal is a coyote suffering from a condition called mange, with coyotes known to be present in this part of the state. Mange occurs in coyotes due to a mite that burrows into the skin. While most healthy animals won’t succumb to mange, it can result in death, along with severe itching, hair loss, and scabs and ulcers. Secondary infections to due open wounds caused by scratching can also be problematic and can result in death. This likely explains the animal’s odd coloring and its scraggly tail, both of which can be seen in the image posted to Reddit.

Animals that are noticed with mange can be reported to local Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices, but according to CPW, treatment often requires long-term therapy that isn’t possible for many free-range species. It’s also worth noting that many healthy animals can recover from mange naturally, though they may appear unsightly in the meantime.

This image provides another example of why it’s crucial to not feed wild animals or make food accessible. Shared spaces and social environments, like a feeding point, is often how mange, along with other conditions and diseases, gets transferred between members of a species. This is also another example of why it’s important to keep pets on leash and away from wildlife, as mange can transfer from a coyote to a pet or human.

View the full post on Reddit here.