Mysterious creature savaging animals and terrorizing villagers in Northwest England

There are as many as 100 million species in the world. Of these, perhaps 2 million have been discovered, identified, and assigned a scientific name. Each year, scientists find and classify thousands more species from every kingdom and phylum.

Scientists aren't the only ones on the lookout for undiscovered species and unidentified creatures, though. Around the globe, people try to name and understand animals that are unknown, frightening, or bizarre.  Common animals or unknown species are often misidentified as monstrous and sometimes become associated with folk stories and creatures of legend and mythology. Some even attempt to track and discover "legendary" animals like the Loch Ness Monster of Scotland or the Chupacabra of Latin America; the pseudoscientific study of these "hidden" creatures is called cryptozoology.

Why am I writing about this? Because a village in Lancashire, England is apparently being terrorized by an unidentifiable creature that has come to be called the "Buckshaw Beast." From the Daily Mail:

Some say it resembles a prowling hyena, others a ferocious wolf.

While there are those who have seen the mysterious creature menacing Buckshaw Village and describe it as a terrifying cross between a wild boar and some kind of big cat.

Whatever it is, it has been blamed for mauling several deer to death, and one resident's Alsatian dogs were left quivering with fear after a particularly close encounter.

Now one intrepid villager has taken a photograph of what locals have dubbed the Buckshaw Beast, sparking a feverish online debate about what exactly it might be.

The initial consensus was that it is a wild boar forced out of the countryside by the cold weather as it strives to find food, but experts have said one would be unlikely to kill deer.

It certainly sounds frightening. My guess? That it is a boar after all - but who knows? You can read the whole article here.