A mystery animal has been rescued by a woman in Pennsylvania, baffling wildlife experts in the state.
The animal was found by Christina Eyth "cold and shivering" near her home in Adams County.
Eyth told NBC News that she saw some snowy paw prints outside her door and suspected her neighbor's dog may have gotten loose. She followed the tracks only to be led to the unidentified animal.
"I peeked outside the door and that's whenever I noticed the animal on my left hand side and it was so scared and so cold and shivering," Eyth told the broadcaster. "All I could think about is 'this animal needs help.'"
Eyth then lured the animal into her basement before making calls to a local wildlife rescue team.
After taking the animal in for testing, the experts at Wildlife Works were not able to determine the species of animal. They believe it is either a dog or a coyote.
While dogs are usually domesticated, coyote's tend to live in the wild.
Coyotes have sleeker coats than domesticated dogs, a flatter forehead and a more pointed snout. They also appear to have longer legs, while dogs appear to have deeper chests.
Dogs and coyotes usually have very different tracks. Coyote tracks are elongated, as they place their front and back paws in alignment when they walk. Coyotes are common throughout Pennsylvania, and populations are rising, making it difficult to estimate exactly how many there are in the state.
Wildlife Works are now running tests to find out what the mystery animal is.
Morgan Barron, a certified wildlife rehabilitator at Wildlife Works, told NBC News: "I honestly couldn't definitively say what it is. But to err on the side of caution since they can carry rabies and since it might be a coyote, we can keep it here, get genetic testing done, and then kind of go from there ... Behavior-wise, he's very timid, very scared and not aggressive at all, which makes me lean toward dog."
In an update posted to Facebook, which can be found here, Wildlife Works said it will take anywhere between two to four weeks to get the test results back.
The creature is also being tested for mange and rabies, and will be kept in isolation until results come back. "We will continue to update on his progress and let everyone know when the results come back," the post said.
No matter the results, however, Eyth said she would do the exact same thing over again.
"There was an animal in need, and I feel like I did the right thing either way," she told NBC News.
