In Texas, you’ll run into unique encounters with mystery animals and wildlife roaming the state. From a bobcat at a park to a “chupacabra,” here are the mystery animals and wildlife we saw in Texas in 2023.

In April, a mysterious animal was found at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in Mission, Texas. Park officials posted a blurry, night-vision photo of an animal caught on a trail camera on social media. The photo showed the animal hunched over on all fours. Texas being Texas, people in the comments jokingly claimed it was another Chupacabra sighting, the goat-sucking beast from Puerto Rican folklore that spread through Central America and the United States.

However, that wasn’t the case. 

Officials said it was very likely an American badger.

A loose peacock was found at the San Antonio Botanical Garden in May. The peacock pecked two children while at an event at the garden center. ACS said the male peacock was captured and taken to a rescue center. The peacock reportedly belonged to a resident in the neighborhood near the Botanical Garden 

Peacocks are considered an animal that lives in a state of undomesticated freedom. By that definition, peacocks would be considered prohibited from ownership in San Antonio.

Tina Kahlig spotted an animal she’d never seen before in her Hill Country Village backyard on August 15. Kahlig said she’s seen coyotes, foxes, and raccoons in her yard. However, she said the brown creature looked like a mixture of a hyena and a mountain lion.

Some of the neighbors joked it could be a “chupacabra,” which is a legendary monstrous creature that attacks animals and consumes their blood. Kahlig said others mentioned they’ve seen mountain lions in the area and bobcats. 

City officials with Hill Country Village sent the pictures to game wardens in the area, who said it could be a coyote. 

In September, surveillance footage caught wildlife enjoying the San Antonio land bridge at Phil Hardberger Park. From the photos, the land bridge has attracted a bobcat, fawns, coyotes, foxes, and more. The parks department wrote in its post, “We love to see our local animal residents utilizing the crossing bridge!”

Since opening in December 2020, plenty of wildlife has been found on the bridge. In November 2021, a “rare” species was caught on camera. It was a Ringtail Cat that had a Texas Spiny Lizard in its mouth.

A famous black bear was seen roaming Uvalde on September 29. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department captured the bear and relocated the animal to a safer and less populated area.

Black bears are found throughout North America in habitats ranging from swamps to desert scrub, according to TPWD. Black bears were once found throughout North America, mostly in forests, but also in deserts and swamps.