What was creature with giant black eye in grainy trail photo from North Carolina?

A state-backed camera trap program in North Carolina captured a photo of something with alien-looking eyes, and it didn’t take long for someone to suggest it was a monster of some kind.

Taken in the dark, the strange photo features only a fraction of something’s face, including a very large, haunting black eye staring straight into the camera.

“What animal can be seen in the photo below?” N.C. Candid Critters posted with the photo,

The guesses ranged from a demon to a chupacabra, the mythical half dog, half vampire known to suck the blood from other animals — and people.

N.C. Candid Critters didn’t say where the photo was taken, but the time stamp is 4:46 a.m.

Wildlife experts with the program believe the creature was just a deer that had its features distorted because it was so close to the lens.

The camera trap program has a history of posting strange photos on its Facebook page, a few of which have caught animals running in terror and predators killing and dragging away their prey.

In some instances, experts believe mysterious things photographed by Candid Critters were commonly known animals that were suffering from diseases or disabilities, such as mange.

The program got national attention in June when it posted another grainy photo of an black-eyed animal that some insisted was an alien caught in the act of studying the camera.

Candid Critters says it was “a house cat, looking up close and personal at one of our trail cameras.” How they know that wasn’t made clear, but such mysteries are often solved by looking for an animal that appeared in front of the camera just before or after the photo was taken.

The program’s mission is to uncover little-known details about the distribution of mammals in the state, including the spread of invasive species like coyotes and armadillos. It has cameras deployed on private and public land in all 100 counties, each one set off by motion sensors.

This story was originally published December 20, 2019 at 7:42 AM with the headline "What was creature with giant black eye in grainy trail photo from North Carolina?."