Two Gévaudan dogs confronting each other in an illegal dog fight in Gévaudantown.
The Gévaudan dog (Gevaudocanis englandii) is a species of large muscular wild dog native to England. The Gévaudan dog evolved around 1,500,000 years ago from wolf-like canids in England due to the lack of competition from big cats such as leopards. Unlike most other wild dog species, the Gévaudan dog has evolved to be a solitary ambush predator with the ecological niche similar to tigers, using its strong forelimbs to tackle larger prey such as deer and goats. The Gévaudan dog is named after the former province of Gévaudan, and the Gévaudan dog was called the Beast of Gévaudan when it was thought to be a mythical creature or a cryptid, until a live Gévaudan dog was discovered in December 15, 1967. The conservation status of the Gévaudan dog is Vulnerable due to some habitat loss and minor poaching, but conservationists are working to protect this big cat-like wild dog from extinction.