Mystery Beast in Minnesota Woods Leaves Experts Mystified

What appears to be a wolf-dog hybrid has been discovered wandering around the woods of northern Minnesota ... and experts can't make heads or tails of the mysterious beast!

The wild find occurred after the Voyageurs Wolf Project -- a University of Minnesota research group -- captured footage of the animal, which looks super cool, roaming around a trail.

And now, a debate has ensued as to what exactly this apparent wolf-pooch might be ... and how the heck this happened!

And this ain't no hoax ... the mystery beast -- again, super cool looking! -- has been spotted nearly a dozen times in the area since late March, per the group, which posted the vids and info to social media.

Making the situation even more curious ... the mystery beast was seen on multiple occasions hanging with wolves!

While the experts hash it out ... they note whatever it is may look super cute and sweet ... but it is still a wild animal with some dangerous pals -- so best to just enjoy it via video footage.