CEPHUS

This is a curious beast, brought out of Ethiopia by Pliny, according to the zoologist Pliny.  It looked like a fox, its forefeet resembled human hands and its back legs, including feet, resembled a human's. I cannot begin to guess what it was like, but a specimen was apparently produced by Pompey the Great.  My surmise is that it was simply some kind of of canid with deformed legs.  When we speak of Ethiopia, we have to bear in mind that Roman geographers used the term somewhat loosely.

Pliny