Dr. Dolittle, you're needed . . .

Scientists are examining a mysterious animal with the head of an ox and the feet and tail of a goat discovered by peasants in central China, a Canton newspaper said.

The Yangcheng Evening News said the animal, a female, weighed more than 660 pounds and ate mainly bamboo. It was caught last month in Hubei Province, also reported to be the home of an apelike creature that lives in the mountains and resembles the so-called ''Abominable Snowman'' of the Himalayas.