basscaster

I was out at Zilker park in Austin last weekend and saw an animal I didn't recognize. If I had a camera I would have shot some pictures, but since I didn't I figured I would see if any of y'all knew what it was.

This animal looked alot like a chinchilla, but it was much larger. Actually, it was about twice as large as any of the squirrels. The head and upper torso were a peppery black color and it faded into a peppery gray color on the lower half of the body. The fur was straight and speckeled with a lighter color, either white or light brown. The tail was short and fat, much more like a chinchilla than a squirrel.

If any of y'all are familiar with Zilker, I was walking with my kids from the little train station over to Lady Bird Lake. We saw this thing just past the Barton bridge. Any ideas?