What Was the Beast of Gévaudan?

On September 21, 1765, Antoine de Beauterne claimed he had killed the Beast of Gévaudan, but it was later proved to be wrong by more attacks later. An excerpt from the article:

"Between 1764 and 1767 a mysterious creature called the Beast ravaged the rural region of Gévaudan, France. About 100 men, women and children reportedly fell victim to La Bête du Gévaudan. While many French at the time presumed the Beast to be a wolf and many modern scholars agree, some have suggested that the Beast may not have been a wolf at all.

So what was it?"