| Chupacabra |
| The chupacabra (el chupacabra) is a cryptid said to inhabit parts of North, Central, and South America. It is associated particularly with Puerto Rico (where it was first reported), Mexico, and the United States, especially in the latter's Latin American communities and Maine. The name translates literally from Spanish as "goat-sucker". It comes from the creature's reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock. Physical descriptions of the creature vary. Sightings began in Puerto Rico in the early 1990s, and have since been reported as far north as Maine, and as far south as Chile. The legend of el chupacabra began about 1992, when Puerto Rican newspapers El Vocero and El Nuevo Dia began reporting the killings of many different types of animals, such as birds, horses, and as its name implies, goats. However, it is predated by El Vampiro de Moca (The Vampire of Moca), a creature blamed for similar killings that occurred in the small town of Moca in the 1970s. While at first it was suspected that the killings were done randomly by some members of a Satanic cult, eventually these killings spread around the island, and many farms reported loss of animal life. The killings had one pattern in common: Each of the animals found dead had two punctured holes around its neck. Some reports claim the chupacabra's red eyes have the ability to hypnotize and paralyze their prey—leaving the prey animal mentally stunned, allowing the chupacabra to suck the animal's blood at its leisure. The effect is similar to the bite of the vampire bat, or of certain snakes or spiders that stun their prey with venom. Unlike conventional predators, the chupacabras sucks all the animal's blood (and sometimes organs) through a single hole or two holes. Many residents of South America have reported sightings of El Chupacabras, and although various, the descriptions share some significant likenesses. In many reports, accounts include the visible inflation of the stomach region, after the chupacabra has been feeding. The appearance of the animal changes when an internal bladder-like organ fills with the blood of its prey. Furthermore, with almost all the reported sightings witnesses have reported large protruding fangs. These fangs are suspected to be hollow and be the vehicles for the blood on which it feeds. Some cryptozoologists speculate that chupacabras are alien creatures. Chupacabras are widely described as otherworldly, and, according to one witness report, NASA may be involved with this particular alien's residency on earth. The witness reported that NASA passed through an area in Latin America, with a trailer that was thought to contain an incarcerated creature. Others speculate that the creature is an escaped pet of alien visitors that wandered off while its master was visiting Earth. Some people in the island of Puerto Rico believe that the chupacabras were a genetic experiment from some United States' government agency, which escaped from a secret laboratory in El Yunque, a mountain in the east part of the island. An alternative explanation is that the creatures are not real at all, and the sightings are a product of superstition and imagination. Excerpts Copyright (C) 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA |
Usually, chupacabras are said to appear in three specific forms:
The first and most common form is a lizard-like being, appearing to have
leathery or scaly greenish-gray skin and sharp spines or quills running down
its back. This form stands approximately 3 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 m) high, and
stands and hops in a similar fashion to a kangaroo. In at least one sighting,
the creature hopped 20 feet (6 m). This variety is said to have a dog or
panther-like nose and face, a forked tongue protruding from it, large fangs,
and to hiss and screech when alarmed, as well as leave a sulfuric stench
behind. When it screeches, some reports note that the chupacabra's eyes
glow an unusual red, then give the witnesses nausea.
The second variety bears a resemblance to a wallaby or dog standing on its
hind legs. It stands and hops as a kangaroo, and it has coarse fur with greyish
facial hair. The head is similar to a dog's, and its mouth has large teeth.
The third form is described as a strange breed of wild dog. This form is mostly
hairless, has a pronounced spinal ridge, unusually pronounced eye sockets,
teeth, and claws. This animal is said to be the result of interbreeding between
several populations of wild dogs, though enthusiasts claim that it might be an
example of a dog-like reptile. The account during the year 2001 in Nicaragua
of a chupacabra's corpse being found supports the conclusion that it is simply
a strange breed of wild dog. The alleged corpse of the animal was found in
Tolapa, Nicaragua, and forensically analyzed at UNAN-Leon. Pathologists at
the University found that it was just an unusual-looking dog. There are very
striking morphological differences between different breeds of dog, which can
easily account for the strange characteristics.
The first and most common form is a lizard-like being, appearing to have
leathery or scaly greenish-gray skin and sharp spines or quills running down
its back. This form stands approximately 3 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 m) high, and
stands and hops in a similar fashion to a kangaroo. In at least one sighting,
the creature hopped 20 feet (6 m). This variety is said to have a dog or
panther-like nose and face, a forked tongue protruding from it, large fangs,
and to hiss and screech when alarmed, as well as leave a sulfuric stench
behind. When it screeches, some reports note that the chupacabra's eyes
glow an unusual red, then give the witnesses nausea.
The second variety bears a resemblance to a wallaby or dog standing on its
hind legs. It stands and hops as a kangaroo, and it has coarse fur with greyish
facial hair. The head is similar to a dog's, and its mouth has large teeth.
The third form is described as a strange breed of wild dog. This form is mostly
hairless, has a pronounced spinal ridge, unusually pronounced eye sockets,
teeth, and claws. This animal is said to be the result of interbreeding between
several populations of wild dogs, though enthusiasts claim that it might be an
example of a dog-like reptile. The account during the year 2001 in Nicaragua
of a chupacabra's corpse being found supports the conclusion that it is simply
a strange breed of wild dog. The alleged corpse of the animal was found in
Tolapa, Nicaragua, and forensically analyzed at UNAN-Leon. Pathologists at
the University found that it was just an unusual-looking dog. There are very
striking morphological differences between different breeds of dog, which can
easily account for the strange characteristics.
Possible photographic evidence?
Enlargement of top left photo
WOAI Texas mystery Creature
| An alleged Chupacabra carcus |
| A goat victim ? |
| Don't let this one fool you, eihter, it's fake, too. |
| The hoaxed chupacabra museum photo |
The chupacabra has even been know to inspire a few places of business, too
| Seatlle, WA Copyright 2006 Premiere Radio Network |
| Seatlle, WA Copyright 2006 Premiere Radio Network |
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