Friday

Myth or Animal: The Chupacabra

From Maine to South America the chupacabra, it is said, has been seen. Russia is also home to a supposed chupacabra encounter. Although eyewitness reports are found in many different places, Puerto Rico is the place where the chupacabra legend originated. This occured in 1987. The eyewitness reports date back to 1990.

Chupacabra means "goat sucker" in Spanish. This creature gets its name from the fact that it is credited with killing pets as well as livestock not by eating them but by draining their blood.

Chickens, horses, goats, sheep, and pets are some of the usual prey of the chupacabra, according to those who believe in the creature. In these cases, the blood of the animal was drunk. More startling is that organs, in some cases, had been taken out of the victim.

The physical description of the chupacabra suggests that is a mixture of a dog-like species, a rodent-like species, and a lizard-like species. Said to be the equivalent of a small bear in size, the chupacabra supposedly has skin that, in color, is a combination of blue green and gray. It is said to have massive claws and fangs. It is said that in the same way a dog's eyes glow blue in the dark, if a light is shone on them, a chupacabra's glow red. Some of the biggest chupacabras are said to be three to four feet high and capable of jumping twenty feet at once. Their movement is described as being similar to a kangaroo's. They hiss and squeal if frightened and leave behind an unfriendly odor.

Most reputable scientists dismiss the chupacabra as an urban legend. On occasion an animal that loosely fits the description of a chupacabra is found in a trap or by the road. However, most of these have been found to be dogs suffering from mange or another unknown species of animal.

Does it seem possible to you that an animal such as a chupacabra could, in fact, exist?

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