Get the Facts on Chupacabras

Just What is It?

The chupacabra is a cryptid legend that has been rumored to reside in parts of the americas. Almost all of the sightings have been in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the United States region. The chupacabra gets its name from the spanish words “chupar”, which means to suck, and “cabra,” which means goat; so the literal translation of chupacabra is “goat-sucker” in the spanish language. Even though many officials claim the chupacabra is just a legend, sightings have ranged from Chile to all the way north in Maine.

History

Chupacabras have been sighted as early as 1990, but the first recorded incident was in March of 1995 in Puerto Rico. The attack consisted of eight dead sheep, all having the same type of death; three punture wounds on the chest, and the blood completely drained from the body. After this first sighting, many more farm animals were found dead and drained across a span of 13 countries. In 2004, several “chupacabras” were killed and taken to a lab for tests, the tests showed that the creatures were not of an unknown species, but instead a canine of some sort, probably a coyote, with demodectic mange. In May of 2007, 300 sheep were killed and drained of blood in the region of Boyaca, the specimen are still being inspected at the Universidad Nacional of Colombia. The most recent chupacabra sighting, though, happened on August 8th 2008, where a DeWitt County deputy named Brandon Riedel filmed a cryptid animal with his dashboard camera. The animal seems to be around the size of a coyote, but hairless and with a longer snout and different limb lengths.

Physical Appearance

The wide range of appearance descriptions in chupacabra sightings is the leading reason cryptozoologists doubt the existance of chupacabras. However, a key appearance trait is common throughout most of the sightings, the unknown creature stands around 3ft in height. There are also three main sighting descriptions of the chupacabra.

Lizard-Like – This is the most common sighting appearance, the creature is claimed to have rough, leathery skin, much like that of a reptile. Sharp spines run down the back of the gray-skinned creature. They stand about 3ft high and move by a hopping motion, very similar to that of a kangaroo. They have a dog-like face and a forked toungue. They also leave a foul smell behind them.

Wallaby – This next form is that of a wallaby or dog-like animal which stands on its back legs. It hops around similar to the motion of a kangaroo, and has gray facial features.

Wild Dog – This last form is explained as a weird variation of a hairless dog. It usually has pronounced back bones, eye sockets, teeth, and claws. Enthusiasts claim that it could be the outcome of interbreeding between several wild dogs.

So whether the chupacabra is a real-living bloodsucking beast, or just a legend, it attracts enthusiasts around the world. But in order to understand the sightings of a chupacabra, you must understand the creature itself first. Thank you for reading this edition of Get the Facts.