Over the last few months I have been researching a lot of different myths and legends. Many of them were stories with which I was familiar. However, others I stumbled upon as I worked. Such is the case of the animal called chupacabra, whose name literally means “goat sucker.”
Although the creature has apparently been around for more than 50 years, it reached a peak of popularity in the mid- 90’s. Several thousand cases of deaths believed to have been caused by chupacabra have been reported in the past decade alone.
For reasons that no one seems to understand, chupacabra seems to have a definitive preference for warmer weather. Sightings have been claimed in Florida, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas as well as the countries of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and most notably Puerto Rico.
Science appears not to have a handle on chupacabra’s ancestry. In fact, many claim that it might not even be of this world or could be a hybrid creature that is part alien and part animal; the result of alien experimentation. While the alien claim may seem ridiculous at first glance, oddly enough UFO sightings have often been reported in areas where chupacabra sightings also took place.
There are, however, a lot of theories about chupacabra. Many claim it is part beast and part man, while others insist it is part man and part vampire. To believe the latter, however, one would have to subscribe to the theory that vampirism actually exists.
A few have gone so far as to suggest that chupacabra might be a previously unidentified dinosaur that somehow survived thousands of years and was reanimated by some disaster at some point in earth’s history. A few believe it is the result of government experimentation that went wrong and couldn’t be contained. That would, of course, account for the government’s denial that such a creature even exists.
Although descriptions of the creature vary from place to place, the following represents the most widely accepted version. It is described as reptilian in nature with short, stubby legs that are defined well enough to allow it to walk erect. Its estimated height is four feet or shorter. Chupacabra’s arms are also short and stubby with unusually delicate long hands that end in three talon-like claws.
The oval shaped head is overly large for its slight body. The small mouth sports fang-like teeth that protrude outside the jaw line. The tongue is unusually long and serpent like. The eyes are generally dark red or black and disturbingly haunting.
Chupacabra’s body is covered in course hair that appears dark at the outset but actually changes color according to the animal’s surrounding. A series of quills move down its back to give it unusual aerodynamics that allow it to move quickly, jump high, and appear to fly when bounding through the air at as much as 20 feet each jump.
Apparently chupacabra is a meat eater, feeding on small to medium sized animals like squirrels, foxes, chickens, and goats. Death appears to be caused by near total loss of blood through two round puncture wounds about ¼” inch in diameter. The wounds are consistent with those that could be inflicted by certain breeds of dogs or wolves.
Bites may be found in various places on the victim’s body. Those on the neck tend to enter from the back, penetrating straight through to the brain to cause instant death. However, bites are also often found on the chest and stomach. Chest bites may penetrate the heart to cause instant death. Stomach bites often penetrate the liver and appear to extract its liquid.
The remaining wound is generally quite clean and often appears to be cauterized by a naturally secreted enzyme, leaving behind little trauma to the body. Some reports, however, show that the blood remaining in the victim’s body doesn’t clot or coagulate until several days after the animal’s death.
Other reports claim that the bodies of chupacabra victims are often found with organs missing, in particular those of the reproductive system, sexual organs, and eyes. The method of extraction, however, isn’t always discernible.
Another anomaly that seems unique to chupacabra is the stench left behind by the creature. Some call it sulfuric in nature while others say it is more attuned to rotten eggs.
If you are like me, you are probably wondering how it is that these killer creatures aren’t more often spotted. Some believe that chupacabra hides in dark caves where they can’t be easily spotted. Or perhaps he simply prefers the dark. That would certainly explain why the bulk of sights have taken place at night. Only a handful of daytime sightings have ever been recorded.
Whether chupacabra is a myth or a real life creature that has been exaggerated out of proportion, I can’t begin to answer. However, it seems as though something is out there that easily fits into a set of patterns that have been attributed to this creature. Anything is possible and, often times, the possible goes bump in the night.
