Chupacabra (also chupacabras /tʃupa'kabɾas/, from Spanish chupar: to suck, cabra: goat; goats sucker) is a cryptid said to inhabit parts of the Americas. It is associated with the ancient myth of the chimera or griffin, and more recently with alleged sightings of an unknown animal in Puerto Rico (where these sightings were first reported), Mexico, and the United States, especially in the latter's Latin American communities. The name translates literally from the Spanish as "goat sucker." It comes from the creature's reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock, especially goats. Physical descriptions of the creature vary. Eyewitness sightings have been claimed as early as 1990 in Puerto Rico, and have since been reported as far north as Maine, and as far south as Chile. Mainstream scientists and experts generally hypothesize that the chupacabra is an ordinary, though perhaps unknown, species of canid, a legendary creature, or a type of urban legend.^[1] It is supposedly a heavy creature, the size of a small bear, with a row of spines reaching from the neck to the base of the tail. Chupacabra may refer to: Chupacabra, a legendary blood-sucking cryptid El Chupacabra (album), an album by heavy metal band SOiL Chupacabras (race), an annual bicycle race in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico Category: ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (562x1151, 235 KB) Representación grafica de un Chupacabras, dibujado por usuario LeCire para su uso en la Wikipedia. ... Cryptids are creatures presumed extinct, hypothetical species, or creatures known from anecdotal evidence and/or other evidence insufficient to prove their existence with scientific certainty. ... “Green people” redirects here. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Cryptids are creatures presumed extinct, hypothetical species, or creatures known from anecdotal evidence and/or other evidence insufficient to prove their existence with scientific certainty. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World consisting of the continents of North America[1] and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... Look up chimera, Chimaera in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Griffin (disambiguation). ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Species See Species and subspecies The goat is a mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Genera Alopex Atelocynus Canis Cerdocyon Chrysocyon Cuon Dusicyon Fennecus Lycalopex Lycaon Nyctereutes Otocyon Pseudalopex Speothos Urocyon Vulpes Canidae is the family of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals commonly known as canines. ... A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature (often known as fabulous creatures in historical literature). ... An urban legend or urban myth is similar to a modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. ...

History

The first known attacks attributed to Denise Padilla occurred in March of 1995, in the island of Puerto Rico.^[2] In this attack eight sheep were discovered dead. The bodies presented three puncture wounds in the chest area and were completely drained of blood.^[2] 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.^[3] 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 had their bodies bled dry through a series of small circular incisions. Puerto Rican comedian and entrepreneur Silverio Pérez is credited with coining the term "chupacabras" soon after the first incidents were reported in the press.^[4] Shortly after the deaths in Puerto Rico, other animal deaths were reported in other countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Peru, Brazil, the United States and Mexico.^[2] Moca is a northwest municipality of Puerto Rico known as La Capital del Mundillo (The capital of lace) it was founded by Don José de Quiñónez on April 7, 1772. ... Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an archetype. ... This article does not discuss cult in its original meaning. ... Silverio Pérez (born July 18, 1948) is a Puerto Rican known TV figure with a taste for Puerto Rican music, having at his name some known compositions like the Danza dedicated to the island of Vieques:Isla Nena and many others. ...

Reported sightings

In July 2004, a rancher near San Antonio killed a hairless dog-like creature, which was attacking his livestock.^[5] This creature is now known as the Elmendorf Beast. It was later determined by DNA assay conducted at UC Davis to be a coyote, and identified by Texas zoologist as a coyote with demodectic or sarcoptic mange. In October 2004, two animals said to resemble the Elmendorf Creature were supposedly observed in the same area. The first was dead, and a local zoologist who was called to identify the animal noticed the second while she was traveling to the location where the first was found. Specimens of the dead animals were studied by biologists in Texas, who found that the creatures were coyotes suffering from very severe cases of mange.^[6] In Coleman, Texas, a farmer named Reggie Lagow caught an animal in a trap he set up after the deaths of a number of his chickens and turkeys. The supposed animal was described as a mix between a hairless dog, a rat and a kangaroo. The animal was provided to Texas Parks and Wildlife in order to determine what species it belonged to, but Lagow reported in a September 17th, 2006, phone interview with John Adolfi, founder of the Lost World Museum, that the "critter was caught on a Tuesday and thrown out in Thursday's trash."^[7] Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Bexar County Government  - Mayor Phil Hardberger Area  - City  412. ... The Elmendorf Beast is the name given to a coyote killed in South Texas, which upon first examination was thought to be an unknown creature. ... For other uses, see Coyote (disambiguation). ... Mange (from Middle English manjeue, from Old French manjue, from mangier, meaning to eat)[1] is a parasitic infestation of the skin of animals. ... Coleman is a city located in Coleman County, Texas. ...

In April of 2006, MosNews reported that the chupacabra was spotted in Russia for the first time. Reports from Central Russia beginning in March 2005 tell of a beast that kills animals and sucks out their blood. Thirty-two turkeys were killed and drained overnight. Reports later came from neighboring villages when 30 sheep were killed and had their blood drained. Finally eyewitnesses were able to describe the chupacabra. In May of 2006, experts were determined to track the animal down.^[8]

In mid-August 2006 Michelle O'Donnell of Turner, Maine, described an "evil looking" rodent-like creature with fangs that had been found dead alongside a road. The mystery beast was apparently struck by a car, and was otherwise unidentifiable. Photographs were taken and witness reports seem to be in relative agreement that the creature was canine in appearance, but unlike any dog or wolf in the area. The carcass was picked clean by vultures before experts could examine it. For years, residents of Maine have reported a mysterious creature and a string of dog maulings.^[9] Turner is a town located in Androscoggin County, Maine. ...

In May 2007, a series of reports on national Colombia news reported more than 300 dead sheep in the region of Boyaca, and the capture of a possible specimen to be analysed by zoologists at Universidad Nacional of Colombia.^[10] Boyac is a department of Colombia, one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. Boyac is centrally located within Colombia, almost entirely within the mountains of Eastern Cordillera, although the western end of the department extends to the Magdalena River at the town of Puerto Boyac . ... Fine Arts Building at National University Campus of Colombia, Bogotá, D.C. The Universidad Nacional de Colombia (National University of Colombia) is the main university of Colombia and is a public educational institution. ...

In August 2007, Phylis Canion claimed to have found three of the animals on ranches in Cuero, Texas. She and her neighbors purported to have discovered three strange animal corpses outside Canion's property in Cuero, Texas; she took photographs of the corpses and preserved the head of one in her freezer before turning it over for DNA analysis.^[11] Canion reported that nearly 30 chickens on her farm had been exsanguinated over a period of years, a factor which led to her connection of the corpses with the chupacabra of legend. The animal in Canion's pictures, as well as her freezer, was assumed to be a grey fox suffering from an extreme case of mange by state mammaligist John Young. Results of the DNA tests are pending. ^[12] Cuero is a city located in DeWitt County, Texas. ... Exsanguination (also known colloquially as bleeding out) is the fatal process of total blood loss. ... Mange (from Middle English manjeue, from Old French manjue, from mangier, meaning to eat)[1] is a parasitic infestation of the skin of animals. ...

Appearance

The most common description of Chupacabra is a reptile-like being, appearing to have leathery or scaly greenish-gray skin and sharp spines or quills running down its back.^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[14] When it screeches, some reports note that the chupacabra's eyes glow an unusual red, then give the witnesses nausea. For some witnesses, it was seen with bat-like wings.^[15] Reptilia redirects here. ... This article is about the animal. ... A forked tongue is a tongue split into two distinct ends at the tip. ...

Another description of Chupacabra, although not as common, is described as a strange breed of wild dog.^[14] This form is mostly hairless, has a pronounced spinal ridge, unusually pronounced eye sockets, fangs, and claws. It is claimed that this breed might be an example of a dog-like reptile. The corpse of an animal found in Leon, Nicaragua, and forensically analyzed at UNAN-Leon is claimed as a specimen of this genus. Pathologists at the University found that it was an unusual looking dog-like creature of a unknown species.^[16] Unlike conventional predators, the chupacabra is said to drain all of the animal's blood (and sometimes organs) through a single hole or two holes.^[17] León is a city in Nicaragua, Central America, located at 12. ...

In popular culture

The popularity of the chupacabras has resulted in it being featured in several types of merchandise. Some mystery novels that use aspects of the myth as the centerpoint of the plot have been published.^[18] Other kinds of book include those that provide a scientific explanation for the phenomena and fairy tales.^[19][20] The Chupacabras has also been featured in films such as Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico and in independent productions including "El Chupacabras" and" Vuelve el Chupacabras". The Chupacabras has been featured in television programs including The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The X-files and The Venture Bros. Ed Lavandera reporter of CNN, has described the Chupacabras as the "Bigfoot of Latino Culture" and has stated that "El Chupacabras also symbolizes the fear of something that doesn't exist".^[21] Following the incident in Cuero, Texas the popularity of the Chupacabras myth was receiving global attention.^[22] Phylis Clayton who was responsible for capturing the alleged specimen claimed that t-shirts highlighting the event were shipped to countries such as Italy, Guam and Iraq . The publicity that Cuero received following this event has led to some suggesting changing the town's mascot.^[22] Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico is the seventh Scooby-Doo direct-to-video animated film. ... The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (Sometimes shortened as Billy & Mandy or Grim Adventures), created by Maxwell Atoms, is an American animated television series aired on Cartoon Network. ... The X-Files is a Peabody- and Emmy Award-winning science fiction television series created by Chris Carter, which first aired on September 10, 1993, and ended on May 19, 2002. ... The Venture Bros. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... It has been suggested that Evidence regarding Bigfoot be merged into this article or section. ...

See also

• Fauna of Puerto Rico
• Cryptozoology

Image File history File links Portal. ... A Common Coquí (Eleutherodactylus coqui), arguably the most recognizable species of Puerto Ricos fauna The fauna of Puerto Rico is similar to other island archipelago faunas, with high endemism, and low, skewed taxonomic diversity. ... Cryptozoology (from Greek: κρυπτός, kryptós, hidden; ζῷον, zôon, animal; and λόγος, logos, knowledge or study – zoology) is the search for animals hypothesized to exist, but for which conclusive proof is missing. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ...

External links

• Alleged video footage of a Chupacabra
• Cryptozoology - Skeptic World
• Alleged photographic evidence of a Chupacabra
• News report and photo of alleged Chupacabra
• Alleged chupacabra likely a "Xolo dog"; story a hoax