Chupacabra

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What is a Chupacabra?

The Chupacabra is a vampiric monster whose hunting range covers Central America and spills into North America and South America. Although he can devastate ranches and farms, there’s one good thing about him: he doesn’t hunt humans.

Characteristics

Physical Description

The Chupacabra is perhaps one of folklore’s most ugly monsters. Sometimes described as reptilian and sometimes described as dog-like, it has mottled grey-green skin, a hunched body, and a long bald tail. Although it can be as large as a bear, it looks shrunken and its bones are clearly visible. The spikes running down its spine and its eyes that glow like red coals make it terrifying, as well as grotesque.

Personality

The Chupacabra is a bloodthirsty creature, and it’s clearly not afraid of humans, since it has raided livestock from hundreds of farms. There’s nothing gentle about this night demon, but luckily, it doesn’t have a taste for human blood.

Cultural Representation

History

The first Chupacabra (or “goat sucker”) was reported in 1995, by a Puerto Rican woman who claimed that a bipedal, alien-like creature had drained the blood from over 150 farm animals in her small town. The story caught on quickly. Over the next five years, Chupacabras were widely reported in Puerto Rico, Chile, Nicarauga, Mexico, Brazil, and Florida.

By 2000, the monster’s appearance had transformed from a bipedal alien into a deformed canine, but its killing streak didn’t let up. To this day, it is still blamed for slaughtering livestock all over Central and South America.

Sightings

In the first year of the Chupacabra’s legend alone, over 200 sightings of the monster were reported. In total, thousands of reports have come in. Some claims have come with video evidence, carcasses, and even live Chupacabra specimens—although all of these have been dismissed by scientists.

Explanations

People who believe in the Chupacabra have offered a number of explanations for its sudden appearance in 1995.

The most popular theory holds that the United States government has a secret, military program in Puerto Rico, where they are creating genetically mutated predators to be used in biological warfare. Other theorists believe that the Chupacabra is an alien creature, perhaps a pet released by a more intelligent group of aliens who are based in Puerto Rico. Still others believe that the Chupacabra was brought to life by a Satanic group practicing witchcraft.

By submitting “Chupacabra” carcasses to genetic testing, zoologists have come up with a different explanation for the monster. Almost all Chupacabras have been revealed to be dogs or coyotes afflicted by parasitic mange, a disease that causes them to lose their fur and grow so weak that they might turn to attacking livestock rather than hunting for wild prey.

Animal behavior experts have also explained the Chupacabra’s characteristic hunting method: biting victims in the neck with a pair of circular fangs, draining their blood, and leaving the rest of the body untouched. Experts state that dogs, coyotes, and wolves do attack their victims by the neck, and their large canine teeth can leave markings that look like vampire fangs. As for leaving the body untouched, experts explain that it’s not uncommon for wild canines to kill livestock without eating it, especially if they are weak or humans are nearby. They might bite the animal in the neck, only to flee when the animal fights back or when humans respond to the noise. The animal would then die from bleeding into the dirt.

Exotic animals, like sun bears and even one kangaroo, who escape from black market collections have also been mistaken for Chupacabras.

Chupacabra