Chupacabra
When you find a monster that has somehow gained cultural clout and is known, even by your friends that say they don’t know anything about the paranormal, it makes you wonder why exactly it is so known. One of those monsters or cryptids or tall tales is the Chupacabra. Chupacabra literally translates in English to "goat-sucker", which already paints a pretty monstrous picture. It is part of the legend of the Americas, particularly in the Southwest of the USA, Mexico, and even as far as Puerto Rico.
One of the reasons they may be so well known is they are believed to be a more recent addition to the monster catalog. Almost all stories or references to a Chupacabra are dated no further back than the 20th century. In fact, there is strong evidence that the legend of the creature didn't gain traction until the 1970s.
The term itself, and perhaps another reason why it seems so new, is the fact that the term Chupacabra wasn't attached to this creature until 1995. Surprisingly, the term is largely attributed to Silverio Perez, a Puerto Rican comedian, who named the beast while he was on air as a radio DJ and covering a recent string of attacks.
Now that we know a little more about the history of the term, let’s dive into what this creature is and what it is purported to do.
One of the most common descriptions of the Chupacabra describes it as surprisingly canine. It was supposed to be similar to a large, vicious, hairless wild dog or coyote. However, some reports of the creature do describe it as able to stand on 2-legs and look more reptilian. From personal experience and exposure to the lore, I would say the dog-like version is a more popular description of the Chupacabra.
The reason for its name is its alleged attacks on farm animals. Similar to mutilated cattle, dozens of goats, sheep, and other domestic animals were killed, drained of their blood, and left largely un-mauled and uneaten. What kind of animal was killed for ...blood? A Chupacabra. Which, if you haven’t guessed it yet, is often compared to a vampire-like animal with a thirst for blood. There have never been tracks or a truly non-canine specimen submitted, no alleged photos/videos (even blurry ones) and the sightings of them are very rare (usually people just see the aftermath) which explains why there is some uncertainty about its appearance.
Something I find odd about Chupcabra lore is that it is often compared to Bigfoot and even called the “Southwestern Bigfoot”. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps its ubiquity? Otherwise, I don’t really see much in common between these two creatures.
One of the most popular theories as to what the Chupcabra is that it is actually a canine with rabies or severe mange that has changed its physical appearance, ability to hunt in the wild, and made the animal more visicious. All produced specimens of this creature have actually been linked back to wild dogs, domesticated dogs, coyotes, or other kind of animal either infected with the disease (or, perhaps, just a big strange looking).
This blog image has been released explicitly into the public domain by its author, Braincricket, using the Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication
Thanks to Lizzie B for the blogstonishing suggestion!