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The chupacabra or '''chupacabras ''' is a creature said to inhabit parts of the Americas . It is associated particularly with Puerto Rico (where it was first reported), Mexico , and the United State s, especially in the latter's Latin American communities. The name translates literally from Spanish as " Goat -sucker." It comes from the creature's reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock. Physical descriptions of the creature vary. Sightings began in Puerto Rico in the early 1990s, and have since been reported as far north as the Carolinas, and as far south as Chile . Though some argue that the chupacabras may be a real creature, mainstream scientists and experts generally contend that the chupacabras is a Legendary Creature , or a type of Urban Legend . HISTORY The legend of ''los Chupacabras'' began in about 1992 , when Puerto Rican newspapers El Vocero and El Nuevo Dia began reporting the killings of many different types of animals, such as birds, horses, and as its name implies, goats. At the time it was known as ''El Vampiro de Moca'' since some of the first killings occurred in the small town of Moca . 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 found dead had two punctured holes around their necks. Soon after the animal deaths in Puerto Rico , other animal deaths were reported in other countries, such as the Dominican Republic , Argentina , Bolivia , Chile , Colombia , El Salvador , Panama , Peru , Brazil , the United States and, most notably, Mexico . Both in Puerto Rico and Mexico, ''el chupacabras'' gained urban legend status. Chupacabra stories began to be released several times in American and Hispanic newscasts across the United States, and chupacabra merchandise, such as t-shirts and Baseball hats, were sold. The chupacabras is generally treated as a product of Mass Hysteria , though the Animal Mutilations are sometimes real. Like many cases of such mutilations, however, it's been argued that they are often not as mysterious as they might first appear. SIGHTINGS Certain South American Rain Forest natives believe in the " Mosquito-man ", a mythical creature of their Folklore that pre-dates modern chupacabras sightings. The mosquito-man sucks the blood from animals through his long nose, like a big Mosquito . Some say mosquito-man and chupacabras are one and the same. Notable sightings in the United States include one reported by multiple eye-witnesses in Calaveras County, California , and at a recent birthday celebration of a Development Team member of a local charity in Houston , Texas . According to these reports, the creature was sighted for the first time in the early to mid 1990s, harming animals of different species. However, it is now thought that people did this themselves. In July of 2004 , a rancher near San Antonio, Texas , killed a hairless, dog-like creature which was attacking his livestock. This creature is now known as the Elmendorf Creature . It was later determined to be a Canine of some sort, most likely a Coyote , with demodectic Mange . In October of 2004, two animals which closely resemble the Elmendorf creature were observed in the same area. The first was dead, and the second was noticed by a local zoologist who was called to identify the animal while she was travelling to the location where the first was found. Specimens were studied by biologists in Texas. The creatures are thought to have been canines of undetermined species with skin problems and facial deformities. The chupacabra has often been spotted in Michigan . A recent sighting occurred in Grand Haven , when a forty-two year old man claimed he saw it suck the blood out of a cat. A famous appearance in the city of Varginha , Brazil , (the " Varginha Incident ") is sometimes attributed to the chupacabra, although cryptozoologists more frequently associate the incident with Extraterrestrial s. In 1997 , an explosion of chupacabra sightings in Brazil were reported in Brazilian newspapers. One report came from a police officer, who claimed to get a nauseous feeling when he saw a Dog -like chupacabras in a tree. Recently, there has been a surge of chupacabra sightings in the United States, specifically in the suburbs of Washington, DC, and outside of the Philadelphia area. However, controversy exists whether these Chupacabras sightings are legitimate. Some contend that this chupacabra is simply a Beagle named Sophie Peanuts. Wash. Post Philadelphia Inquirer SUPPOSED APPEARANCES Descriptions of the physical appearance of each specimen can resemble descriptions of other reports, or be completely different from other chupacabra descriptions. Differences in descriptions are too wide to be attributed to differences in the perceptions of the observers, causing cryptozoologists to speculate that chupacabra reports may in fact be attributable to several species. Although they have different appearances, chupacabra descriptions have several common traits. They are typically described as being 3 ft. (1 m) or taller, and roughly humanoid in shape. Usually, Chupacabras are said to appear in three specific forms:
Some reports claim the chupacabra's red eyes have the ability to hypnotize and paralyze their prey—leaving the prey animal mentally stunned, allowing the chupacabra to suck the animal's blood at its leisure. The effect is similar to the bite of the Vampire Bat , or of certain Snakes or Spiders that stun their prey with venom. Unlike conventional predators, the chupacabras sucks all the animal's blood (and sometimes organs) through a single hole or two holes. THEORIES The chupacabras is also a center of theories of sorts.
IN FICTION
In an issue of The Onion , an online satirical newspaper, there was a fictional article by the president of Mexico, Vincente Fox, titled, " The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is The Chupacabras ." NAMING CONVENTION The creature is known as both "chupacabras" and "chupacabra" throughout the Americas, with the former probably being the original word, and the latter a better regularization of it. The name can be preceded by the masculine definite article ("el chupacabras"), which means "the goat-sucker" in Spanish . The term was supposedly coined by Puerto Rican television personality Silverio Pérez , who intended the name to be a joke, although the word had already been used in Michael Crichton 's 1990 novel Jurassic Park , so it seems likely that there is an earlier origin. HOAXED CHUPACABRAS PHOTO At the height of the Chupacabras craze, there were probably a couple dozen "Goatsucker Home Pages" on the Internet. The web site of radio host Art Bell posted an alleged photograph of a living Chupacabras, depicting a creature later exposed as a statue from a museum exhibit. SEE ALSO Similar creatures include: EXTERNAL LINKS
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