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goat sucker
vampire beast
magic chewer
Correct!
People claim that chupacabra kills animals by sucking their blood. In many reports, goats are often victims of the chupacabra.
Physical features: large, red, glowing eyes; large fangs and large claws on hands and feet; lizard-like skin or fur; backbone covered with sharp spines; human or apelike body; by some accounts, walks on two legs, but others say four
Location of sightings: Puerto Rico, Latin America, and the southwestern United States
Significance: A modern mythic creature, often blamed for unusual deaths of cattle and livestock.
In Spanish, "chupacabra" means:
One reason the modern myth of the chupacabra has spread so far, and so quickly, is:
its resemblance to the Loch Ness monster
the vast scientific evidence for their existence
the use of Internet and television
Correct!
Through television and the Internet, stories about the chupacabra and other modern mythic creatures spread quickly between communities, countries, and even continents.
Chupacabras are said to attack animals and drain their blood. Some claim the bodies look cut open with a knife. A possible explanation is:
disease
insects
both
Correct!
Animals that seem healthy can die from disease and infection. And some insects drink blood from fresh corpses. Also, when animals die, their bodies can expand and split open along a clean, straight line--as if cut by a knife.
One myth for chupacabras is that they are escaped pets of alien visitors.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fact
After all, they look like aliens with their large, glowing eyes. Other theories are that they're escaped genetic experiments or naturally occurring giant vampire bats.
Several dead bodies have been discovered that some people claim to be chupacabras.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fact
However, scientists believe the animals were coyotes with a skin disease called mange. An animal with mange may lose its hair and its skin can turn a bluish hue.
Some sightings claimed that a two-legged chupacabra hops like a kangaroo.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fact
Descriptions of the chupacabra vary widely. Some witnesses say that it walks on two legs, but others say it walks on four.
“
It's amazing how the portrayal of the chupacabra changes in different settings. In some places, it is a dangerous predator. In others, it is a sensational media creation you might spot on t-shirts and mugs.
„
Laurel Kendall, anthropologist