Chupacabra

The chupacabra is a legendary creature, called a cryptid, from the folklore of the Americas. Its Spanish name means "goat-sucker", because the stories say it attacks livestock, especially goats, and drains their blood.

Reports began in Puerto Rico in 1995 and later spread from Maine to Chile, and even to Russia and the Philippines. These reports are anecdotes without verified evidence, and no real animal matching the legend has been confirmed. Scientists and wildlife experts see the chupacabra as a modern legend rather than a real species, and most descriptions disagree with each other. It is still a popular character in books, films and games.

What does the legend say?

Descriptions vary. In Puerto Rico and much of Latin America it is shown as a reptile-like or alien-looking creature about the size of a small bear, with a row of spines from neck to tail. In the southwestern United States it is described as a hairless, dog-like animal with big fangs.

The name is credited to Puerto Rican comedian Silverio Pérez, who used it on the radio in 1995. Earlier, in 1975, livestock deaths in Moca, Puerto Rico, were blamed on "the vampire of Moca".

What do the facts say?

Investigators looked at "chupacabras" reported in northern Mexico and the southern United States and found animals of the dog family suffering from severe mange. Mange is a skin disease from mites that leaves an animal hairless and thin, which explains the odd look.

So the legend and the evidence are different things: the stories are real folklore, but the creature itself has not been proven.

On the globe

Find it on the globe near Puerto Rico in the Caribbean and zoom in to open its card.