Chupacabra

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The Chupacabra also written Chupacabras (from the Spanish chupar : "suck" and cabra : "goat") is a Latin American mythical creature that bites small cattle like goats or sheep like a vampire in the throat and is then supposed to suck out the blood. The first reports came from Puerto Rico in 1995 , but this phenomenon is now being reported all over South and Central America. The Chupacabra is a classic example of a modern saga ( urban legend ) and is often quoted by cryptozoologists .

Appearance

The Chupacabra should be about 1 - 1.5 m tall and have spikes on its back that it can pull in as needed. Like a chameleon , it should be able to adapt its color to any background and mood. There are many contradicting descriptions of the Chupacabra, according to some statements it corresponds to the widespread image of an alien with a large head and large eyes, according to other descriptions it should look like a naked coyote .

reporting

In the tabloid media in South America, Mexico and the Caribbean in particular, every creature that the layman cannot identify at first glance is called a chupacabra, regardless of whether it is a decayed cat or a dried-up ray. More recently, the sighting of some grotesque animals has caused a sensation in some areas of the United States. They were strange four-legged friends the size of small to medium-sized dogs, some of which were completely hairless apart from a few remains, had an almost bluish gray, wrinkled skin and a long, thin tail. Some of these animals could be photographed, others were trapped or shot. The tabloids headlined that a Chupacabra had finally been found and that no one could clearly identify the carcasses. Most of the editors concealed the fact that it was precisely at that time that the mange was rampant and had reached a periodic peak among wild dogs. In fact, the unfortunate creatures were nothing more than foxes, coyotes, and wild dogs, whose skin, which had been eaten by mange mites, had lost its hair, which is why the proportions of these animals looked so strange. Some were emaciated to the bone, which added to the " zombie-like " impression. In fact, these animals had nothing to do with the original descriptions of the chupacabra, and the connection was only made through the media.

Explanations

In fact, there have been no serious reports of any observed attack by a chupacabra on its victims. Often only his alleged victims are found, with two small punctures on the neck and bloodless. It is therefore assumed that the chupacabra feeds on blood, since it always leaves the flesh of its victims untouched. That such a large animal feeds only on blood is a biological impossibility, along with many other peculiarities that are ascribed to the chupacabra. The alleged emptiness of the found carcasses almost certainly results in the vast majority of cases simply from the fact that in dead bodies, the blood decomposes very quickly and after a short time no more blood can be found. One possible explanation for the frequent sightings could be a deeply rooted superstition associated with voodoo practices in the West Indies . It cannot be ruled out that the superstitious farmers are only too happy to blame a supernatural monster for every piece of cattle torn by a normal predator. The connection with the sacrificial rites of Voodoo, during which blood is taken from sacrificial animals, makes the repeated sightings of the Chupacabra understandable.

cases

Allegedly in August 2005 a Chupacabra was killed in a trap by a Texan farmer and photographed. The carcass is said to have been taken to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for investigation. However, those responsible there are not aware of this and the photographed carcass is classified as a prepared coyote. The available reports of bloodless goats and the high number of eyewitness reports allow some so-called cryptozoologists to conclude the existence of the chupacabra. For the documentary series Monster Quest of the History Channel DNA samples allegedly killed Chupacabra were analyzed and compared, with the result that it is dog is.

In 2007, Texas farmer Phylis Canion noticed three bluish-gray, hairless animals straying near her land that Canion suspected of being responsible for dozens of dead chickens over the past few years. On July 14, 2007, she was able to find such an animal dead. Canion photographed the carcass and stuffed it out. A DNA analysis was later carried out which identified the putative chupacabra as a hybrid between a coyote and a Mexican wolf . The hairless bluish skin was from the skin disease mange caused by mites .

In January 2014, rangers investigated the case of 60 sheep killed 150 km south-east of Moscow after locals and local media attributed the act to a chupacabra. The experts concluded that there were stray dogs or domestic dogs that someone had set on the sheep. The Ministry of Agriculture published a statement that ruled out the existence of fairy-tale creatures in the affected Moscow Oblast region .

reception

Although the mythical creature is still relatively "new", there are already some pop-cultural references to it: For example in an episode of the X-Files mystery series in which a person transforms into a chupacabra (season 4, episode 11, "The Chupacabra"). In Bones in one episode (season 6, episode 18, "The Fabulous World of Crime"), the assumption was made that a TV presenter was murdered by a chupacabra. It is the focus of an episode of the cartoon series South Park (16th season, episode 4, "Jewpacabra"), Phineas and Ferb (4th season, episode 9a, "Hunting for Chupacabra") and in the series Grimm (4th season, episode 8, "Chupacabra"). In the pen-and-paper role-playing game "Shadowrun", the Chupacabras appears as an upright, reptilian creature who is related to vampires or ghouls. In the film Fantastic Beasts: Grindelwald's Crimes there is also a copy named Antonio. The trading card game Magic: The Gathering also uses the Chupacabra on several cards.

literature

  • Michael Schneider: Traces of the Unknown. Cryptozoology. Monsters, Myths and Legends . 2nd revised edition. Twilight-Line, Krombach 2008, ISBN 978-3-941122-25-3 .
  • Roland M. Horn: Mysterious and fantastic forms of life. From vampires, moth men, sea snakes, ghost dogs, yetis, dragons and chupacabras . Bohmeier, Lübeck 2002, ISBN 3-89094-348-9 .
  • Chris McNab : Mystical Monsters. The creepy creatures from legends, myths and media. Tosa, Fränkisch-Crumbach 2007, ISBN 978-3850030700

Web links

Commons : Chupacabra  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ History Channel - Monster Quest, Season 2 - Episode 8
  2. ↑ Benjamin Radford: Mysterious Texas 'Blue Dog' Claimed to be Chupacabra. Discovery, August 29, 2013, accessed October 14, 2014 .
  3. ↑ Ria Novosti: "Moscow Region Officials Formally Deny Existence of Chupacabra" from January 25, 2014, viewed on January 25, 2014
  4. ^ Jason M. Hardy, Tobias Hamelmann (German translation): Crittercompendium . In: Shadowrun 5 . Pegasus Spiele GmbH, Friedberg 2017, p. 107 .
  5. ↑ Card Search - Search: + Chupacabra - Gatherer - Magic: The Gathering. Retrieved August 10, 2018 .