The Latin American Boogeyman: All About El Chupacabra

El chupacabra is that rare thing among legendary creatures—it’s a new creep in town. 

Translated literally from Spanish to English as the “goat sucker,” el chupacabra has many guises, from wild dog to reptile. While its form may be in dispute, Mexicans and Latin Americans agree that the chupacabra is a bloodsucking beast that leaves drained carcasses in its wake. 

But el chupacabra is a new part of Latin American and Mexican rich folkloric history, surfacing in the 1990s. So, grab your smartphone and set it to record if you dare, and join us on the search to discover the real chupacabra. 

What Is El Chupacabra? 

El Chupacabra is not a traditional ghost or monster. It’s more of a cryptid, meaning its existence is unsubstantiated or disputed, much like the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot. People say they’ve seen the beast, but there’s a lack of proof, yet its infamy lives on. 

The “known facts” are that it likes to chupar (to suck, in Spanish) all the blood from animals, from domestic dogs to farm animals, leaving behind a dry carcass. The cabra part of its name means goat. However, el chupacabra is not fussy; it will suck on any wild or domestic animals it encounters. For that reason, it is also known as the “Chupa.” 

Worst of all, the chupacabra may lurk in your home, at a farm, or in the mountains. No animal is safe from el chupacabra’s blood-thirsty rage, with attacks most common at night. 

Where Does the El Chupacabra Legend Originate? 

We need only travel back to 1995 to Canóvanas, a Puerto Rican town, to trace the origins of el chupacabra. Livestock were going missing from farms, including sheep and goats, with blood-drained carcasses left behind. 

Madelyne Tolentino first sighted el chupacabra in Puerto Rico in 1995. She described it as a four-foot-tall, bipedal animal walking like a human, with large, moist eyes and an alien appearance. 

Neighbors soon reported more sightings, with a bloodbath in November 1995 followed by another sighting, this time in Caguas. El chupacabra was said to have broken into a home and left a piece of decaying meat behind, but not before the homeowner had seen its enormous red eyes and hairy arms. 

By the end of the year, more than 1,000 animal deaths had been attributed to the chupacabra. Reports included a monkey-like appearance, a snake-like tongue, fangs, and spinal quills, with a foul stench left in its wake. Chupacabra’s legend was only just beginning. 

The 21st century has seen the chupacabra morph more into a four-legged beast, a dog-like animal suffering hair loss. 

What Does El Chupacabra Look Like? 

Chupacabra sightings bring varied reports of what it looks like. 

To some, it’s a dog-like beast that wanders around on four legs. Others report it as a sizable green-colored reptile, a two-legged horror that resembles a kangaroo. Further reports suggest a bear-sized mythical creature with scales from its neck to its tail. People often claim that el chupacabra has huge glowing red eyes. 

Other identifying marks include rough or flaky greenish-dark skin, strong teeth and claws. At the same time, contradictory reports depict an animal with fur or dog-like qualities. Some versions include bat-like wings. 

Experts like the University of Michigan’s Barry O’Connor told National Geographic he thought a chupacabra was probably a mange-infested coyote. Mange, the scientific name Sarcoptes scabiei, is a parasitic mite that burrows into the skin, resulting in scabies, which cause itching and hair loss in its host. 

Have There Been Any Sightings of El Chupacabra? 

Chupacabra sightings went wild after the Puerto Rican stories entered the public domain. People claimed they saw the beast across Mexico and the southern United States, going to Maine. That was just the start of this mythical creature’s rampages. 

• In Chile, more than 50 llamas and alpacas were slaughtered at the claws of el chupacabra. 
• The New York Press reported attacks on llamas, cows and alpacas in Bolivia, along with a video purporting to show the beast in a nearby field. 
• Hunters in Brazil claimed to have killed a chupacabra in the forests close to Sao Paolo after the mythical creature had killed local livestock and drank their blood. Many say the body looks like a monkey and is a hoax. 
• Cuero, Texas, has a slew of sightings, once earning it the nickname “Chupacabra Capital of the World.” One local has a stuffed animal on display that she claims is a chupacabra. 
• Sightings have come from as far as Dobrianka, Russia, where social media platforms recently came alive with the possibility of a chupacabra in the area. People shared images extensively online of the mythical creature, which had been skinned completely. 

What Are the Characteristics and Behavior Attributed to El Chupacabra? 

El chupacabra’s characteristics are still changing as people send in their reports of the beast, causing much conjecture over its behaviors. 

That they suck animal blood is fixed, but they don’t drain human blood. Inevitably, its alien-like physical appearance lends some theories to it being an extraterrestrial. 

The chupacabra is drawn to areas where goats live, and sightings mainly come from deserts and rainforests. According to some, the two-legged chupacabra may hop like a kangaroo. 

How Does El Chupacabra Allegedly Attack Its Prey? 

Chupacabras are bloodsucking vampires of the animal world. They purportedly achieve their ghoulish drink by making several small circular incisions on their victim’s body or drinking its blood from a vein. 

What Regions or Areas Are Associated With Sightings of El Chupacabra? 

Puerto Rico is the birthplace of el chupacabra after the first sighting was reported there in 1995. 

Many more Puerto Ricans then claimed to see the chupacabra. Sightings then spread across the Spanish-speaking world and part of the United States, including the Dominican Republic, Texas, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and even the Philippines. 

Has There Been Any Scientific Investigation Into the Existence of El Chupacabra? 

The scientific community, piqued by reports of el chupacabra’s devastating attacks on livestock, has made preliminary investigations into the beast. 

Alongside Barry O’Connor’s insights from the University of Michigan, other experts have inspected carcasses of supposed animal victims and corpses of las chupacabras.  

Bill Schutt, a professor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, told the BBC that bloodsucking animals usually take blood from the skin’s surface, not by draining jugular veins, as in the chupacabra attack reports. It would also be hard for a dog-sized animal to survive on a diet of blood, as blood lacks necessary fats. 

Next, Benjamin Radford, deputy editor of “Skeptical Inquirer,” a science magazine, is open to discovering the mythical creature. He spent months investigating sightings, reports, and autopsy results. Radford didn’t wish to discount the possibility of el chuacabra’s existence but to prove it does exist. 

Radford found that, firstly, the victims, such as chickens and goats, retained normal blood levels after a chupacabra attack and had not been drained of blood. Puerto Rico is also a relatively small island, meaning it would be hard for such a hungry animal—or its multiple victims—to have remained hidden for so long. 

Next, el chupacabra itself. Perished examples have turned out to be dead coyotes with mange, deceased raccoons, and even a fish.  

Radford did, however, encounter some interesting coincidences. The first descriptions of el chupacabra bore a remarkable resemblance to a human-alien hybrid character in the sci-fi film “Species.” This film was released in 1995, the same year as the first chupacabra sighting, and also occurred when people were first able to start sharing information online. 

That leaves two possibilities: el chupacabra exists and defies the astronomical chance that it was first spotted when “Species” was released. Or that the first chupacabra sightings mixed reality and fantasy, which is a common happening for humans. 

Is El Chupacabra a Real or Mythical Creature? 

The jury’s out on whether el chupacabra is a real or mythical creature. It’s currently a cryptid, meaning its existence has yet to be verified despite many sightings. 

Are There Any Movies or Books Inspired by El Chupacabra? 

Unsurprisingly, the legend of el chupacabra, a blood-thirsty beast leaving a trail of death and drained carcasses in its wake, has inspired many movies and books. 

A few chupacabra-inspired movies in Spanish and English include: 

• “El Chupacabras” by Gilberto de Anda 
• “Chupacabra Terror” by John Shippherd 
• “Blood of the Chupacabras” by Jonathan Mumm 
• “Indigenous” by Alastair Orr 
• “La Leyenda del Chupacabras” by Alberto Rodríguez 
• “Lair of the Beast (Chupacabra Territory)” by Matt McWilliams 

There are also many books about the chupacabra, including: 

• “Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore” by Benjamin Radford 
• “Searching for El Chupacabra” by Jennifer Rivkin 
• “El Chupacabras” by Adam Rubin 
• “Saving Chupie” by Amparo Ortiz 

There are also chupacabra video games and TV series and even an episode featuring the beast on “The X Files.” 

The Terrifying Truth About El Chupacabra 

Born in Puerto Rico in 1995, the legend of el chupacabra spread quickly through the Spanish-speaking world and further afield. This bloodsucking creature was blamed for killing livestock, draining their blood to leave dry carcasses in its wake. 

Its appearance ranges from dog-like to a kangaroo, with a reptile-like version in between. It might hop on two legs or walk on all fours, but it almost always has fangs and large red eyes. 

While farmers and witnesses swear their sightings are real, scientists think it’s much more likely the chupacabra is a coyote with mange and something else killed livestock and other domestic animals. But with the “chupa” remaining popular in movies and books, this mythical creature’s notoriety will likely continue to grow. 

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