With all the recent “Chupacabras” incidents in Texas, I figured it’s only appropriate that I comment on this, especially since some of the creatures were discovered only a short distance from where I live.  This may be old news to those who followed the reports a few weeks ago, but nonetheless there’s some interesting conclusions to be drawn here.

For those outside the cryptid loop, the Chupacabras (meaning “goat-sucker”) is a legendary beast whose tale originated in Puerto Rico back in 1995.  Alleged to be a gargoyle-type creature with large, bloodshot eyes, sharp teeth and a row of spikes running down its spine, it supposedly preys on goats and other livestock by sucking their blood in a murderous act of animal-on-animal violence.  Some have speculated that it’s some undiscovered Latin jungle predator while some have even conjectured that it might be of alien origin.  And though no solid evidence has ever been brought forward to substantiate its existence one way or another, that hasn’t stopped sighting reports from expanding to other regions, most notably Texas.  Many of these occur in the southern portion of the state, but most recently there’s been a scare in the central region of Hood County (about 30 minutes west of Ft. Worth).

A few weeks ago on July 7, in the town of Cresson, a hairless canine-looking creature was cornered in a barn.  It was alarming enough to warrant calling in the local animal control officer.  When the unfamiliar animal showed its teeth and rushed toward the officer, he naturally shot it.  (We ain’t too keen on tranquilizers down here, apparently.)  Upon first inspection of the mangy, gray beast, it was soberly identified as a Chupacabras.  It seemed that Hood County had become the nesting place for several of them, being that another one had been found DOA in nearby Acton.

(The Horror of Hood County)

Alarmed and excited, city officials toted the carcass straight over to Texas A&M University for analysis.  The conclusion:  a coyote-canine hybrid infected with mange.  Unfortunately, neither of the creatures turned out to be the legendary Chupacabras, alien or earthly.

But hang on a minute.  What is a monster anyway?  The term usually applies to some biological creature that’s not found on typical scientific rosters, or one that has undergone some sort of mutation… or uglyfication, if you will.  Seems as though this could apply here, albeit with some imagination.  If we alter the definition of a Chupacabras just slightly, classifying it as a ”hairless canine hybrid” who has been known to act aggressively, then we might just have discovered a true strain of Chupacabras.  Even though the name has been previously applied to a goat-sucking alien beast, he has yet to be proved.  So until the traditional version decides to step out of the jungle and show his spiky self, then perhaps we can anoint our Texas version as a true – or at least a cousin of – Chupacabras.

I’m just saying.

And… might I point out that these things don’t appear to look much different than the dogs who impersonated giant shrews in the old horror classic, The Killer Shrews.  I would say those are defined as “monsters,” right?  So until proven otherwise, I will proudly claim our hybrid Chupa as a bona fide Lone Star monster!

(Rover stars as a giant shrew in the 1959 horror classic)

HAVE A CRYPTO DAY!

Tagged: alien, chupacabra, Cryptozoology, goat-sucker, Puerto Rico, Texas, The Killer Shrews