Mystery of the 'Chupacabra' May Be Solved

rhettb writes "The mystery of the legendary chupacabra, a beast said to drain the blood of domestic animals at night, has been solved, according to a University of Michigan scientist. Biologist Barry O'Connor says that most chupacabra sightings are probably linked to coyotes with mange, a disease caused by the same species of mite that triggers scabies in humans. Severe cases of mange cause hair loss and thickening of skin in wild dogs and can lead to bacterial skin infections that produce a foul odor characteristic of the 'chupacabra.' Wombats and squirrels are also susceptible to mange, suggesting that chupacabra are found in trees and Down Under."

Comments

From Chupacabras land

[turtleAJ]

I live in Puerto Rico, were a big part of the "Chupacabras" myth started.

1st, there are no coyotes in Puerto Rico.. so WTF.

2nd, this is just urban legend... crap you tell at 2 in the morning. Then the news pics up on it.

Years ago (1970s?) there was a local surgeon that "manufactured" these odd "Cara de Diablo" (Face of the Devil??) things. Nobody had ever seen such a thing.

He left them around for everybody's amusement (especially the media).
Big uproar about the Cara de Diablos and what they were.

When the guy came out of the woods, he explained: They were stingrays, he would cut-off the "wings" in a diamond pattern... then stitch them up with his superb abilities.

Chupacabras doesn't exist people.

Re:From Chupacabras land

[AJ Mexico]

"Chupacabra" means different things to different people. Especially in Puerto Rico compared to the southwest USA and Mexico. In Mexico and the southwest we are talking about dog-like things. Puerto Rico had different ideas -- I think some of them were bipeds, and some were flying chupacabras.

Re:Hrmm

[aerthling]

I'm far from unsuspecting, but I narrowly avoided a big female taking my ear off only a couple of months ago. I don't go camping or walking in the national park near my parents' house without my bearspike and/or a bottle of vinegar now.

Real explanation of the Chupacabra.

[Jarik C-Bol]

Ok, i worked for a guy from mexico for a few years, and one day asked him what the heck the deal with chupacabra's was. He laughed, and explained to me that years ago, there was this big thing going on in the news in Mexico, detailing some government corruption scandal. It was at this time, that the Chupacabra legend appeared. All of a sudden, all the news reports where about these mysterious 'Goat Suckers' and the government corruption was quietly swept under the rug. Basically, it was a distraction manufactured by the government to draw attention away from the issue at hand.