The Legend of Chupacabra: Does It Exist?

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - The story goes that El Chupacabra drains the blood of animals. It is the subject of lore – and of fear.

According to Animal Planet , chupacabra sightings first popped up in the 1960s and picked up in the mid-90's. There were eyewitness attacks in 1995 that described it as having a "reptilian body, oval head, bulging red eyes, fanged teach and long-darting tongue."

The name Chupacabra is Spanish in origin and means "goat sucker," according to Wikipedia .

Its reputation has spread the most in Latin America. In 1999 a newspaper reported that eight goats and three sheep died of single wounds to the neck. Other Brazilian eyewitnesses said they saw an animal that flew or leapt with monkey-like legs. There was also talk of fangs. Livestock was supposedly killed, their bloodless bodies left behind.

The talk goes on, but not everyone is buying it.

Reports of two hairless canines in Hood County, Texas this month had people talking about the mysterious animal. The Star Telegram said they ended up being mange-infected coyotes.

There reports were not of animals sucked dry of their blood. In this case a hairless animal jumped at a county animal control officer, buut the animal control officer shot it.

Sgt. Rosemary Moninger of the Hood County animal control told the newspaper that tests at Texas A&M University showed it was a "coyote-canine hybrid." Veterinary experts found skin mites on the animal and further tests showed it also had internal parasites.

The Telegram said Texas A&M assistant professor Sharman Hoppes, a zoo veterinarian, is the one who identified the animal.

"I tried to explain that the chupacabra is just a story – it's not real," he said. "I get more calls every year from people who find some animal and think it's a chupacabra."

Another similar animal was killed two days later on a family ranch near Acton, Texas. The owner's son shot it, but vultures got to it before animal control could.

And in Florida a family claimed to have shot a chupacabra on their property around Christmas, according to MyFox DFW . Florida Fish and Wildlife biologists said it was a rare breed of dog called a Peruvian Inca Orchid.

On Friday a "sighting" was recorded in Oklahoma, where teens believe they captured a photo of the unique creature, reported WOAI-TV . But many do not believe it is the creature.