Editing Chupacabra

{{short description|Legendary creature in American folklore}}
{{other uses}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox mythical creature
| name                = Chupacabra
| image               = Chupacabra (artist's rendition).jpg
| caption             = An artist's rendition of the chupacabra
| Sub_Grouping        =
| AKA                 = {{lang|es|Chupacabras}}, {{lang|es|El Chupacabra}}
| Country             = {{Unbulleted list|Mexico|United States (including Puerto Rico)}}
| Region              = {{Unbulleted list|Caribbean (chiefly Puerto Rico)|Central and South America|North America (chiefly Mexico and the southwestern United States)}}
| First_Attested      = March 1995
}}
{{Paranormal}}
The '''chupacabra''' or '''''chupacabras''''' ({{IPA|es|tʃupaˈkaβɾas}}, literally 'goat-sucker', from {{langx|es|chupa}}, 'sucks', and {{lang|es|cabras}}, 'goats') is a legendary creature, or [[cryptid]], in the folklore of parts of the Americas. The name comes from the animal's purported vampirism {{Ndash}} the chupacabra is said to attack and [[Hematophagy|drink the blood]] of livestock, including goats.

Physical descriptions of the creature vary. In [[Puerto Rico]] and in [[Hispanic America]] it is generally described as a heavy creature, reptilian and alien-like, roughly the size of a small bear, and with a row of spines reaching from the neck to the base of the tail, while in the [[Southwestern United States]] it is depicted as more dog-like.

Initial sightings and accompanying descriptions first occurred in Puerto Rico in 1995. The creature has since been reported as far north as [[Maine]], as far south as [[Chile]], and even outside the Americas in countries like Russia and the Philippines. All of the reports are anecdotal and have been disregarded as uncorroborated or lacking evidence. Sightings in northern Mexico and the [[Southern United States]] have been verified as [[Canidae|canids]] afflicted by [[mange]].<ref name=Radford2011>{{cite book|last=Radford|first=Benjamin|author-link=Benjamin Radford|year=2011|title=[[Tracking the Chupacabra]]: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction and Folklore|publisher=UNM Press |isbn=978-0-8263-5015-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://corp.primerahora.com/archivo.asp?guid=3283EF0636144DD6AAC744E6D18C3E66&year=2002&keyword=|title=Disfrazado el chupacabras|trans-title=Disguised as chupacabras|date=24 September 2002|last=González Rodríguez|first=Miried|website=[[Primera Hora (Puerto Rico)|Primera Hora]]|location=Puerto Rico|language=es|access-date=25 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425135030/http://corp.primerahora.com/archivo.asp?guid=3283EF0636144DD6AAC744E6D18C3E66&year=2002&keyword=|archive-date=25 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Name ==
{{lang|es|Chupacabras}} can be literally translated as 'goat-sucker', from {{lang|es|chupar}} ('to suck') and {{lang|es|cabras}} ('goats'). It is known as both {{lang|es|chupacabras}} and {{lang|es|chupacabra}} throughout the Americas, with the former being the original name,<ref name=Clave>{{cite web|website=Diccionario Clave|url=http://clave.librosvivos.net/verficha.asp?idelementoaver=42243&cadena=chupacabras|title=chupacabras|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000326/http://clave.librosvivos.net/verficha.asp?idelementoaver=42243&cadena=chupacabras|archive-date=4 March 2016}} states that both singular and plural is ''chupacabras''.</ref> and the latter a [[regularization (linguistics)|regularization]]. The name is attributed to Puerto Rican comedian [[Silverio Pérez]], who coined the label in 1995 while commenting on the attacks as a [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] [[Disc jockey|radio deejay]].<ref name=Pérez2000>{{cite book|last=Pérez|first=Silverio|author-link=Silverio Pérez|title=Más humortivación: para el camino del éxito|trans-title=More Humortivation: The Path for Success|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZG3wb8qOgt8C|year=2000|publisher=Dreams Come True|isbn=978-0-9702011-0-2|page=7|access-date=25 April 2018|archive-date=16 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116192847/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZG3wb8qOgt8C|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Bradford2017>{{cite web|url=http://www.centerforinquiry.net/blogs/entry/was_the_nightjar_an_early_chupacabra/|title=Was the Nightjar an Early Chupacabra?|last=Radford|first=Benjamin|author-link=Benjamin Radford|date=1 June 2017|website=Center for Inquiry|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914000605/https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/was_the_nightjar_an_early_chupacabra/|archive-date=14 September 2019}}</ref>

== History ==
In 1975, a series of livestock killings in the small town of [[Moca, Puerto Rico|Moca]], Puerto Rico were attributed to {{lang|es|el vampiro de Moca}} ('the vampire of Moca').<ref>{{cite web|last=Wagner|first=Stephen|year=2000|title=Encounters with Chupacabras|url=http://paranormal.about.com/cs/chupacabra/a/aa071403.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017163054/http://paranormal.about.com/cs/chupacabra/a/aa071403.htm|archive-date=17 October 2007|website=[[About.com]]}}</ref> Initially, it was suspected that the killings were committed by a [[Satanism|Satanic]] cult; later more killings were reported around the island, and many farms reported loss of animal life. Each of the animals was reported to have had its body bled dry through a series of small circular incisions.[[File:Chupacabras.JPG|thumb|Graphic depiction of Chupacabra, as described by Puerto Rican witnesses in 1995]]

The first reported attack eventually attributed to the actual chupacabras occurred in March 1995. Eight sheep were discovered dead in Puerto Rico, each with three puncture wounds in the chest area and reportedly completely drained of blood.<ref name="trail">{{cite web|last=Wagner|first=Stephen|year=1998|title=On the trail of the Chupacabras|url=http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa051898.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050919215215/http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa051898.htm|archive-date=19 September 2005|website=[[About.com]]}}</ref> A few months later, in August, an eyewitness named Madelyne Tolentino reported seeing the creature in the Puerto Rican town of [[Canóvanas, Puerto Rico|Canóvanas]], where as many as 150 farm animals and pets were reportedly killed.<ref name="trail" />

[[Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]] comedian and entrepreneur Silverio Pérez is credited with coining the term {{lang|es|chupacabras}} soon after the first incidents were reported in the press. Shortly after the first reported incidents in Puerto Rico, other animal deaths were reported in other countries, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and the United States.<ref name="trail" />

In 2019 a video recorded by {{lang|es|Mundo Ovni}} showed the results of a supposed attack on chickens in the Seburuquillo sector of [[Lares, Puerto Rico]].<ref name="2019 attack in Lares">{{cite AV media|title=Reportaje: Ataque a gallinas en el sector Seburuquillo de Lares|trans-title=Report: Attack on hens in the Seburquillo sector of Lares|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F3i6vAXIzQ| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211103/0F3i6vAXIzQ| archive-date=2021-11-03 | url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=Mundo Ovnis|access-date=20 June 2020|language=es|type=News segment}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Reputed origin ==
A five-year investigation by [[Benjamin Radford]], documented in his 2011 book ''[[Tracking the Chupacabra]]'', concluded that the description given by the original eyewitness in Puerto Rico, Madelyne Tolentino, was based on the creature Sil in the 1995 science-fiction horror film ''[[Species (film)|Species]]''.<ref name=Radford2011/> The alien creature Sil is nearly identical to Tolentino's chupacabra eyewitness account and she had seen the movie before her report: "It was a creature that looked like the chupacabra, with spines on its back and all... The resemblance to the chupacabra was really impressive", Tolentino reported.<ref>{{cite book|last=Corrales|first=Scott|title=Chupacabras and Other Mysteries|isbn=1-883729-06-8|date=September 1997|publisher=Greenleaf Publications}}</ref> Radford revealed that Tolentino "believed that the creatures and events she saw in ''Species'' were happening in reality in Puerto Rico at the time", and therefore concludes that "the most important chupacabra description cannot be trusted".<ref name=Radford2011/> This, Radford believes, seriously undermines the credibility of the chupacabra as a real animal.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Radford|first=Benjamin|title=Slaying the Vampire: Solving the Chupacabra Mystery|magazine=[[Skeptical Inquirer]]|volume=35|issue=3|date=May 2011|pages=45–48|url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2011/05/p45.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827004734/https://skepticalinquirer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2011/05/p45.pdf|archive-date=27 August 2020}}</ref>

The reports of blood-sucking by the chupacabra were never confirmed by a [[Autopsy|necropsy]],<ref name=Radford2011/> the only way to conclude that the animal was drained of blood. Dr. David Morales, a Puerto Rican veterinarian with the Department of Agriculture, analyzed 300 reported victims of the chupacabra and found that they had not been bled dry.<ref name=Radford2011/>

Radford divided the chupacabra reports into two categories: the reports from [[Puerto Rico]] and [[Latin America]], where animals were attacked and it is supposed their blood was extracted; and the reports in the United States of mammals, mostly dogs and [[coyote]]s with mange, that people call "chupacabra" due to their unusual appearance.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chupacabra Science: How Evolution Made a Mythical Monster|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101028-chupacabra-evolution-halloween-science-monsters-chupacabras-picture/|date=28 October 2010|last=Than|first=Ker|website=National Geographic|access-date=6 April 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519214609/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101028-chupacabra-evolution-halloween-science-monsters-chupacabras-picture/|archive-date=19 May 2014}}</ref>

In 2010, [[University of Michigan]] biologist Barry O'Connor concluded that all the chupacabra reports in the United States were simply coyotes infected with the parasite ''[[Sarcoptes scabiei]]'', whose symptoms would explain most of the features of the chupacabra: they would be left with little fur, thickened skin, and a rank odor. O'Connor theorized that the attacks on goats occurred "because these animals are greatly weakened, [so] they're going to have a hard time hunting. So they may be forced into attacking livestock because it's easier than running down a rabbit or a deer."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ur.umich.edu/1011/Oct25_10/1698-scary-chupacabras-monster|date=25 October 2010|title=Scary chupacabras monster is as much victim as villain|last=Ross-Flannigan|first=Nancy|website=The University Record|publisher=University of Michigan|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827005255/http://ur.umich.edu/1011/Oct25_10/1698-scary-chupacabras-monster|archive-date=27 August 2020}}</ref><ref name=Radford2011/> Both dogs and coyotes can kill and not consume the prey, either because they are inexperienced, or due to injury or difficulty in killing the prey.<ref name=Radford2011/><ref name="Wade and Bowns">{{cite web|url=http://texnat.tamu.edu/about/procedures-for-evaluating/evaluation-of-suspected-predator-kills/|title=Evaluation of Suspected Predator Kills|date=May 2010|last1=Wade|first1=Dale A.|last2=Bowns|first2=James E.|website=Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center|publisher=[[Texas A&M University]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101055717/http://texnat.tamu.edu/about/procedures-for-evaluating/evaluation-of-suspected-predator-kills/|archive-date=1 January 2012}}</ref> The prey can survive the attack and die afterwards from [[internal bleeding]] or [[circulatory shock]].<ref name=Radford2011/><ref name="Wade and Bowns"/> The presence of two holes in the neck, corresponding with the [[canine teeth]], are to be expected since this is the only way that most land [[carnivore]]s have to catch their prey.<ref name=Radford2011/> There are reports of stray [[Xoloitzcuintle|Mexican hairless dogs]] being mistaken for chupacabras.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2009/09/01/roldan.chupacabra.KSAT?iref=videosearch|title=Breaking News Videos, Story Video and Show Clips|date=12 March 2014|publisher=CNN|access-date=5 December 2014|archive-date=31 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831124519/http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2009/09/01/roldan.chupacabra.KSAT?iref=videosearch|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Appearance ==
[[File:African wild dog with mange - Serengeti (5468632138).jpg|thumb|[[Mange]] can often greatly alter the expected appearance of an animal. Wild and domestic canines with severe cases of mange have been proposed as explanations for the Chupacabra.]]
The most common description of the chupacabra is that of a [[reptile]]-like creature, said to have leathery or scaly greenish-gray skin and sharp spines or quills running down its back.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skepdic.com/chupa.html|title=Chupacabra|last=Carroll|first=Robert Todd|author-link=Robert Todd Carroll|date=29 October 2015|website=The Skeptic's Dictionary|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827003355/http://skepdic.com/chupa.html|archive-date=27 August 2020}}</ref> It is said to be approximately {{convert|3|to|4|ft|1}} high, and stands and hops in a fashion similar to that of a [[kangaroo]].<ref name="top ten">{{cite web|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/most-mysterious-creatures-of-modern-times-2594695|title=The Top 10 Most Mysterious Creatures of Modern Times|last=Wagner|first=Stephen|date=8 September 2017|website=ThoughtCo|publisher=[[Dotdash]]|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417213653/https://www.thoughtco.com/most-mysterious-creatures-of-modern-times-2594695|archive-date=17 April 2019}}</ref> This description was the chief one given to the few Puerto Rican reports in 1995 that claimed to have sighted the creature, with similar reports in parts of Chile and Argentina following.<ref name=Radford2011/>

Another common description of the chupacabra is of a strange breed of wild dog. This form is mostly hairless and has a pronounced spinal ridge, unusually pronounced eye sockets, fangs, and claws. This description started to appear in the early 2000s from reports trailing north from the [[Yucatán Peninsula]], northern [[Mexico]], and then into the [[United States]]; becoming the predominant description since.<ref name=Radford2011/> Unlike conventional predators, the chupacabra is said to drain all of the animal's blood (and sometimes organs) usually through three holes in the shape of a downwards-pointing triangle, but sometimes through only one or two holes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vocero.com/noticias.asp?s=Locales&n=23285|last=De Jesús Mangual|first=Tomás|author-link=Tomás de Jesús Mangual|date=9 January 2006|title=Imputan otro ataque al Chupacabras|trans-title=Another attack attributed to chupacabras|website=[[El Vocero]]|location=San Juan, Puerto Rico|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011110443/http://vocero.com/noticias.asp?s=Locales&n=23285|archive-date=11 October 2007}}</ref>

== Plausibility of existence ==
The chupacabra panic first started in late 1995, [[Puerto Rico]]: farmers were mass reporting the mysterious killings of various livestock. In these reports, the farmers recalled two puncture wounds on the animal carcasses.<ref name="Radford2011" /> Chupacabra killings were soon associated with a seemingly untouched animal carcass other than puncture wounds which were said to be used to suck the blood out of the victim. Reports of such killings began to spread around and eventually out of the country, reaching areas such as [[Mexico]], [[Brazil]], [[Chile]], and the Southern area of the [[United States]].

Most notably, these areas experience frequent, and extreme dry seasons; in the cases of the [[Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]] reports of 1995 and the [[Mexicans|Mexican]] reports of 1996, both countries were currently experiencing or dealing with the aftermath of severe [[drought]]s. Investigations carried out in both countries at this time noted a certain dramatic violence in these killings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Davis |first=Mike |date=1997 |title=Monsters and Messiahs |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/25000088 |journal=Grand Street |issue=61 |pages=34–38 |doi=10.2307/25000088 |jstor=25000088 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> These environmental conditions could provide a simple explanation for the [[livestock]] killings: wild [[Predation|predators]] losing their usual [[prey]] to the [[drought]], therefore being forced to hunt the [[livestock]] of farmers for sustenance. Thus, the same theory can be applied to many of the other 'chupacabra' attacks: that the dry [[weather]] had created a more competitive environment for native [[Predation|predators]], leading them to prey on [[livestock]] to survive. Such an idea can also explain the increased violence in the killings; hungry and desperate [[Predation|predators]] are driven to hunt [[livestock]] to avoid starvation, causing an increase in both the number of [[livestock]] killings, and the viciousness of each one.

Evidence of such is provided in page 179 of [[Benjamin Radford]]'s book, ''Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore.'' [[Benjamin Radford|Radford's]] chart highlights ten significant reports of chupacabra attacks, seven of which had a carcass recovered and examined; these [[Autopsy|autopsies]] concluded the causes of death as various animal attacks, as displayed though the animal DNA found on the carcasses.<ref name="Radford2011" /> [[Benjamin Radford|Radford]] provides further evidence in pages 161-162 of his book, displaying animals who are proven to have fallen victim to regular [[coyote]] attacks; thus, explaining that it is not unusual for an animal carcass to be left uneaten while only displaying puncture wounds and/or minimal signs of attack.<ref name="Radford2011" />

The plausibility of the chupacabra's existence is also discredited by the varying descriptions of the creature. Depending on the reported sighting, the creature is described with thick skin or fur, wings or no wings, a long tail or no tail, is [[bat]]-like, [[dog]]-like, or even [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]]-like.<ref name="Radford2011" /> Evidently, the chupacabra has a wide variety of descriptions; to the point where it is hard to believe that all the sightings are of the same creature. A very likely explanation for this phenomenon is that individuals who had heard of the newly popular chupacabra had the creature's name fresh in their mind before they happened to see a strange looking animal. They then resort to make sense of their encounter by labelling it as the recently 'discovered' monster, instead of a more realistic explanation. For example, some scientists hypothesize that what many believe to be a chupacabra is a wild or domestic [[dog]] affected by [[mange]], a disease causing a thick buildup of skin and hair loss.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rivkin |first=Jennifer |title=Searching for el Chupacabra |publisher=New York: PowerKids Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-4777-7113-6 |location=New York |pages=24 |language=English}}</ref>

== Related legends ==

The "[[Ozark Howler]]", a large bear-like animal, is the subject of a similar legend.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/haunted/photos/legends-of-the-ozarks|pages=6–8|title=Legends of the Ozarks|work=[[Travel Channel]]|access-date=26 July 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726012347/https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/haunted/photos/legends-of-the-ozarks|archive-date=26 July 2019}}</ref>

The [[Peuchen]]s of Chile also share similarities in their supposed habits, but instead of being dog-like they are described as winged snakes. This legend may have originated from the [[vampire bat]], an animal [[Endemism|endemic]] to the region.<ref name=peuchen1>{{cite web|url=http://www.diarioelcentro.cl/articulos_sc.php?fecha=26-07-2004&semana=29-2004|title=Tras los pasos del chupacabras|work=El centro, Journal|date=26 July 2004|first=Patricio|last=Moraga|language=es|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070619191305/http://www.diarioelcentro.cl/articulos_sc.php?fecha=26-07-2004&semana=29-2004|archive-date=19 June 2007|trans-title=Following the steps of chupacabras}}</ref>

In the Philippines the [[Sigbin]] shares many of the chupacabra's descriptions.

In 2018 there were reports of suspected chupacabras in [[Manipur]], India. Many domestic animals and poultry were killed in a manner similar to other chupacabra attacks, and several people reported that they had seen creatures. Forensic experts opined that street dogs were responsible for mass killing of domestic animals and poultry after studying the remnants of a corpse.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Karmakar |first1=Rahul |title=On the mystery of livestock deaths in Manipur |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/on-the-mystery-of-livestock-deaths-in-manipur/article25699008.ece |access-date=26 September 2021 |work=The Hindu |date=8 December 2018 |format=Online news article |archive-date=26 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926093253/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/on-the-mystery-of-livestock-deaths-in-manipur/article25699008.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Media==
{{more citations needed|1=section|date=March 2024}}
* A chupacabra is referred to in the 2009 novel ''[[Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead]]''.
* The debut album by [[Imani Coppola]] is titled ''[[Chupacabra (album)|Chupacabra]]''.
* In ''[[Indigenous (film)|Indigenous]]'' (2014), the chupacabra is the main antagonist.
* The myth of the chupacabra is mocked in a 2012 episode of the cartoon series ''[[South Park]]'', titled "[[Jewpacabra]]", in which antisemitic main character [[Eric Cartman]] claims to have seen a Jewish Chupacabra that kills children on [[Easter]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Kleinman|first=Jacob|title=New South Park Episode 'Jewpacabra' Takes on Easter, Passover, Chupacabra [video]|url=https://www.ibtimes.com/new-south-park-episode-%E2%80%98jewpacabra%E2%80%99-takes-easter-passover-chupacabra-video-434256|website=International Business Times|date=5 April 2012|access-date=24 December 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225114302/https://www.ibtimes.com/new-south-park-episode-%E2%80%98jewpacabra%E2%80%99-takes-easter-passover-chupacabra-video-434256|archive-date=25 December 2015}}</ref>
* The chupacabra was included as one of several [[Polyvinyl chloride|vinyl]] figurines in [[Cryptozoic Entertainment]]'s Cryptkins [[blind box]] toy line in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cryptozoic.com/cryptkins-series-1|title=Cryptkins Vinyl Figures|website=[[Cryptozoic Entertainment]]|access-date=3 August 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512072202/https://www.cryptozoic.com/cryptkins-series-1|archive-date=12 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/toys/3483094/new-vinyl-toy-line-cryptkins-will-feature-blind-box-monsters-myth/|title=New Vinyl Toy Line 'Cryptkins' Will Feature Blind Box Monsters of Myth|date=13 February 2018|first=John|last=Squires|website=Bloody Disgusting|access-date=3 August 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213214650/https://bloody-disgusting.com/toys/3483094/new-vinyl-toy-line-cryptkins-will-feature-blind-box-monsters-myth/|archive-date=13 February 2018}}</ref> A redesigned series of figurines, including an updated chupacabra, was released in August 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cryptozoic.com/cryptkins%E2%84%A2-unleashed|title=Cryptkins™ Unleashed|website=[[Cryptozoic Entertainment]]|access-date=26 August 2020|year=2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827041110/https://www.cryptozoic.com/cryptkins%E2%84%A2-unleashed|archive-date=27 August 2020}}</ref>
* The search for a chupacabra was featured in the 1997 ''[[The X-Files]]'' episode "[[El Mundo Gira]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://banderasnews.com/0902/ent-chupacabra.htm|last=Hutmacher|first=Ed|date=February 2009|title=Mexico's Chupacabras Meets the X-Files|work=Banderas News|access-date=20 August 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820212319/http://banderasnews.com/0902/ent-chupacabra.htm|archive-date=20 August 2019}}</ref>
* "[[Chupacabra (Grimm)|Chupacabra]]" was the title of the midseason finale of season 4 of the supernatural drama television series ''[[Grimm (TV series)|Grimm]]'', in December 2014.
* ''Teen Titans Academy'', a [[DC Comics]] book, has a bat-like metahuman called Chupacabra, whose alter ego is Diego Pérez, named in honour of [[George Pérez]] (the artist that initially illustrated the [[Teen Titans]]).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Olsen |first1=Jon |title=Teen Titans Academy Reveals a Student's Major Batman Villain Connection |url=https://www.cbr.com/teen-titans-academy-chupacabra-man-bat-serum/ |access-date=25 May 2022 |work=CBR |date=9 August 2021 |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525175620/https://www.cbr.com/teen-titans-academy-chupacabra-man-bat-serum/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[I Second That Emotion (Futurama)|A 1999 episode]] of ''[[Futurama]]'' features a monster called "El Chupanibre".
* In the ''[[Jackie Chan Adventures]]'' episode "The Curse of El Chupacabra", [[Jackie Chan]]'s friend El Toro gets scratched and infected by a Chupacabra, causing him to transform into another Chupacabra every night, much like a [[werewolf]].
* In season 3 of ''[[Workaholics season 3|Workaholics]]'' called "To Kill a Chupacabraj", Blake finds what he believes to be the deceased corpse of the Rancho Chupacabra in the pool, though it turns out to be the neighbor's dog.
* In the Netflix original series ''[[The Imperfects]]'', the character of Juan Ruiz transforms into a chupacabra whenever anyone he cares about is in danger.
* The 2016 film ''[[La leyenda del Chupacabras]]'' features the titular Chupacabra initially as an antagonist before revealing the creature is merely trying to rescue its family.
* The Brazilian [[Chupa-Cu]] legend created in 2017 takes its cues from the chupacabra.
* A "Chupakabura" plays the role of a tourism mascot for the fictional town of Manoyama in [[P.A. Works]]' 2017 anime ''[[Sakura Quest]]''. The spelling and pronunciation relates to a retired mascot called "Kabura Kid", whose name was a pun alluding to the Japanese word for turnips.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-27 |title=The Spring 2017 Anime Preview Guide - Sakura Quest |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/preview-guide/2017/spring/sakura-quest/.114401 |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=Anime News Network |language=en}}</ref>
* The 2023 film ''[[Chupa (film)|Chupa]]'' is about a chupacabra that is saved from scientists who want to capture it to prove it is real and exploit it for medicine.
* The 2010-2011 ''Super Sentai'' series ''[[Tensou Sentai Goseiger]]'''s main antagonist Brajira of the Messiah assumes the guise Buredoran of the Chupacabra when working with the Yuumajuu, the villain faction of the second arc that is based on cryptids.
* The Ukrainian news program [[TSN.ua|TSN]] used to broadcast fake news about the Chupacabra when no interesting news were there to broadcast.
* In a short titled "Mission: Chupacabras" from ''[[Helluva Boss]]'', a Mexican goat-farmer mistakes [[Blitzo]] for a chupacabra and tries to sell him.
* ''[[Chupacabra vs. The Alamo]]'', a 2013 made-for-TV movie.
* ''[[Guns of El Chupacabra]]'', a 1997 martial arts based monster film.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|wikt=|commons=Chupacabra|b=no|n=no|s=no|v=no|voy=no|species=Chupacabra|d=no|display=Chupacabra}}
* [http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090713065825/http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0904-chupacabra.html Alleged chupacabra likely a "Xolo dog"; story a hoax]
* {{cite web|url=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/chupacabra_remains_bought_by_o.html|title="Chupacabra" remains bought by Oswego County man|work=Syracuse.com|date=25 September 2009|first=Pam|last=Lundborg|access-date=20 January 2016}}
* [https://www.seeker.com/chupacabra-mystery-solved-1765132218.html Chupacabra mystery solved from Seeker.com]
* [https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/161119/ooty-kangaroo-cousin-lived-in-western-ghats.html Ooty: Kangaroo cousin lived in western ghats?]
* {{Skeptoid | id=4815 | number= 815| title=On the Trail of the Chupacabra| date= 22 January 2022}}

[[Category:1995 in Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Alleged extraterrestrial beings]]
[[Category:American legendary creatures]]
[[Category:American urban legends]]
[[Category:Cattle mutilation]]
[[Category:Cryptids]]
[[Category:Latin American legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Mythological hematophages]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican folklore]]
[[Category:Supernatural urban legends]]
[[Category:Vampires]]