Cryptozoology, Chupacabra, and The Jackalope.

 According to modern myth there are several creatures exiting that defy the standard laws of logic or reality.  The study of these creatures is a relatively new field of science called, "Cryptozoology."  According to the Google machine, Cryptozoology is the search for and study of animals whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the Loch Ness Monster, and the Yeti. 

In the deeper darker caves of Puerto Rico, arises a creature that has been coined as the Chupacabra.  This critter according to stories, has been spotted from Puerto Rico through Latin American, into Mexico, and the Southwestern parts of the United States.  I chuckle just a little bit because Chupacabra is Spanish for, "Goat Sucker."

At this point your probably asking the same thing I did before looking it up, "What the hell is a Goat Sucker?"  A Goat Sucker has many physical descriptions depending on where your located and who is telling you the story.  For now, the Chupacabra is a creature that resembles a medium sized dog with leather like skin, red eyes, and very large canine teeth.  It feeds by biting and sucking the blood out of the animal killing it, and leaving it completely devoid of blood.  The Chupacabra is essentially a canine vampire.  It is called the Goat Sucker because in Puerto Rico where the stories begin, there was a period of time when farm animals, mostly goats were dying and found with puncture marks and no blood.  Makes you wonder doesn't it?  

In the 1970's Texas, sightings were being reported of a creature that was attacking and killing chickens, a few goats, and small livestock.  There were fuzzy photos taken of this creature.  Local lore was calling it Chupacabra, of course.  Then in Oct. 2022 in Amarillo, then in Austin Texas a Creature was video taped, captured and sent to a zoo.  A second creature was found dead and sent to a taxidermist. It is now owned by the research scientist that discovered it.  After much investigation, and genetic work up, the Chupacabra turned out to be a mangy coyote.  Mange if left untreated in wild animals will thicken the skin, shed most of the fur,  and weaken the animal leaving it's ability to capture it normal prey almost non-existent. Eventually killing the victim. The reason it feeds from small farm animals.  The vampire nature of the Chupacabra may be purely mythological.  

From the Southwest to the Northern Plains we travel to find the mythical, "Jackalope."  According to myth living on the plains in certain regions of the country are creatures that have crossed the genealogical realms of reality.  Some time in the history of the world, a Jack Rabbit and an Antelope crossed creating the Jackalope.  My Choctaw grandfather would tell stories about a creature that could not be hunted, that mortal men could only see in the blurs of motion on the horizons.    Modern technologies have made is possible for capturing and killing the Jackalope.  In bars and taverns all over the country you can find mounted busts of the Jackalope, a Jackrabbits head with the antlers of a deer. 

As of yet there have been no living specimens captured or taken of this creature, so the validity and existence of these creatures can not be proven or disproven.  You only have to rely on your eyes over the suds of a frosty adult beverage.  Who do you believe?

Peace and Balance,

John