Comments on: Chupacabras = Puerto Rican Monkeys?

By: Jeremy_Wells

Jeremy_Wells — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:46:35 +0000

In the case of the Chupacabras, what we are seeing is the evolution of a myth, imo. That is why we see the spread from Puerto Rico to other areas of Latin America and then to the American southwest. It’s why its gone from being a bipedal critter with spines in Puerto Rico to strange winged/reptilian/wolf monsters to ultimately misidentified mangey dogs and coyotes. It’s the evolution of myth. There isn’t any consistency in the animal reported, no physical evidence, other than the kind of strange phenomenon that in the past has been associated with everything from vampires to UFOs (cattle mutilations).

Yes, strange when an exsanguinated goat turns up.

Yes, interesting in that we can see the development of various threads of modern folklore (from UFOs to government experiments).

But, imo, not a legitimate cryptid of the flesh and blood variety in any way shape or form.

So how do I explain the variety of forms reported and the spread of reports to Texas? Not through any migration of a real critter, but by the amazing ability of people to spread stories. (And to even create things in their mind, like the Texas lady who reported that the mangey coyote critter killed outside San Antonio was exactly the critter her grandma described as a chupacabras when she was a kid. When the oldest chupacabras reports out of Puerto Rico aren’t even more that twenty years old.)

By: springheeledjack

springheeledjack — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:09:54 +0000

The most interesting info I got on Chupacabras came from an older show called Unsolved Mysteries. Most of the time it was murders, abductions, etc. but they did a show on Champ and one on Chupacabras.

The one on chupacabras had more detailed descriptions of the thing and the impression I got was that it was bigger than a monkey–more like 4-5 feet tall and bipedal. Also It was described on multiple occasions as having the commercial oversized red eyes. (by the way this was in Costa Rica) There was supposedly a policeman who was looking into it and he had apparently seen one cross in front of him on a road, but after that particular show, I never heard any more from that area or that police man.

Apparently I am one of the few people who watched these shows (as Ben R and I got into a lengthy discussion over Champ on that one way back when:), but they stuck in my mind though, and on my shelf in VHS, I have them still.

From that information I got the impression that Chup was more than just some monkey or canine…

By: ukulelemike

ukulelemike — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:25:12 +0000

Stuff and/or nonsense probably explains most of it. Hey, I raise goats, and have never had anything suck on them, except their kids, and occasionally my wife nibbles on their ears, (my wife loves her goats!). Goat sucker, indeeeeed, sir! William, get my bags-my back is killing me! Oh the pain, the pain!

By: crapple

crapple — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:14:19 +0000

But what explains the killed animals and the weird animals spotted sucking out their blood?

And what about the huge bounding Leaps?

The wings sometimes spotted?

The Spines?

And the spread of sightings to Texas?

The puncture Wounds?

WHAT EXPLAINS THOSE, HUH?

By: eireman

eireman — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:40:10 +0000

It is my belief that the Chupacabras may represent an amalgamation of these invasive species: the reported spiny back could represent the non-native iguanas; disease-ridden monkeys escaping from Cayo Santiago could give Chupacabras its attributes of bounding through trees and semi-bipedal stance. It’s like when the ancients conjured their monsters and they were a combination of lions, snakes, and birds of prey.

By: glendoor42

glendoor42 — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:38:49 +0000

I saw a show about chupacabras recently, I think it was MonsterQuest but not sure, and it was the first mention I had heard that there was monkeys in Puerto Rico and, well, right then, a lot of the mystery of the chupacabras sightings for me, sadly, went away.

I don’t know, the older I get, the more the simpler explanation for something is starting hold a lot more weight with me. I want to believe but it’s getting harder and harder every day.