It was 1995, and the island of Puerto Rico was gripped with fear. 

    Farmers woke up to find their livestock dead. The animals had bite marks on their necks. Their lifeless bodies looked like they had been drained of blood. Sometimes as many as 40 sheep were killed at once. 

    Was this the work of a monster?

    Rumors spread quickly. Soon the beast was given a name: el chupacabra (the goat-sucker). 

    Many people claimed to have seen the chupacabra. But they described it in different ways. Reading what they said, it’s hard to imagine a single creature.  

    It either walks on two legs—or four. 

    It has wings—or it doesn’t.

    It has a long, spiky tail—or no tail at all.

    It hops. It runs. It floats. It has scales. It has feathers. It has fur. 

    So what is the chupacabra? And does it even exist?

    It was 1995. The island of Puerto Rico was gripped with fear.

    Farmers woke up to find their livestock dead. The animals had bite marks on their necks. Their bodies looked like they had been drained of blood. Sometimes as many as 40 sheep were killed at once.

    Was this the work of a monster?

    Rumors spread quickly. People called the beast el chupacabra (the goat-sucker).

    Many people claimed to have seen the chupacabra. But they described it differently.

    It walks on two legs—or four.

    It has wings—or it doesn’t.

    It has a long, spiky tail—or no tail at all.

    It hops. It runs. It floats. It has scales. It has feathers. It has fur.

    So what is the chupacabra? And does it even exist?

    It was 1995, and the island of Puerto Rico was gripped with fear.

    Farmers awoke to find their livestock dead. The animals had bite marks on their necks, and their lifeless bodies looked like they had been drained of blood. Sometimes as many as 40 sheep were killed at once.

    Was this the work of a monster?

    Rumors spread quickly, and the beast soon had a name: el chupacabra (the goat-sucker).

    Many people claimed to have seen the chupacabra, but their descriptions varied dramatically. Reading what they said, it’s hard to imagine a single creature.

    It either walks on two legs—or four.

    It has wings—or it doesn’t.

    It has a long, spiky tail—or no tail at all.

    It hops. It runs. It floats. It has scales. It has feathers. It has fur.

    So what is the chupacabra—and does it even exist?

    The chupacabra first appeared at a difficult time for Puerto Rico. In September 1995, Hurricane Marilyn slammed into the island. The storm caused millions of dollars in damage. Bad weather made farming difficult. Dengue fever—an illness spread by mosquitoes—was everywhere.

    It’s easy to understand why people panicked when farm animals turned up dead. And that panic only made the stories spread faster. Newspapers printed articles about the chupacabra. Some people claimed to have seen it themselves. 

    The mayor of one town even led a group of about 200 people into the jungle to hunt down the beast. 

    Still, nobody had caught or killed a chupacabra. There was no proof it was real.

    The chupacabra first appeared in Puerto Rico. In September 1995, Hurricane Marilyn hit the island. The storm caused a lot of damage. Bad weather made farming difficult. Dengue fever was everywhere. That’s an illness spread by mosquitoes.

    It’s easy to see why people panicked when farm animals turned up dead. And that panic made the stories spread faster. Newspapers printed articles about the chupacabra. Some people claimed to have seen it themselves.

    A group of about 200 people went into the jungle to hunt down the beast.

    Still, there was no proof it was real.

    The chupacabra first appeared at a difficult time for Puerto Rico. In September 1995, Hurricane Marilyn slammed into the island, causing millions of dollars in damage. Bad weather made farming difficult, and dengue fever—an illness spread by mosquitoes—was everywhere.

    It’s easy to understand why people panicked when farm animals turned up dead. And that panic only made the stories spread faster. Newspapers printed articles about the chupacabra. Some people claimed to have seen it themselves.

    The mayor of one town even led a group of about 200 people into the jungle to hunt down the beast.

    Still, nobody had caught or killed a chupacabra. There was no proof it was actually real.

    The tale of the chupacabra soon spread to other countries. From 2000 to 2010, several people in the United States found what they thought were dead chupacabras. Journalists, scientists, and other experts rushed to examine them. What did they find?

    Several were dogs. Others were coyotes. One was a raccoon. So how did people mistake these ordinary animals for monsters?

    The answer was a skin disease called mange. An animal with mange can lose its fur and become very thin. Its skin becomes scaly and thick. It might have a strong smell.

    As it turns out, there was no monster sucking out blood. There were just sickly dogs and coyotes killing farm animals.

    The tale of the chupacabra soon spread to other countries. From 2000 to 2010, several people in the United States found what they thought were dead chupacabras. Journalists, scientists, and other experts rushed to examine them. What did they find?

    Some were dogs. Others were coyotes. One was a raccoon. How did people mistake these ordinary animals for monsters?

    The answer was mange. It’s a skin disease. An animal with mange can lose its fur and become very thin. Its skin becomes scaly and thick. It might have a strong smell.

    There were no monsters. There were just sickly dogs and coyotes killing farm animals.

    The tale of the chupacabra soon spread to other countries. From 2000 to 2010, several people in the United States found what they believed were dead chupacabras. Journalists, scientists, and other experts rushed to examine them. What did they find?

    Several were dogs. Others were coyotes. One was a raccoon. So how did people mistake these ordinary animals for monsters?

    The answer was a skin disease called mange. An animal with mange can lose its fur and become very thin. Its skin becomes scaly and thick, and might have a strong odor.

    As it turns out, there was no monster sucking out blood—only sickly dogs and coyotes killing farm animals.

    In the end, the story of the chupacabra all adds up. It just doesn’t add up to a monster. 

    It’s a story of fear in a difficult time. It’s a story of rumors running wild. It’s a story of people trying to explain something that doesn’t make sense. 

    Today scientists know the chupacabra isn’t real. But people still travel to Puerto Rico to hunt for it. You can watch movies and read books inspired by the famous monster. You can even buy chupacabra T-shirts, mugs, and toys. 

    After all, a monster doesn’t have to be real to scare us. It just needs a really great story. 

    In the end, the story of the chupacabra all adds up. It just doesn’t add up to a monster.

    It’s about fear. It’s about rumors. It’s about people trying to explain something that doesn’t make sense.

    Today scientists know the chupacabra isn’t real. But people still travel to Puerto Rico to hunt for it. There are movies and books inspired by the monster. There are even chupacabra T-shirts, mugs, and toys.

    A monster doesn’t have to be real to scare us. It just needs a really great story. 

    Ultimately, the story of the chupacabra all adds up—it just doesn’t add up to a monster.

    It’s a story of fear in a difficult time, of rumors running wild, and of people trying to explain something that doesn’t make sense.

    Today scientists know the chupacabra isn’t real, but people still travel to Puerto Rico to hunt for it. You can watch movies and read books inspired by the famous monster. You can even purchase chupacabra T-shirts, mugs, and toys.

    After all, a monster doesn’t have to be real to frighten us. It just needs a really great story.