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Chupacabra Facts & Worksheets

The chupacabra is a legendary animal in the old stories of parts of the Americas, with its previously claimed sightings detailed in Puerto Rico.

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The chupacabra (“goat-sucker”; from chupar, “to suck”, and cabra, “goat”) is a legendary animal in the old stories of parts of the Americas, with its previously claimed sightings detailed in Puerto Rico. The name originates from the creature’s rumored propensity for killing and drinking the blood of domesticated animals, including goats.

See the fact file below for more information on the chupacabra or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Chupacabra worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Description

  • The most well-known depiction of the chupacabra is that of a reptile-like animal.
  • It is said to have rough or flaky greenish-dark skin and sharp spines or plumes running down its back.
  • It is said to be around 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) high, and stands and bounces in a manner like that of a kangaroo.
  • Another basic depiction of the chupacabra is of a peculiar type of wild dog.
  • This animal is generally bald and has an articulated spine, bizarrely articulated eye sockets, teeth, and claws.
  • In contrast to traditional predators, the chupacabra is said to deplete the majority of the creature’s blood (and now and then organs) as a rule through three gaps in the shape of a downward-pointing triangle or through a couple of openings.
  • What was thought to be a chupacabra was described as frequenting certain areas.
  • These chupacabras were smaller and remained upon four feet.
  • They were commonly canine in appearance yet smooth and hairless.
  • Genuine examples were delivered, but they were determined by researchers to be coyotes, puppies, or canine half breeds.
  • The creatures owe their interesting appearance to baldness coming about because of mange, an invasion of the parasite Sarcoptes scabiei.

Habitat

  • The chupacabra moves towards any area in which it can find goats.
  • Sightings are most common in rainforests and deserts.
  • The Chupacabra was first detailed by Madelyne Tolentino in Puerto Rico in 1995, but mass killings of ranch/residential creatures had been reported on the island as early as 1975.
  • In 2010, columnist Benjamin Radford proposed that the portrayal given by Madelyn Tolentino was like the outsider depicted in the film Species which she had incidentally watched only half a month before reporting the sighting.
  • Since then reports of chupacabras have been made all through the Spanish-speaking Americas and in the Philippines.

History

  • The first reported attack eventually attributed to the chupacabra occurred in March 1995 in Puerto Rico.
  • Eight sheep were found dead, each with three cut injuries in the chest area and were totally drained of blood.
  • A few months later, in August, an eyewitness, Madelyne Tolentino, said she saw the creature in the Puerto Rican town of Canóvanas, where as many as 150 animals and pets were reportedly killed.
  • In 1975, similar killings in the residential area of Moca were credited to El Vampiro de Moca (“The Vampire of Moca”).
  • At first, it was suspected that the killings were done by a Satanic cult. But later, more killings were reported around the island, and numerous homesteads revealed loss of their animals.
  • Each of the animals was reported to have had its body bled dry through a series of small circular incisions.
  • Puerto Rican entertainer and businessman Silverio Pérez is credited with creating the term 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, including the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Brazil, United States, and Mexico.
  • The chupacabra soon found its way into popular culture. Both types of the creature have served as monsters in low-budget motion pictures.

Origin

  • A five-year examination by Benjamin Radford, archived in his 2011 book Tracking the Chupacabra, presumed that the portrayal given by the first witness in Puerto Rico, Madelyne Tolentino, was based on the animal Sil in the 1995 sci-fi thriller Species.
  • 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 claimed.
  • 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.” This, Radford believes, seriously undermines the credibility of the chupacabra as a real animal.
  • In addition, the reports of blood-sucking by the chupacabra were never confirmed by a necropsy, the only way to conclude that the animal was drained of blood. An analysis by a veterinarian of 300 reported victims of the chupacabra found that they had not been bled dry.
  • 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 coyotes with mange, that people call “chupacabra” due to their unusual appearance.
  • In late October 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 rank odor.
  • O’Connor theorized that the attacks on goats occurred “because these animals are greatly weakened, 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.”
  • Although several witnesses came to the conclusion that the attacks could not be the work of dogs or coyotes because they had not eaten the victim, this conclusion is incorrect.
  • 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.
  • The prey can survive the attack and die afterwards from internal bleeding or circulatory shock.
  • 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 carnivores have to catch their prey.
  • There are reports of stray Mexican Hairless Dogs being confused with chupacabras.

Related Legends

  • A popular legend in New Orleans concerns a popular lovers’ lane called Grunch Road, which was said to be inhabited by “grunches”, creatures similar in appearance to the Chupacabra.
  • The peuchens 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 endemic to the region.
  • In the Philippines, another legendary creature called the Sigbin shares many of chupacabra’s descriptions.

Popularity in culture

  • Following the incident in Cuero, Texas, the popularity of the chupacabra myth was receiving global attention. Phylis Canion, who was responsible for capturing the alleged specimen, claimed that T-shirts highlighting the event were shipped to locations such as Italy, Guam, and Iraq. The publicity that Cuero received following this event has led to some suggesting changing the town’s mascot.
  • The myth of the chupacabra is mocked in the 2012 episode “Jewpacabra” of the cartoon series South Park in which anti-semitic main character Eric Cartman claims to have seen a Jewish Chupacabra that kills children on Easter.
  • With the release of the Magic: The Gathering expansion block Ixalan, a card named Chupacabra was introduced in the 3rd set, Rivals of Ixalan, in January 2018.
  • In 2018, the Chupacabra was included as one of several vinyl figurines in Cryptozoic Entertainment’s Cryptkins blind box toy line.

Chupacabra Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about chupacabra across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Chupacabra worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the chupacabra (“goat-sucker”; from chupar, “to suck”, and cabra, “goat”) which is a legendary animal in the old stories of parts of the Americas, with its previously claimed sightings detailed in Puerto Rico. The name originates from the creature’s rumored propensity for killing and drinking the blood of domesticated animals, including goats.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Chupacabra Facts
  • Mystery Word Search
  • Who am I?
  • Have you seen Chupacabra?
  • The Chupacabra History
  • Appearance of Chupacabra
  • Chupacabra Trivia
  • Chupacabra Maze
  • Appearances in Movies
  • Search about Chupacabra
  • Letter about Chupacabra

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Link will appear as Chupacabra Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, February 4, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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