New claims of the legendary Chupacabra are causing a stir for some North Texas residents. Their fears arose after a local animal control officer shot two canine-like animals in Hood County, Texas.
The mythical creature has captured the public's imagination for years. Carcasses of the coyote-like chupacabra have been "identified" across the U.S. -- the latest is even on display in an upstate New York museum.
The chupacabra comes from Hispanic folklore, where it is supposedly known for attacking goats and other livestock (chupacabra means "goat sucker" in Spanish). It was even featured on the popular television series "The X-Files."
"All I know is, it wasn't normal," said animal control officer Frank Hacket, who shot one of the animals in a local rancher's barn. "It was ugly, real ugly. I'm not going to lie on that one."
This is nothing new for Texas State University biologist Mike Forstner. In 2007, Forstner performed a DNA test on another alleged Chupacabra, only to find the beast was really a coyote.
"We're either going to find out that they're a Mexican hairless dog species, and may have been someone's pet, or that they're coyotes," Forstner said.
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