A Texas couple is convinced they've captured a real-life chupacabra

A husband and wife in southern Texas believe that the hairless animal with big claws that they caught in their yard is the legendary chupacabra. The chupacabra is said to be a grotesque creature that sucks the blood out of goats and cattle, and it's almost certain to cause nightmares if you ever decide to do a Google Image search.

Jackie Stock and Arlen Parma discovered the animal on Sunday; it has dark skin, lots of teeth, and a distinctive growl. Parma is an avid hunter, and says he's never seen — or heard — anything like it.

"A coon doesn't make that noise, or a possum," he told Newscenter25. "What makes that noise? I guess a chupacabra does."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Brent Ortego, a wildlife diversity biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife — who, to be fair, has only seen photos of the creature — says he believes this chupacabra is a small canine with mange, which is why it has no hair. Whatever it is, it's currently being kept in a cage outside, and being fed corn and cat food. --Catherine Garcia