"Chupacabra" found in New Mexico

[Enraged_Ape]

You've got to check out the video. This thing was found out near my house! (For those not hip to "El Chupacabra", it's supposedly some xenobiological entity that sucks the blood of goats and chickens.)

What in blue blazes can this be? And what the heck is it doing out in the desert? :scared:

http://www.kob.com/index.cfm?viewer=storyviewer&id=17037&cat=HOME

Strange corpse has some muttering the word ‘chupacabra’

Some New Mexicans say it’s the weirdest thing they’ve ever seen: a creature – and that’s the best word to describe it – found on Albuquerque’s West Mesa.

To some, it’s simply intriguing. To others, it’s downright scary. The creature belongs to Robert Wheeler.

“It was found out on the West Mesa,” says Wheeler. ”A friend of mine was out there shooting and kicked it out of the dirt.”

“It looks like a gargoyle” said Wheeler’s friend Steve Garcia. “It has these sponge-like lips.”

(More at the link)

[Az]

1. Sounds like someone found Oscar n/t

[On the Road]

2. Is it Oscar, the Mixed Animal?

Sounds remarkably similar.

[redqueen]

3. What are you two talking about?

Oscar?

[On the Road]

9. Az Beat Me to It

but there was a thread a year or so ago started by a DUer who claimed he had inherited a strange creature from his uncle who lived in a cabin the woods. He had it in the room with him and asked for DUers to help identify it. The creature was so unusual that he asked whether it was possible for different species to interbreed. Its name was Oscar.

A lot of DUers posted pictures of possible species, but none of them matched. It became clear that he was making the whole thing up, which of course made the thread even better. It got over 100 replies and was one of the most memorable DU Lounge threads ever.

[redqueen]

13. Figures that was before I burned out and started Lounging.

:(

[Tweed]

38. Hey, I burned out and started Lounging too!

I use to never come to the Lounge.

[Lars39]

12. Here's the Oscar thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=624815

[redqueen]

20. THANK YOU!

That is truly one of THE most hilarious things ever!

A very sincere LMAO! :7

Thanks again. :D :D :D :D

[Lars39]

26. The ringside seat at the time it was unfolding

was priceless. :D

[A-Schwarzenegger]

45. Where did this come from?

I wish somebody would tell me when people are talking
about the animal. I don't want to miss anything.

[aaronbees]

46. wonderful!

what a joy to read!

[latteromden]

47. Oh. My god. THANK YOU for the link. Absolutely hilarious.

[realisticphish]

4. now THAT is a weird-ass creature nt

[7th_Sephiroth]

5. i have hunted chupacabra

these beasties exist, i know it

[Az]

6. Um, video games don't count

:evilgrin:

[7th_Sephiroth]

7. your so close minded

is it really too difficult for you to believe that there are species out there we havent seen yet?

[Az]

8. Of course not

There are probably millions of undocumented species out there.

So. Ya got any pictures of these critters? Just because it is possible doesn't mean we suspend all notions of critical thought. The evidence thing is still a pretty good methology to determine if something is true or not.

[7th_Sephiroth]

10. not yet

but soon, i hope

[Az]

11. So you have hunted these things

but not caught any pictures... have you caught any at all? Or just hunted them? Not to belittle you or anything but you have heard of a snipe hunt haven't you? I am curious if you could comment on the circumstances of these hunts you have been on.

[7th_Sephiroth]

14. mostly research actually

my travel budget is limited

[Az]

15. Fair enough

But I would still hold out for a body or some better evidence.

[7th_Sephiroth]

19. i'd like that too

but eyewitness is all i got right now

[Az]

22. Eyewitnesses are tricky at best

I wouldn't hang any hopes on individual testimony. Its fun to speculate. But it is more productive to hold to tried and true methodologies.

[TlalocW]

16. Snipe hunts rule

My brother and his friends took the town asshole-of-the-high-school-set out into the woods behind the vet clinic for a snipe hunt, telling him that they were a type of weasel prized for their fur. They left him in a strategic spot to catch the snipes that they were going to scare out of their nests a little further ahead. One of them then put on a gorilla mask and snuck up behind him, scaring the crap out of him and causing both his boots to be lost in the mud as he ran off. They had to stay in the woods long a little longer than expected because cops came out and did the obligatory shine the light on the outskirts of the trees before leaving.

TlalocW

[Ediacara]

17. It's a shark or skate

I'll bet any of the Chupacabra hunters $10,000 it's a shark or skate that's been dried out in the desert. The "horn" is the rostrum, the "eyes" are actually nasal capsules, the mouth, well, is the mouth, the "wings" are pectoral fins, and there are clearly gills on the side of the head.

Here's a drawing of the skull of a shark, which is almost identical to the "creature" in the box.

[Beetwasher]

23. Maybe, But Did You Watch The Video?

They show the thing from the back and it's got a tail that has a diamond shaped end...Do sharks have tails like that?

Maybe it's some kind of dried up Ray (which I understand are related to sharks)?

[Ediacara]

25. Yes I watched the video

The skull, I can say with all certainty is a shark or ray's skull. I think it may be a ray or skate rather than a standard shark due to the large pectoral fins. The diamond shaped end is probably just cracked skin. And yes, skates and rays are not just related to sharks, but a type of shark that has gone flat.

[Beetwasher]

29. I Wouldn't Be Surprised If It

is a "modified" shark carcass used for a hoax...It looks like someone was TRYING to make it look like a demon...The wings and tail are just TOO "demonic" looking to be accidental...

[Az]

27. The video even says its probably an aquatic critter

Lets not jump to conclusions. They are going to examine the thing and figure out what it is.

[Beetwasher]

30. No Conclusions Here!

Just speculation! For the record, I don't think it's Chupacabra though! ;-)

I'd say it's either a dried aquatic carcass of some kind and/or a hoax (possibly both)...Just my guess...

[Ediacara]

34. Look, I AM concluding something

I am concluding that it IS without ANY doubt the carcass of a shark or skate or ray. The skulls of sharks are very distinctive, and the head of the chupacabra is clearly that of a shark for the reasons I outlined earlier.

[Beetwasher]

37. Ok, But I'm Not

Because it may not simply be JUST a shark carcass. As I've said, I think it could be part of a hoax using a modified shark carcass...:shrug:

I'm no expert on shark carcasses so I would not even feel qualified to agree w/ you about that, maybe you are an expert. I dunno. Either way, I'm pretty sure it ain't chupacabra...

[Ediacara]

39. These guys are bringing it to the fish and game dept

I assume that if they had used glue, they'd keep it in a private "museum" far from the prying eyes of the state fish and game dept. Because they're bringing it in to be identified, I'm more apt to think that it hasn't been altered.

[Beetwasher]

41. Or They Could Just Be Really Stupid

Or they are not the one's responsible for the hoax and they just found it...Who knows? :shrug:

You're probably right, and it's just a shark carcass...

I'm just thinking along the lines of that "mermaid" hoax that was half monkey, half fish...Chupacabra hysteria is such ridiculous thing now though and there WAS just a movie on Sci Fi Channel about Chupacabra..Sooooooooooo....That's why I'm not drawing any conclusions...

[giant_robot]

35. Good catch on the gills!

Also, those "wings" are too small in relation to the body to be used for flight. It's more likely that they're pectoral fins.

[Beetwasher]

18. Looks Phony To Me

I'd be willing to bet it's a hoax...:shrug:

Sure, it's possible it's some undiscovered species, but in those pics the critter look totally phony...

[Ediacara]

21. It's a dried up shark carcass

It's real but..... it's just a little far from home.

[Zenlitened]

24. Argh! That "news" report was so tacky!

What a cheesy way to report the story, coyly hinting at what's in the box for half the clip, then showing us a few brief flashes of the thing.

And then teasing TOMORROW'S report, where "we'll tell you what it really is."

Ugh. I really freak out at the way all television -- commercials, shows and now even the news -- has become so crassly manipulative. It's not even well-done anymore. Just heavy-handed and offensive.

[Zuni]

28. That is awesome

I think it is neat they found a mystery creature.

[WoodrowFan]

31. just in time for the next Star Wars movie!

hey, that doesn't look like a wookie!

[RebelOne]

32. What video?

I click on video link in the story and all I get is an advertisement for the TV channel news.

[Ediacara]

33. After the ad plays, a second video will load for the story

[RebelOne]

36. Thanks, I'll go back and try it again. n/t

[bmbmd]

40. Here's a chupacabra...

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=EBC8FC7B-ED5D-46A5-8DA4-3C6F6C31975E

[seabeyond]

42. a 2 year drama for my son with chupacabra's

he still sleeps with his blankets protecting his neck, every nite i hsve to undue him. this is horrible. i went on the next to show him it was a myth and found shit, lol lol i am just convincing him they arent real

thanks for sharing this. interesting

[Ediacara]

43. UPDATE: I was right :-)

This story has an update:

Game and Fish: Bizarre creature an ocean skate


The Department of Game and Fish says
this strange creature was an ocean skate,
which is similar to a stingray.
Last Update: 02/12/2005 2:44:41 PM
By: Todd Dukart

A bizarre creature found on Albuquerque’s West Mesa wasn’t the chupacabra, the Department of Game and Fish said, but it was something that isn’t often seen in New Mexico: an ocean skate.

Some people thought the creature was the chupacabra, a legendary creature also called the “goat sucker.”

Construction worker Robert Wheeler said a friend of his found it four years ago on the West Mesa.

Game and Fish employee Marlene Bernal said she saw the creature in someone’s home.

[KittyWampus]

44. I Love This Thread!

[Enraged_Ape]

50. Thanks for posting that

I wasn't able to get to the story where they revealed what they thought it was.

[Hans Delbrook]

48. Ahh, that brings back fond memories for me

Scully: You're not gonna tell me you think it's that Mexican goat sucker thing.
Mulder: El Chupacabra? No, they got four fangs, not two, and they suck goats, hence the name.

[NomoBreaks]

49. Real or not: Funny Story

nt