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Chupacabra is actually a hairless coyote mongabay.com November 2, 2007
This summer the animal carcass caused a stir when a woman promoted the find as a "chupacabra", a legendary beast said to suck the blood of goats and other livestock. Her claims were criticized by veterinarians and pet owners, many of whom believed the animal to be a sick domestic dog. Nevertheless the woman saved the head of the carcass to allow genetic testing of the beast.
"Not often do we have genetic material available from an animal that has been linked to a legendary myth," Forstner continued. "If people are worried about the chupacabra, it is probably even more important that we explain the mystery. Folks can fear what they don't understand, and a big part of the goal in science is to explain the natural world." "DNA tells a story. It allows us to determine the difference between animal species, and while I thought it was a canid (one of the members in the dog family), I could not tell from the photographs which one it might be," Forstner added. "From my perspective, we were interested in providing a direct answer from the DNA, testing the best guesses of experts by using the evidence from the animal itself.
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