Posted on 05/24/2015 3:40:22 PM PDT by nickcarraway
An investigative author from New Mexico with a history of scientifically debunking the chupacabra myth says he can explain sightings of the mythical creature.
"When you do DNA testing on these alleged chupacabras, they're known animals," Benjamin Radford, who authored the 2011 book "Tracking the Chupacabra," told New Mexico television station KOB. "They are coyotes or dogs. In some cases, they're raccoons. The hairlessness can be explained by a disease called sarcoptic mange, which is caused by skin mites."
Animals with advanced mange often die when exposed to cold, but because of warmer temperatures brought on by climate change, those animals are living longer, Radford told the station.
That has led to an increase in alleged "chupacabra" sightings, Radford said.
Though the blood-sucking monster is said to have deep roots in Mexican folklore, Radford wrote in his book that the myth only reaches back to about 1995, according to the book's Wikipedia page.
The writer traced the myth to Puerto Rican woman Madelyne Tolentino, who reportedly gave the first account of the creature shortly after watching the 1995 movie "Species."
Radford, who has written for the urban legend website Snopes, has attributed sightings since that time to mass hysteria and lack of scientific knowledge among other factors.
"When people say skeptics are debunkers – that's mean, evil and gloomy. I would love to find a chupacabra; I would love to find a Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster," Radford told KOB. "If they're out there, I want to be the first person there. I want to poke at it and sniff it."
I haven’t heard any wookie sightings lately. What happen?
How’s the Jackalope population doing?
So how does he explain the blue eyes?
He does an excellent job discrediting SNOPES
Hmmm... I will be the one to successfully hunt the Jersey Devil this year...
I saw Bigfoot steeling a ice machine from a Quick Stop!
Too easy...Christie can be sighted by a blind man a mile away!
When are the unicorns coming?
I'm supposed to believe this idiot?
What do you want? A shred of proof?
That's the ticket!
"Now gimme my government grant! Snort!"
It's in Hillary's shredder along with her emails...
Ha ha ha!
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