It's a mythical monster that drinks the blood of livestock, reeks of sulphur, and strangely resembles your average coyote, and one man thinks it wandered into a local barn.
Jerry Ayer, a teacher at the Blanco Taxidermy School in Blanco, Texas, came into possession of a mysterious creature when a student's cousin found it in his barn in Rosenberg, roughly 40 miles southwest of Houston. Not knowing what it was, they poisoned it and contacted Ayer, who has seen a wide variety of animals as a taxidermist for 10 years.
The animal is described as gray, with leathery skin and unlike anything that is native to Texas.
The chupacabra possibility occurred to them because of its long legendary past and numerous recently reported sightings. Several have been found that tests have revealed have similar DNA to that of a coyote.
Others have appeared to be despondent looking homeless puppies on cuddly blankets.
Ayers believes that the long front legs of his specimen make his authentic. He plans to preserve the animal and hopes a museum might want to display it.
Holly LaFon has written and worked for various local publications including D Magazine and Examiner.
