The chupacabra of Puerto Rico
The account
A creature with large eyes and spines down its back sucked the blood of goats and sheep, and some linked it to UFOs and alien experiments.
What investigators found
The animal deaths were attributed to dogs and common predators, and the main witness's description matches the creature from the film "Species" (1995).
The story
In March 1995, sheep were found dead in Puerto Rico with small puncture wounds in their chests. In August, Madelyne Tolentino reported seeing a two-legged being in Canóvanas, with large eyes and spines down its back, at a time when dozens of animals were turning up dead in the area. The nickname "chupacabras" caught on fast, and part of the local UFO community began tying the creature to UFOs and alleged alien genetic experiments.
Skeptical researcher Benjamin Radford investigated the case and concluded that Tolentino's description mirrored the creature in the science fiction film "Species", released that same year, which she herself said she had watched. Examinations of the animals pointed to attacks by dogs and common predators. Even so, the chupacabra spread across Latin America and became one of the best known modern myths in the hemisphere.