Under the hum of ranch lights and rumor, the Chupacabra stalks fences, leaves two perfect punctures, and sprints straight into pop culture. Mitch and Russell trace the “goat-sucker” from 1990s Puerto Rico to Texas backroads—separating vampiric lore from veterinary reports, and movie monsters from mange-stricken coyotes. You’ll hear the big early sightings, the DNA tests behind those infamous “bodies,” and why folklore thrives when ecosystems are stressed. Less jump-scare, more truth serum. New episodes every Wednesday—bring your flashlight and your skepticism.

Sources:

• Radford, Benjamin. Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore. University of New Mexico Press.
  https://unmpress.com/books/tracking-chupacabra
  
  
• Smithsonian Magazine — “The True Story of the Chupacabra” (coverage of Radford’s investigation & DNA results)
  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-true-story-of-the-chupacabra-63699302/
  
  
• National Geographic — reporting on Texas “chupacabra” carcasses & DNA as coyotes/dogs with mange
  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/150325-chupacabra-animals-science-texas-myths
  
  
• Skeptical Inquirer — analyses of Puerto Rico cases, Species-influence hypothesis, and canine predation patterns
  https://skepticalinquirer.org/2011/03/the-chupacabra-science-finds-the-real-monster/
  
  
• BBC Mundo — historical overview of reports across Latin America (Spanish)
  https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2015/06/150612_cultura_chupacabras_historia_mito_lp
  
  
• Texas State University news releases on DNA identifications of “chupacabra” carcasses (various years)
  https://www.txst.edu/newsroom/articles/2014-chupacabra-dna.html
  
  

Journal of Wildlife Diseases — background on sarcoptic mange in canids (mechanisms, appearance)
https://meridian.allenpress.com/jwd/article/50/2/268/78335/Sarcoptic-Mange-in-Wildlife

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmendorf_Beast 

https://www.texasobserver.org/chupacabra-legends-texas/

https://cwhl.vet.cornell.edu/disease/mange#:~:text=Mange%20is%20a%20skin%20disease,gray%20wolves%2C%20and%20red%20wolves.