Tests show that Texas "goat sucker" is a coyote

[TZ]

US scientists say an animal found in Texas is not the chupacabra - or goat-sucker - of American myth, but a coyote with a hair loss problem.
DNA tests on the carcass found at a ranch south-east of San Antonio yielded a virtually identical match to coyote DNA, biologist Mike Forstner said.

The coyote was one of three found dead by rancher Phylis Canion this summer.

Central American myth has long spoken of a vampire-like creature that slays livestock by sucking out their blood.

The chupacabra is said to attack its victims at night, leaving a trail of carcasses with their throats torn out.

Mr Forstner said that he himself had assumed the creature brought in for testing at Texas State University was a domestic dog but "the DNA sequence is a virtually identical match to DNA from the coyote
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7076192.stm

I suspect it will end up being coyotes with bad cases of mange. We had a fox with mange up here in Maryland not too long ago that made headlines because it was totally furless and very weird looking and some people thought it was some weird new cross breed.
I love seeing modern science in action--solving mysteries!

[MuseRider]

1. Probably mange

you are most likely correct but we will find out.

A bunch of years ago farmers/ranchers in Oklahoma introduced mange into a large number of coyotes in order to get rid of them. It was devastating. Up here in NE Kansas I lived in a place that had tons of coyotes, they had a large group that lived in my back yard. I watched them daily as they raised their families and played. They all got mange and it was so sad to watch them year after year dwindle down. They would end up freezing to death no matter what we did. It was horrible to watch. They now seem to be recovering and healthy. I no longer live in that place but the coyotes I see around my farm are very healthy.

[flashl]

2. The willful introduction of mange is terrible. n/t

[MuseRider]

6. It is.

They suffered so much and I watched it. It was horrible.

[Reader Rabbit]

3. A chupacabra thread!

Now that's something I can sink my teeth into!

[soothsayer]

4. Goat sucking is still legal in 11 states.

[seabeyond]

5. a thread for my children. years ago when young oldest heard about this

and his vivid imagine made it hard for him to sleep. he told his youngest brother and scared the shit out of him. we went onto internet so i could prove it was just myth, fake. the first article i am in reading thru, and they imply it is a fact. i quickly get out, but too late and son had read. 3,4 years later, still at night i go in to fix their blankets and blankets are tightly around the boys neck, rollin eyes... so this will be good for them to read. except the one poster that says goodie, and has a scary ass picture, lol.