Most of you who read this blog have, I'm sure, heard the dark tales of the so-called "Texas Chupacabras" - those weird, hairless canines that have been seen roaming the woods of the Lone Star State for the last few years.Well, as you may also know, over the course of the last few years, I have made several trips to Puerto Rico looking for the island's very own vampire, which in some ways, resembles the Texas Chupacabras but that in other ways, is acutely different.
Anyway, that thorny and controversial issue aside, in the latter part of last year I gave a lecture for the San Antonio chapter of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON).
And who should come along to the lecture? None other than MUFON legend and former head of the group, Walt Andrus.
But, there's more...
Walt brought along with him to my presentation nothing less than the skull of one of the hairless whatsits killed in Texas, that many believe to be a cousin of the blood-sucking beast of Puerto Rico. The skull had been donated to Walt by its former owner.
And there's even more!
Imagine my surprise when, a week or so ago, John Schwab (who currently runs the San Antonio MUFON group) emailed me to say that Walt wished to donate the skull to me - a skull that has just now arrived at my Arlington, Texas home.
Mercifully, I suspect the mailman had no idea at all of the monstrous form that he was depositing on my doorstep...
So now; thanks to Walt, John, Julie and all at SA MUFON; an honest-to-goodness Texas Chupacabras (or hairless dog, depending on your own, personal opinion...) sits proudly upon my office desk.
And as evidence, here is a photo of the monstrous critter (I'm on the left; the monstrous critter is on the right...) taken earlier this evening.
My wife, Dana, utterly hates it already.... :)
This more than makes up for all the time and emotional energy we've all spent fretting over the giant Peruvian snake photos this past week!
ReplyDeleteI hope Nick plans on getting it analyzed and tested.
Photograph it from every conceivable angle with a measurement scale in each shot, please, and post the pictures so that the skull may be compared to existing coyote skulls...
ReplyDeleteWhich is the new skull? I think we should be told......
ReplyDeleteBigfoot73/Dan:
ReplyDeleteYes, it most assuredly is canid - there's absolutely no doubt about that.
My view on the "Texas Chupacabras" is that they are all Canid.
And, I don't think they have any connection with whatever the Puerto Rican Chupacabras may or may not be - aside from the fact that the name has been used to describe the Texas animals.
But, although the skull is indeed canid, it definitely did come from one of those hairless dogs killed in Texas; so in that respect it is a "Texas Chupacabras," even though I don't think they are out-of-the-ordinary animals - they just lack hair and look weird.
Tim:
haha, very good! :)