History Main / Chupacabra

* In his ComicBook/New52 mini-series, ''Bizarro'' is keeping a Chupacabra named Collin as a pet. [[spoiler:As it turns out, he's an alien who lost his translator and he used to be a ''Franchise/GreenLantern''.]]
** In ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'', [[Franchise/TheFlash Impulse]] raced over to Puerto Rico to look for one after reading a cryptozoology book -- [[http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2817/impulsechupacabra.png lifting rocks and animals while calling out for it]].

* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': An episode amusingly features rampaging critter which isn't ''called'' a Chupacabra on-screen, but is blatantly modeled after the standard description of the beast.

* In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', when something has been killing cattle in the town of Novac at night, local ConspiracyTheorist No-bark Noonan is quick to blame a chupacabra.

** For the canine-like portrayals of Chupacabra, there is a centuries-old European myth that wolves prefer to kill more sheep and drink their blood than eat their flesh. This probably arises from people misunderstanding [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_killing surplus killing]] and failing to realize that the blood in the carcasses was coagulated rather than drained.

* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'': A chupacabra is featured in a sketch where it raps about its fondness for sucking goats, before offering its mixtape to two farmers.

** ''VideoGame/{{Diablo|1997}}'' (1997) has a Scavenger-type boss monster named el Chupacabras.

** ''VideoGame/DiabloI'' has a Scavenger-type boss monster named el Chupacabras.

-->-- '''Brock Samson''', ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': The monster appears in "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosS1E1DiaDeLosDangerous Dia de Los Dangerous!]]", inexplicably leaping from Brock's car to attack Dr. Venture. Apparently, Mexico is full of them. Amusingly, Dr. Venture had earlier declared them to be nonsense.

The Chupacabra is sometimes known as the [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Chupacabras]], or sometimes [[SpellMyNameWithAThe El Chupacabras]]. This is in fact the original form of the name in Spanish; this type of compound word in Spanish (verb + noun) usually has the plural form of the noun (other examples: ''el abrelatas'' "the can opener", ''el sacapuntas'' "the pencil sharpener", ''el tocadiscos'' "the record player", ''el pisapapeles'' "the paperweight") while the compound noun itself does not change in the plural (''dos sacapuntas'' "two pencil sharpeners"). [[{{Demythification}} In 2010, corpses of quadrupedal "Chupacabra" were analyzed and revealed to be coyotes afflicted with mange]],[[note]]In all likelihood, the name was attached to the unfortunate animals by someone with insufficient familiarity with either the original Puerto Rican myth or what mangy canids look like.[[/note]] while the bipedal Chupacabra originated from Madelyne Tolentino, the eyewitness from the Puerto Rico cases, believing that the monster Sil from the science fiction horror film ''Film/{{Species}}'', which she had watched prior to making the report, was real.

The myth became surprisingly popular across Central and South America over the years, and even in the Southern United States, with people claiming to have actually seen the creature. The myth was further bolstered by [[https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/el-chupacabras-una-caso-de-histeria-colectiva-en-mexico.html the Mexican powers that be from 1994 to 1996]], [[WorstNewsJudgmentEver who intentionally played it up on local news and media specifically because every second spent discussing El Chupacabras was a second not spent discussing the major political and economic turmoil that was happening back then]]. Interestingly, it changed its appearance on its travels: In Latin American countries, it's reported as being a bizarre [[RedEyesTakeWarning red-eyed]] alien being with spines along its back, like the page image. In the US, since around the turn of the 2000s, it's tended to take on the appearance of a hairless dog (and some sightings and corpses have been confirmed to actually be dogs with severe mange). It also has been featured on several TV shows and movies, effectively being treated as the Latin American equivalent of [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Bigfoot]]. Pop culture spread the Chupacabra even further, with recent sightings as far as Russia.

The Chupacabra is sometimes known as the [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Chupacabras]], or sometimes [[SpellMyNameWithAThe El Chupacabras]]. This is in fact the original form of the name in Spanish; this type of compound word in Spanish (verb + noun) usually has the plural form of the noun (other examples: ''el abrelatas'' "the can opener", ''el sacapuntas'' "the pencil sharpener", ''el tocadiscos'' "the record player", ''el pisapapeles'' "the paperweight") while the compound noun itself does not change in the plural (''dos sacapuntas'' "two pencil sharpeners"). [[{{Demythification}} In 2010, corpses of quadrupedal "Chupacabra" were analyzed and revealed to be coyotes afflicted with mange]], while the bipedal Chupacabra originated from Madelyne Tolentino, the eyewitness from the Puerto Rico cases, believing that the monster Sil from the science fiction horror film ''Film/{{Species}}'', which she had watched prior to making the report, was real.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

** ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} fought a bunch of chupacapras who kidnapped a beloved goat named [[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Bella]]. The owner, a prize-winning chef, thanked Deadpool by making him his prize-winning dish made with only the best ingredients-- ''goat tacos''.

* ''Film/FantasticBeastsTheCrimesOfGrindelwald'' introduces Chupacabras to the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' franchise. They are portrayed in a manner consistent with the original Mexican version, being lizard-like creatures with spiky backs and blood-sucking fangs. [[EvilSorcerer Grindelwald]] keeps one as a pet, and uses it to hijack a [=MACUSA=] prison coach that was supposed to be transporting him to his next jail cell- and then kills it because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness it has now outlived its usefulness]].

* ''Literature/CryptidHunters'': The Chupacabra is discussed in the first book of the series, wherein Wolffe speculated that it’s not real, but was created in a lab and then allowed to roam the southwest USA to build a legend, only so Noah Blackwood could catch it and later display it for profit. In the third book, titled ''Chupacabra'', this is ultimately not far from the truth. Blackwood funded an extensive search of the American southwest and his men deduced that the creature doesn’t exist - but Blackwood seizes the opportunity to genetically invent a Chupacabra, which is functionally a XenomorphXerox and highly intelligent and self-aware.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

In fact, one of the most popular depictions of the Chupacabra has them being based on a [[CreepyHairlessAnimal creepy hairless]] [[BewareOfViciousDog dog]] with a pronounced spinal ridge, unusually pronounced eye sockets, and very sharp fangs and claws. It might often be depicted as a dog due to the fact that many canines can kill their prey without consuming them, either because of a lack of experience or due to how difficult was to kill them. And while the victim can survive, they will often die due to either circulatory shock or internal bleeding.

The myth became surprisingly popular across Central and South America over the years, and even in the Southern United States, with people claiming to have actually seen the creature. The myth was further bolstered by [[https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/el-chupacabras-una-caso-de-histeria-colectiva-en-mexico.html the Mexican powers that be from 1994 to 1996]], [[WorstNewsJudgmentEver who intentionally played it up on local news and media specifically because every second spent discussing El Chupacabras was a second not spent discussing the major political and economic turmoil that was happening back then]]. Interestingly, it changed its appearance on its travels: in Latin countries, it's reported as being a bizarre [[RedEyesTakeWarning red-eyed]] alien being with spines along its back, like the page image. In the US, they tend to take on the appearance of hairless dogs. It also has been featured on several TV shows and movies, effectively being treated as the Latin American equivalent of [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Bigfoot]]. Pop culture spread the chupacabra even further, with recent sightings as far as Russia.