Compare & Contrast MYTH & FACT THE Could these CHUPACABRA BIGFOOT legendary creatures be real? BY JENNIFER DIGNAN &In the 1990s, the number of reported chupacabra The Chupacabra attacks and sightings started to rise dramatically. At fi rst, Bigfoot Scientists discover the truth about most of the reports came from Puerto Rico and Mexico. The mystery surrounding this giant this nasty little monster Then the creatures began appearing in Texas and other ape-man continues parts of the U.S. Farmers would wake up to fi nd that their or years, people in certain parts of Latin America livestock had been slaughtered in the night. Hunters n October 1967, Roger Patterson and Robert and the United States have whispered tales of would catch sight of a strange, hideous creature running Gimlin were riding horses in Bluff Creek, the chupacabra, a terrible creature that sucks the through the trees. In January 2010, a bizarre, hairless California, when they encountered blood of farmyard animals. (Chupacabra means animal believed to be a chupacabra was found on the an enormous creature. It was more F“goat-sucker” in Spanish.) The creature is said to have a 14th hole of a golf course in Texas. Ithan 7 feet tall, with shaggy, dark-brown long snout, huge fangs, and leathery, almost hairless skin. Recently, scientists have studied videos, pictures, hair covering its body. It spooked the horses, Roger Patterson claimed It is generally described as 3 to 4 feet tall, with gleaming and the dead bodies of several alleged chupacabras. and Patterson was thrown to the ground. his film (inset) proved eyes and a sickening smell. Some say it hops on two legs Their conclusion? These creatures are actually animals He grabbed a camera from his saddlebag and the existence of Bigfoot. like a kangaroo; others say it runs on four legs like a dog. suffering from a skin condition called mange. Most often, fi lmed the creature as it strode off into the woods. Depending on whom you ask, it may also have spikes on the sick animals are coyotes or—as proved to be the case Or so the story goes. say it shows nothing more than a man in a costume. its back or batlike wings. with the animal on the golf course—raccoons. Patterson’s fi lm appears to show the legendary creature Indeed, in 2002, a costume designer named Philip Mange is caused by tiny parasites. The symptoms known as Bigfoot, a 7- to 10-foot apelike animal that Morris said he had made that costume. In 2004, a former This “blood-sucking include hair loss and a thickening of the skin, which walks upright like a person. Such “wild men” have been acquaintance of Gimlin, Bob Heironimus, said he had beast” turns out to be an gives it a leathery appearance. Mange can also lead to an part of folklore around the world for centuries. The idea played the role of Bigfoot. Neither man has any proof animal with an illness, like the badger infection that produces a foul odor. Animals suffering from that they actually exist, however, did not become popular to back up his claim. pictured at right. mange may appear to have extralong fangs, but this is just until the 1950s, when newspapers reported the discovery Some experts are not so sure the fi lm is a fake. They say an illusion caused by the lack of fur on their faces. of footprints said to belong to Bigfoot. Excited by these the creature’s body is too different from that of a human. What about those massacred farmyard reports, people started combing the woods for signs of They also say that in 1967, it wasn’t possible to create such animals? There’s an explanation for that its big, hairy body. Thousands of sightings and footprints a realistic costume. These experts are not saying Bigfoot is too. Animals with mange become very have now been reported across North America, most in real. But they aren’t saying Bigfoot isn’t real either. • weak. As a result, they often attack farm the Pacifi c Northwest. animals. A cow in a pen is much easier to Does this mean Bigfoot is real? It’s unlikely. No one has catch than a rabbit speeding through the ever captured a Bigfoot. Nor has anyone found a dead COMPARE & CONTRAST woods. one. So what about all those reports? Many have been Find three ways that the chupacabra and Bigfoot are So if you happen to encounter a hairless, confi rmed as hoaxes. Others could have been honest similar and three ways they are different. stinking creature with enormous fangs, don’t mistakes. A grizzly bear standing on its hind legs, for GET THIS To take this activity further, go to Scope worry. There’s probably a reasonable explanation for it. example, could be mistaken for a giant ape-man. ACTIVITY online and use our guide to write a ONLINE Probably. • ILLUSTRATIONS: GARY HANNA; INSET: ©ZENG CHANWEN/IMAGINECHINA/ZUMA PRESS INSET: ROGER PATTERSON©TOPHAM/FORTEAN/THE IMAGE WORKS Which brings us back to Patterson’s fi lm. Most experts (painless!) compare-and-contrast essay. 16 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • FEBRUARY 14, 2011 SCHOLASTIC.COM/SCOPE • FEBRUARY 14, 2011 17.