“What is it?” appears to be the operative question in Suining, Sichuan, China where a creature of unknown origin has reared its ugly head. Labeled  “the Chinese Chupacabra” (which is Spanish for goat sucker), whatever this is has attracted much attention and become a much-talked-about celebrity.

It was the middle of the night on March 23rd when a rooster call awakened Ke Suying, and armed with a flashlight, she and another family member went to the coop expecting to surprise a chicken thief in the act.

The surprise was theirs indeed; inside the coop was a strange, gray, hairless dog-like creature that was ripping the chickens apart. The two women could not contain the animal and quickly sought help from neighbors. After much effort, they were finally able to cage the creature.

“In all my 90 years, I’ve never seen such a creature. I have no idea what it is,” says Liu Chang, a neighbor who came to view the strange discovery

The omnivorous animal measures approximately 60 centimeters (more than 23 inches) and appears to be an amalgam of several different species. Its head resembles a dog, but its nostrils are those of a cow.

Even stranger, it has round ears and folds on the skin of its neck. Bottom-heavy, the hind legs are much longer and heavier than the forelegs, and all four feet are wide and have five toes each, resembling those of a lion or tiger.

All but a few sparse hairs remain on its back, leading one to believe that this animal, that also bears a wound on its stomach, might have been completely covered with hair at one time.

Could it be a coyote with a terrible case of mange? Or a badger or stone marten?

It doesn’t seem to fit into any animal category completely, which compounds the mystery.

Then again, new species and those thought to be extinct are re-discovered every day.

What is this creature?

Time may or may not tell.

What do YOU think about this?

(Link)

MDeeDubroff

MDeeDubroff

M Dee Dubroff is the penname of this freelance writer and former teacher originally from Brooklyn, New York. A writer of ghostly and horror fiction, she has branched out into the world of humorous non fiction writing and maintains eight web sites covering a wide variety of topics. She also writes feature articles for several local newspapers. Her book entitled: A Taste of Funny, and her website, Eat, Drink And Really Be Merry (http://www.ingestandimbibe.com) feature many well researched and humorous articles on the subject of food and drink.