Editing Chupacabra (section)

== Appearance ==
[[File:African wild dog with mange - Serengeti (5468632138).jpg|thumb|[[Mange]] can often greatly alter the expected appearance of an animal. Wild and domestic canines with severe cases of mange have been proposed as explanations for the Chupacabra.]]
The most common description of the chupacabra is that of a [[reptile]]-like creature, said to have leathery or scaly greenish-gray skin and sharp spines or quills running down its back.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skepdic.com/chupa.html|title=Chupacabra|last=Carroll|first=Robert Todd|author-link=Robert Todd Carroll|date=29 October 2015|website=The Skeptic's Dictionary|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827003355/http://skepdic.com/chupa.html|archive-date=27 August 2020}}</ref> It is said to be approximately {{convert|3|to|4|ft|1}} high, and stands and hops in a fashion similar to that of a [[kangaroo]].<ref name="top ten">{{cite web|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/most-mysterious-creatures-of-modern-times-2594695|title=The Top 10 Most Mysterious Creatures of Modern Times|last=Wagner|first=Stephen|date=8 September 2017|website=ThoughtCo|publisher=[[Dotdash]]|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417213653/https://www.thoughtco.com/most-mysterious-creatures-of-modern-times-2594695|archive-date=17 April 2019}}</ref> This description was the chief one given to the few Puerto Rican reports in 1995 that claimed to have sighted the creature, with similar reports in parts of Chile and Argentina following.<ref name=Radford2011/>

Another common description of the chupacabra is of a strange breed of wild dog. This form is mostly hairless and has a pronounced spinal ridge, unusually pronounced eye sockets, fangs, and claws. This description started to appear in the early 2000s from reports trailing north from the [[Yucatán Peninsula]], northern [[Mexico]], and then into the [[United States]]; becoming the predominant description since.<ref name=Radford2011/> Unlike conventional predators, the chupacabra is said to drain all of the animal's blood (and sometimes organs) usually through three holes in the shape of a downwards-pointing triangle, but sometimes through only one or two holes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vocero.com/noticias.asp?s=Locales&n=23285|last=De Jesús Mangual|first=Tomás|author-link=Tomás de Jesús Mangual|date=9 January 2006|title=Imputan otro ataque al Chupacabras|trans-title=Another attack attributed to chupacabras|website=[[El Vocero]]|location=San Juan, Puerto Rico|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011110443/http://vocero.com/noticias.asp?s=Locales&n=23285|archive-date=11 October 2007}}</ref>