The Elmendorf Beast was the name given to a

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological ni ...

blamed for several attacks on livestock in Elmendorf,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Various opinions have been offered as to the identity of the creature, including that it was a

Mexican Hairless Dog The Xoloitzcuintle (or Xoloitzquintle, Xoloitzcuintli, or Xolo) is one of several breeds of hairless dog. It is found in standard, intermediate, and miniature sizes. The Xolo also comes in a coated variety, totally covered in fur. Coated and hair ...

whose appearance had been altered by sickness and/or congenital ailments, and that it was a wolf–coyote cross. Some local people have linked it to the legend of the

Chupacabra The chupacabra or chupacabras (, literally 'goat-sucker'; from es, chupar, 'to suck', and , 'goats') is a legendary creature in the folklore of parts of the Americas, with its first purported sightings reported in Puerto Rico in 1995. The na ...

, while others believe that it was the product of a lab experiment that escaped, or that it was a previously unknown form of

canid Canidae (; from Latin, '' canis'', " dog") is a biological family of dog-like carnivorans, colloquially referred to as dogs, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). There are three subfamilies found withi ...

that was forced into contact with humans after its natural habitat was destroyed.

Analysis of the carcass

In August 2004, an animal eventually termed the Elmendorf Beast was shot and killed by local rancher Devin McAnally. The animal was found to be twenty pounds (nine kilograms). It had a severe

overbite Overbite is the extent of vertical ( superior-inferior) overlap of the maxillary central incisors over the mandibular central incisors, measured relative to the incisal ridges. The term overbite does not refer to a specific condition, nor is ...

and unusual skin which was blue and hairless. Experts at

San Antonio Zoo The San Antonio Zoo is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoo in Midtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is located in the city's Brackenridge Park. San Antonio Zoo is a 50+ acre zoo home to over 750 species, some of whic ...

were unable to conclusively identify the creature, but based on its skull they speculated that it was a

. It was later determined by DNA assay conducted at

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...

to be a coyote with demodectic or

sarcoptic mange Mange is a type of skin disease caused by parasitic mites. Because various species of mites also infect plants, birds and reptiles, the term "mange", or colloquially "the mange", suggesting poor condition of the skin and fur due to the infection ...

and not originally hairless. DNA gathered from the carcass was inconclusive due to

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is d ...

, though it was confirmed that the animal was a member of the canine family. Two similar carcasses were discovered in Texas and were found to be

s, suffering from very severe cases of mange.{{cite web, url=http://www.banderasnews.com/0603/art-chupacabra.htm, title=Texas' Blood-Sucking Monster, access-date=2007-06-12, author=Joy Victory, date=March 2006, website=www.banderasnews.com

References

External links

August, 25th 2005 News Report of "Chupacabra" CaptureAugust 31, 2007 ''MSNBC Article of Similar Animals Found in 2007''
Coyotes in human culture