Professor Pamela Owen of the University of Texas debunks the chupacabra myth by analyzing the bones of an animal shot by a rancher in Elmendorf. As part of the program "Mystery Hunters," Owen, a mammalogist, identified the skull as belonging to a sick coyote, not a mythical creature. Her research demonstrates how supernatural phenomena can have natural explanations. The program, in which she participated, aims to educate children about the scientific approach to discoveries and will air on the American Discovery Channel.
University of Texas professor Pamela Owen can add one more title to her résumé: educator, scientist, and researcher of supernatural phenomena.
The producers of the educational program "Mystery Hunters" asked Owen for help identifying bones described as belonging to the mythical chupacabra. The chupacabra, whose name means "goat sucker" in Spanish, is a creature known for attacking and mutilating cattle and sucking the blood of its victims.
The bones belong to rancher Devin Macanally, who shot the animal when it attacked chickens on his ranch in Elmendorf, Texas, USA. Photos of the animal, which was later dubbed the "Elmendorf Animal," show a small, hairless, dog-like creature.
Owen, who has a doctorate in mammalogy with a specialization in carnivores, said that when she first heard about the "Elmendorf Animal," she agreed with biologists' initial assessment that it was some kind of coyote with a persistent itch.
Owen's suspicions were confirmed when the show's producers emailed her a photo of the creature's exhumed skull. Owen, who had been identifying bones at the Texas Memorial Museum for six years, was able to recognize the skull almost immediately.
“I wrote back and said, ‘Cool coyote, ’” Professor Owen said.
She further stated that she could understand that the average person might mistake the creature for a new species.
“What [Macanally] described definitely didn’t look like a coyote,” she said. “It was a hairless, blue thing with misshapen teeth. It must have been a diseased animal.”
As Owen says, what is called supernatural phenomena can often have an explanation in the context of the natural world.
“I still say the stories are interesting, but they are based on interesting phenomena in nature,” Owen said.
The investigation into the "Elmendorf Animal" was just one part of the episode. "The teenage researchers on the show also visited Puerto Rico, where the chupacabra myth originated," said Stephen Lawson, a researcher on "Mystery Hunters."
Owen said she was happy to be on the show because it's the best way to teach children about scientific research methods. The show will soon air on the American Discovery Channel and will likely be broadcast in Poland soon.
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