Some People Think This Picture Shows the Mythical 'Chupacabra' in Texas

Step aside Bigfoot, you're not the only legendary creature that some have claimed to spot in Texas. There have been at least three reports in the last two weeks of chupacabra sightings in the Houston area. But there's an interesting explanation.

Not familiar with the mythical chupacabra? It's said to be a coyote-like animal, in many cases visualized without hair, that sucks the blood of other animals.

Or as Scott Black, who says he saw the animal roaming in his backyard over the weekend described it, "it had big, long, pointy ears, a long tail, had no skin, or no fur rather." Black told KPRC-TV that it had "splotches of gray and splotches of raw skin."

Some residents in Texas have spotted this animal that they think could be the legendary chupacabra. (Image source: KPRC-TV)

Claude Griffen from Gotcha Pest reviewed the photos taken by Black's neighbor, David McKee, for the Houston Chronicle. Griffen said it isn't the first time he's seen an animal like this. But he offered a different explanation: He told the newspaper he thinks someone might be trying to breed animals to look like a chupacabra.

A local pest control worker said he thinks the animal is not a chupacabra but likely a cross between different canine breeds. (Image source: KPRC-TV)

"It was very vicious, very long, longer than a human," Griffen told the Chronicle, adding that he thinks it could be a cross between a greyhound and a wolf. "They are real animals, they are cross-breeds that are hazardous to humans.  They are just looking for food. They'd probably kill your cat."

Watch KPRC-TV's report about the animal:

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National Geographic has reasoned that mange, a condition caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, could be fueling chupacabra legends.