This is Not a Chupacabra

Residents of Lexington have recently reported seeing an unsightly creature in the area of Potter Pond, but this isn't a case for cryptozoologists. 

According to police, the strange-looking animal pictured above is a coyote with a case of mange. The Animal Control officers from Lexington and Belmont are monitoring the animal, and trying to make sure it gets enough food to recover from the mange, according to Stephanie Doucette, the animal control officer with the Lexington Police Department. 


Coyotes sightings, while increasingly common in residential neighborhoods, can be alarming -- and even moreso when it resembles the legendary chupacabra, a mysterious creature said to suck blood from livestock in Puerto Rico, Mexico and the American Southwest. 

Like the animal in Lexington, many alleged chupacabra sightings have been explained as coyotes suffering from extreme cases of mange, according to this National Geographic report. 

Doucette said the mangy coyote in Lexington is a cub, probably about 4 months old, and will run away from people when seen. The ACOs know where he hangs out, and typically check in on the cub about once a day, she said.