The Cryptid Files

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Cryptid Case Files Ep. 1 - The Dover Demon

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John Baxter’s sketch of the Dover Demon. (Thought Catalog)

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Bill Bartlett’s original sketch of the Dover Demon. (Wikipedia) 

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Dover Demon

The Dover Demon of Dover, Massachusetts has been described as a large, glowing eyed creature, with a large watermelon head with no features, a tan hairless body, and long tendrily appendages. The first, and only, sightings occurred one night on April 21, 1977.  First, the creature was seen by William Bartlett, who drew the most famous illustration of the Demon, and “swore on a stack of Bibles” it is what he saw. Later, John Baxter was walking home when he stumbled upon a similar creature, that he first assumed to be a neighbor with a deformed head due to a childhood disease, but there was no response after he called out. His illustration resembles Bartlett’s. Even later that night, Abby Brabham saw a similar creature. All three sightings took place near water, and when mapped make a two mile straight line. Since the witnesses were all teenagers, it was believed to be a hoax, or a foal or moose calf. However, it wasn’t foaling season and there were only two moose sightings in all of Massachusetts that year. There have been no sightings since. 

“The Dover Demon.” Strange New England. http://www.strange-new-england.com/2015/10/21/dover-demon/#more-125

Sullivan, Mark. “Decades later, the Dover Demon still haunts.” Boston.com. http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/10/29/decades_later_the_dover_demon_still_haunts/

“Dover Demon.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Demon

Stockton, Chrissy. “12 Creepy Facts About the Dover Demon.” Thought Catalog. https://thoughtcatalog.com/christine-stockton/2018/07/dover-demon/

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Phylis Canion holds the head of what she is calling a Chupacabra at her home in Cuero, Texas, Friday, Aug. 31, 2007. She found the strange looking animal dead outside her ranch and thinks it is responsible for killing many of her chickens. The results are in: The ugly, big-eared animal found this summer in Cuero is not the mythical bloodsucking chupacabra. It's just a plain old coyote. (Live Science) 

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Phylis Canion’s chupacabras specimen. (Texas Observer) 

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The Chupacabras was described as a hairless, dog-like animal. (BBC Earth) 

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Model of a chupacabra from the exhibit “Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches” at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. (Britannica) 

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Chupacabras. (Live Science) 

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Chupacabras. (BBC Earth)

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Chupacabras (Flickr)

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Chupacabras

The Chupacabras (lit. “goat-sucker”) of Puerto Rico and the Southwestern United States is reported as being a small bear size creature, 3 - 4 feet, with reptile-like skin, a row of spines from neck to the base of its tale, has red glowing eyes, and jumps like a kangaroo. The first sighting occurred in 1995 when 8 sheep died, their carcasses having only 3 puncture-like wounds on their neck, and were completely drained of blood. However, witness Madelyn Toletino’s description closely matched the alien from the film Species, which was released earlier that year. Perhaps it was a top secret U.S. escaped scientific genetic experiment in El Yunque rainforest. Sightings of this alien died down until creatures also named Chupacabras began to appear in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. These animals were dog-like creatures with scaly skin and little fur. Like their Puerto Rican counterpart, they also sucked the blood of their victims, usually livestock, dry. These Chupacabras are thought to be dogs or coyotes with the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which causes mange. For some mammals, mange can be fatal and causes blood vessels to constrict, causing fatigue or exhaustion. Carcasses have been found and their DNA tested, and in 2004, 2007, and 2009 they were found to be sickly mangy coyotes or dogs. The lack of blood and puncture wounds are explained away by lividity, where, in death, the blood thickens and coagulates and goes to the lowest part of the body. Most witnesses would not think to turn the carcass over. Sickly carnivores are more likely to hunt livestock, as their normal prey is out of reach. The animal’s canine teeth cause and puncture and there have been reports of animals killing and then leaving the carcass untouched. In addition, most animals that feed on blood, such as vampire bats and mosquitoes have specialized anatomy for blood ingestion, something that has not been found

Sources

“Chupacabra.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupacabra

Gabbatiss, Josh. “The truth about a strange blood-sucking monster.” BBC Earth. http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161109-the-truth-about-a-strange-blood-sucking-monster

Lewis, Robert. “Chupacabra.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/chupacabra

Than, Ker. “Chupacabra Science: How Evolution Made a Mythical Monster.” National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101028-chupacabra-evolution-halloween-science-monsters-chupacabras-picture/#close

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CRYPTIDS A-Z (Giclée Fine Art Print) Cryptozoology Pop Art by Jazzberry Blue

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Loveland Frog Musical Poster (The River City News)

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Loveland Frog (Atlas Obscura)

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Loveland Frog (ArtGIS Story Maps)

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Loveland Frogman (Cincy Shirts)