Anna Lee Strachan
In the tangled depths of its tropical rainforest, the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is said to hide a monster. Part alien, part vampire, part kangaroo-bat-demon, this monster has been supposedly sucking the blood of animals since 1995. Though reports of the monster’s alleged victims and eyewitnesses have since spread to eleven countries and made headlines worldwide, no scientific investigation to date has found any evidence supporting a paranormal predator. But like Bigfoot, ESP, and UFOs, this phenomenon–known to Spanish-speakers as the Chupacabras–has no shortage of believers.
In the face of little, no, or often-times contrary scientific evidence for the paranormal, people continue to believe. Why? The following thesis attempts an answer from the study of anthropology, psychology, and biology.
