A bloated corpse that washed up in Paraguay last week is causing a sensation in the local media, with some speculating that the body is that of the legendary chupacabra.
However, experts believe the creature pulled out of a river at Carmen del Parana is something a lot more common -- and a lot less sensational.
Javier Medina, head of the local fire department, told 780 AM that it has "little hands and feet," leading him to believe it's a monkey, but the body is so badly decomposed it's hard to say for sure.
Medical examiner Pablo Lemir said it has long fingers like a human, but it's not a human.
"It has a tail and that makes me think it's a monkey," he told Ultima Hora.
Ron Pine, former curator of small mammals at the Smithsonian, told Doubtful News that it's likely either a type commonly called the black howler monkey or a type of capuchin monkey.
Scientists believe the origin of the chupacabra legend may be coyotes suffering from severe mange, according to National Geographic. However, other animals such as raccoons and monkeys have occasionally been mistaken for the chupacabra. In other instances, animal deaths likely caused by illness are blamed on the chupacabra.
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