Another bit of the magic and fantasy left in the world debunked. Aw well: I
guess there's still some mythical beings left to search for. There's Big Foot.
Nessie. A compassionate Republican. :)
*****************************
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA110207.03B.BeastDNA.3145b53.html
Strange beast found near Cuero is a coyote
Roger Croteau
Express-News
Biologists at Texas State University announced Thursday that they've identified
the hairless, doglike beast whose carcass was discovered near Cuero in late
July.
The mystery creature gained fame as possibly the mythical "chupacabra." But
thanks to DNA testing, science has gone beyond legend and provided a definitive
answer.
It's a coyote.
"The DNA sequence is a virtually identical match to DNA from the coyote," Mike
Forstner, a Texas State University biologist, said in a news release Thursday
night. "This is probably the answer a lot of folks thought might be the
outcome. I, myself, really thought it was a domestic dog, but the Cuero
chupacabra is a Texas coyote."
Rancher Phylis Canion found the carcass on her property, and many in the area
claimed the bluish-colored road kill was responsible for their missing cats,
and chickens found with their blood sucked out in recent years.
San Antonio television station KENS 5 paid for the DNA testing, which was
performed as a lab assignment by two of Forstner's students, Jim Bell and Jake
Jackson.
The main mystery its species has been solved, but the DNA match does not
explain why this coyote looked so weird.
"That is the best part about science. The first answers often lead to more
questions and then better explanations of the world in which we live," Forstner
said. 'We've taken additional skin samples and we will try to determine the
cause of the hair loss."
Forstner said the project has drawn a lot of attention. He'd been contacted by
more than 60 schoolteachers whose students are interested in the creature.
Plenty of news organizations wanted to know the answer.
An Italian TV news crew was even on the scene as he announced his findings the
night after Halloween.
"Folks fear what they don't understand, and a big part of the goal in science
is to explain the natural world," Forstner said.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
