Alleged Chupacabra corpse found in Texas

An alleged chupacabra carcass found in Texas is likely a hoax to sell T-shirts say dog experts.

The animal, described in an Associated Press report last week as "a cross between two or three different things", was found as road kill last month near the Texas town of Cuero. The woman who discovered the carcass has been using it to market chupacabra T-shirts.

In lively Internet discussions dog breeders say the carcass appears to be that of a Xoloitzcuintle or Xolo, otherwise known as a Mexican Hairless dog, rather than the blood-sucking creature of legend.

"The overwhelming consensus on the Xolo discussion list -- which includes several hundred people -- is that this animal is a Xolo," said a top dog breeder who declined to be identified. "The dog looks like it has Xolo genetics. This is not a chupacabra -- that's absurd."