A mysterious creature has been branded a ‘chupacabra’ and a ‘skin-walker’ after it was caught on camera by a terrified onlooker.
Janay Lynn, 30, said the animal gave her ‘the chills’ when she saw it on Monday outside her home in Pueblo, Colorado, US.
Yet with no proof, nobody believed her – until she captured footage of the creature when it returned on Saturday night.
Now speculation is rife over the animal’s true identity, with even wildlife officials unsure exactly what it is.
Miss Lynn said: ‘I was mortified. I first saw it last Monday during the afternoon – it was sitting in the road in front of my house.
‘It didn’t run or act afraid of me, and it turned and looked at me, and I got the chills and ran back inside.
‘I told everyone about it and no one believed me.’
She continued: ‘On Saturday night at about 8.30pm, I had just set out water and food for some stray cats that hang around, and I opened my living room curtains, and it was there.
A terrified onlooker captured the moment a mysterious creature appeared outside her window in her Pueblo, Colorado home
Speculation is rife over the animal’s identity, with even wildlife officials unsure exactly what it is
‘I went outside to try to yell and scare it off because I was worried about the cats, and that’s when I got the video of it eating the cat food.
‘It made eye contact with me the whole time and was not afraid.’
Looking for answers, Janay shared her footage online.
Now the video is going viral, with hundreds of people offering suggestions as to the creature’s identity.
Some said it was a chupacabra – a notorious bloodsucking cryptid from American folklore.
Others called it a skin-walker – described by the Navajo as a witch with the ability to disguise themselves as an animal.
There was no shortage of more conventional guesses, either.
‘Raccoon, badger, wolverine, coatimundi, bear,’ said Janay.
Janay Lynn (pictured) saw the mysterious creature outside her home. Looking for answers over its identity, she posted the footage online
‘But I’ve looked all of those up and it doesn’t match any of those.
‘That’s why it’s so scary because no one can even tell what it is.’
She continued: ‘It’s got a rat-like face, its eyes are very small and far apart, it has a long, pointy nose, and a mouth like rats do.
‘It has long legs and arms, is about two-and-a-half feet in length, and has chocolate brown fur that is thick and coarse covering its whole body.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’
Some locals even came down to see for themselves.
‘It was in my trash can when people arrived,’ said Miss Lynn.
‘Then it ran down the street into a drainage ditch, and we shined a light in there, and it started making a hissing-like noise.
‘We got all scared and left.’
Contacted by local news station KOAA News5, Colorado wildlife officials said it was ‘tough to be 100% sure’ of the animal’s identity.
‘But the use of the front paws and the size makes us think it’s a raccoon,’ a spokesperson said.
‘We think this animal might be a raccoon with mange.’
Janay is not convinced.
‘I get raccoons here every night, it’s definitely not a raccoon,’ she said.
