A family captured a mysterious creature on video, and they were not alone in the town of Picayune, Miss. The footage swept through the Internet and many speculated that a "chupacabra" was at large, but wildlife officials were quick to calm those fears.

The Whitfield family was returning home when they spotted something quite odd roaming around their property. According to WLOX, several neighbors also reported seeing the animal, which Jennifer Whitfield described as, “If a zombie had a dog, it would look like that.” The family took a video of the creature, uploaded it to YouTube and there have been plenty of responses, with some quickly to label the animal a chupacabra.

The chupacabra, literally meaning “goat-sucker” in Spanish, entered popular lore in the 1990s with reported sightings in Puerto Rico, Mexico and other Central and South American countries. The mythical animal has also been spotted in the United States, although many of the reports turn out to be sick or injured animals. Sea serpent sightings or “monsters” that have washed ashore naturally draw plenty of attention, but they turn out to be ordinary, but unusual animals. A Spanish "sea monster" that washed ashore in in California August turned out to be an oarfish. The Montauk Monster from 2008 may be a raccoon, but many are still holding on to more wild claims about the animal’s origins.

The “chupacabra” scared residents of Picayune, and Amanda Denton said she would run to and from her car in fear of the animal. Master Sgt. David Burnette, from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, was called to Picayune and believes the animal is a coyote with mange. The sick animal has been surviving off of trash and pet food. Burnette says the town and its residents should not be alarmed as the animal poses no threat.

The Picayune chupacabra video can be viewed below.

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