Ananova:

Two police officers in the US reckon they've managed to capture on video some footage of a mythical "blood-sucking" animal known as the Chupacabra.

Cpl. Brandon Riedel was training a new deputy in Cuero, Texas, when they saw something running down a dirt path.

At first glance they thought it was a coyote, but soon realised it looked nothing like one.

The pair describe the creature as short-legged and hairless, with an elongated snout.

"You need to record something like this because it's not everyday you find something that looks like this, running around out in the middle of the county," Cpl. Riedel told KSAT.com.

Stories about the Chupacabra - which supposedly attacks and sucks the blood of livestock and pets - go back to the 1990s and this isn't the first time locals believe they've seen the creature.

DeWitt County Sheriff Jode Zavesky is excited by his officers' footage: "You know, it's just kind of one of those things to hear about and talk about, but to actually see something on video that may actually be a live one, that's pretty amazing."