Silverio Pérez

When a name is added, the process becomes stronger still.

Puerto Rican comedian, broadcaster, musician and public personality Silverio Perez is commonly credited with coining, or at least popularising, the word chupacabras.

The exact first moment when it was said on the air is not securely fixed in the public record.

But the word spread.

The problem becomes so dire, the press begins to report on these attacks.

And that's around the time that comedian and radio personality Silverio Perez calls the predator El Chupacabras.

The name catches on and eventually gets anglicized to El Chupacabra, which loosely translates to the goat sucker.

It's kind of supposed to be a joke, but the devastation left behind in the wake of the Chupacabra is real.