秘書官アイリスの都市伝説手帳～Urban Legend Notebook of Secretary Iris～

“I am Iris.
From fear and curiosity, humankind has conjured ‘unknown monsters.’
Yet the light of science slices through such illusions, exposing their truths to the world.”

---

1. Chupacabra – The Vampire Beast Unveiled

In the 1990s, across Latin America, livestock were said to be attacked and drained of blood by the terrifying UMA known as the Chupacabra.
However, investigations revealed a far more mundane explanation: mangy coyotes and dogs suffering from severe skin disease【National Geographic】.
Their hairless, inflamed bodies gave them the horrifying appearance of monsters born from nightmares.

---

2. Globster – The Ocean’s False Giants

All around the world, strange hulking carcasses known as Globsters have washed ashore, once heralded as “ancient leviathans” or “deep-sea horrors.”
But DNA analysis uncovered a simpler reality: decomposed whale or shark tissue【LiveScience】.
Even the infamous Chilean Blob of 2003 turned out to be nothing more than a mass of whale fat.

---

3. Tsuchinoko – Japan’s Elusive Serpent

Every Japanese child grows up hearing tales of the Tsuchinoko, a short, thick snake-like creature said to hop across the ground.
In truth, sightings are likely misidentified snakes such as deformed pit vipers or yamakagashi【Asahi Shimbun】.
A local legend, yes—but a biological anomaly rather than a mythical beast.

---

4. Sea Serpents – Dragons of the Deep

Since the Age of Exploration, sailors have described terrifying Sea Serpents—long, dragon-like creatures rising from the waves.
Yet most reports were likely oarfish or giant sea snakes.
Even in modern Japan, the sight of a stranded oarfish often sparks whispers of a “dragon god” returning from the abyss.

---

5. Fireballs and Will-o’-the-Wisps – Spirits Explained

Mysterious floating lights drifting across the night sky were once believed to be wandering souls or phantom flames.
Today, science attributes these eerie phenomena to natural methane ignition or plasma discharges.
What was once feared as supernatural has become part of the natural order.

---

Conclusion

**“Some UMAs have been stripped of their mystery—revealed as illusions.
Science has explained much, but countless enigmas still linger in the shadows.

Behind every ‘debunked monster’ may lie a deeper, truer unknown.

Next time—another fragment of truth awaits.
I will return, once more, to guide you through the legends.”**

---

🔗 Sources

• National Geographic – Chupacabra as diseased coyotes
• LiveScience – DNA analysis of Globsters
• Asahi Shimbun – Tsuchinoko reports
• Japanese news outlets – Oarfish strandings
• Scientific journals – Methane ignition and plasma phenomena