Hupia (C/N)

A hupia is a spirit from Taíno legend; they were “night ghosts, faceless vampires who kidnapped small children.” Indeed, according to folklore, they were said to haunt the nighttime forests of Central America and kidnap people who ventured outside after dark. In Jurassic Park, the people of rural Costa Rica believed that the hupia once inhabited the mountains near their home, but now lived on the islands offshore, and that mentioning it by name was considered bad luck. When a worker was brought to the shore of Bahia Anasco in Costa Rica, he began yelling “la sa raptor,” presumably meaning “Velociraptor.” Dr. Roberta Carter checked a Spanish dictionary for “raptor” and found that it was a word for “abductor” or “kidnapper,” fitting with the description of the hupia.

Though the locals attributed the deaths and disappearances to the hupia, the real culprits were, in fact, dinosaurs that had escaped from Isla Nublar, namely Procompsognathus but possibly other species as well.