According to folklore, the Jersey Devil originated with a Pine Barrens resident, Jane Leeds, "Mother Leeds" had twelve children; after discovering she was pregnant for the thirteenth time, she cursed the child in frustration, declaring that it would be the devil. In 1735, she went into labor; a stormy night, her friends gathered around for support. Born a normal child, it suddenly transformed into a monster with hooves, a goat's head, bat wings, and a forked tail. Growling and screaming, it lashed with its tail and fly up the chimney and into the darkness. Some add that Mother Leeds was a witch; others that the child's father was the devil. Later, it was said that local clergymen tried to exorcise the creature from the Pine Barrens. [1]

Regardless of its true origins, this chimera lurks only in southern New Jersey. Its high-pitched, blood-curdling scream echoes throughout the forest at night.

The Jersey Devil is a type of chimera—an animal that has an odd combination of characteristics that are not generally seen in…