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Cryptids

Loveland Frog

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An artist’s recreation of the policeman’s sighting of the Loveland Frog. Photo: Wikipedia.

In Loveland, Ohio in 1972 two policeman reported seeing a 4ft tall frog-like creature walking on two legs. Over the last few decades several other sightings of the Loveland Frog have been reported. What is this strange creature?

Description of the Loveland Frog

The Loveland Frog is described as a 4ft reptile that looks like a giant frog. It has been described as weighing about 60 pounds, having leathery green skin, and the face of a frog or reptile.

Sightings of the Loveland Frog

A recently reported sighting of the Loveland Frog

In 1955 a man reported seeing three creatures that seemed to be half frog and half man. He ran to get the attention of law enforcement and when they returned there was no sign of the creatures but a strange lingering smell of almonds and alfalfa.

The most famous sighting of the Loveland Frog occurred in 1972. Policeman Ray Shockey was on the job on March 3rd when he was driving towards Loveland, Ohio. Suddenly a creature appeared on the side of the road which Shockey assumed was just a dog.

As he got closer Shockey realised it wasn’t a dog but a giant frog-like creature. As Shockey stared at the creature in shock it stood up on two legs and looked right at him with Shockey’s headlights reflecting in it’s eyes.

The creature then took off, leaping over the guardrail and down a bank into the Little Miami River.

Shockey drove on to the police station in Loveland and told his story to his colleague Mark Matthews. Matthews didn’t believe Shockey’s story but could tell that had definitely seen something out of the ordinary from his behavior.

The two police officers returned to the place where Shockey had seen the creature and found large scrape marks leaving down the hill into the river.

Two weeks later Mark Matthew’s had his own encounter with the Loveland Frog. He was driving near Loveland when he saw a large creature lying on the side of the road. Assuming it was roadkill, he got out of the car to clear it from the road.

To his surprise as he got closer he realised it was a giant frog-like creature and it was still alive. Matthew’s knew no one would believe him so he shot at the creature to try and get a body to prove what he had seen.

This is where Matthews’ accounts over the years have differed. In the 70’s Matthews told reporters that he shot at the creature and missed.

When interviewed again in 2016 Matthews claimed to have killed the creature and taken the body to Shockey to prove to him it was just an Iguana that was missing a tail.

It is unclear which version of the story is the truth.

In the years following there have been several more sightings reported of the Loveland Frog though some have been proven as hoaxes.

The Loveland Frog has become a beloved creature in Ohio and has even had a musical written about them.

Possible Theories about the Loveland Frog

A drawing of the Loveland Frog done by Shockey’s sister in the 1970’s. Photo: Weird Ohio.

Mathews’ theory that the creature was just a large Iguana with no tail seems plausible however the fact that he didn’t come to this conclusion until 40 years after the event is a bit suspect.

A Fortean investigator named Ron Schaffner interviewed both police officers in 1976 and both men claimed that the creature looked like the one in Shockey’s sister’s drawing.

The Loveland Frogman may have been a large lizard that was diseased which caused the strange appearance and behavior.

The Loveland Frog could also be a rare and mysterious reptile that we have yet to discover.

What do you think about the Loveland Frog? Let us know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this article you may also be interested in Not Deer or the Dover Demon.

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Cryptids

Nandi Bear: A Ferocious African Cryptid

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An artist’s interpretation of the Nandi Bear. Photo: Cryptid Archives.

The Nandi Bear is a ferocious cryptid spotted in the highlands of Kenya during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Description of the Nandi Bear

A footprint of a Nandibear

The Nandi Bear is also known as the Chemosit, Kerit, Koddoelo, Ngoloko, or Duba. It has been described as as a carnivorous animal with a formidable build, possessing long legs exceeding a height of four feet, and a back that slopes downward. It is described as being highly aggressive in nature.

Nandi Bear Sightings

A drawing of a Nandi Bear encounter by A. McWilliams

A number of early 20th century authors mention the Nandi Bear in their work.

Richard Meinertzhagen claimed in 1905 that he was told by the Nandi people that the Nandi bear was once widespread when they first settled in the highlands of present-day Kenya, around the early 17th century.

The Nandi people believed that the rinderpest epidemic towards the end of the 19th century pushed the Nandi bear to the brink of extinction. Although the Nandi bear was never numerous, it was not uncommon prior to the epidemic.

Unfortunately, the population never fully recovered from the impact of the outbreak. During the colonial era, the Nandi bear was held responsible for the deaths of numerous native people, whose skulls were found crushed every year.

While the Nandi Bear was widely feared by the native population, it does not appear to have been known to Europeans or colonial officials until the beginning of the 20th century.

Prior to 1912, the Nandi reportedly killed a Nandi Bear after it climbed onto the roof of a hut, broke through, and killed everyone inside. Subsequently, the village inhabitants burned down the hut with the animal still inside. Geoffrey Williams had heard of a similar animal’s preserved skin in Kabras, but was unsuccessful in obtaining it.

There were rumors that a Boer had shot a Nandi bear, but was unable to retrieve the carcass. C. W. Hobley wrote of this story.

Similarly, a farmer from Uganda named K. R. Williams supposedly unintentionally poisoned a young Nandi bear while setting out bait for hyenas.

Williams described the animal as being much larger than a spotted hyena, with the same yellowish fur, and a head similar to that of a bear. However, when he returned to his camp to retrieve a knife for skinning the carcass, actual hyenas had dragged the Nandi bear’s body away.

In 1905, while on the Nandi Expedition to the Uasin Gishu in western British East Africa, Geoffrey Williams wrote of his experiences with the Nandi Bear.

He observed an animal of around 5 feet in height sitting upright like a zoo bear, with small pointed ears and a long head, about 30 yards away.

The creature then ran away with a sideways canter towards the Sirgoit Rock. Williams quickly took a snapshot of the animal with his rifle, but missed it.

He claimed the Nandi bear was larger than a typical zoo bear and heavily built, with thick fur covering its forequarters and all four legs. The hindquarters were relatively smooth, and the color was dark.

Williams could not recall much about the ears, but mentioned that they were small, and the tail, if any, was tiny and barely noticeable.

Engineer Dennis Burnett and his wife Marlene reported the most recent documented sighting of the Nandi bear in February 1998.

While driving along the Koru-Kisumu road near the base of the Nandi Escarpment during a rainy evening, they saw a large animal crossing the road.

Upon reversing their car, the couple observed the animal for about fifteen seconds. Although they initially thought it was a bear, they soon realized that it was “an enormous, shaggy hyena – resembling a Striped Hyena but significantly larger.”

Theories about the Nandi Bear

Bob Gymlan of Bigfoot hunting fame has posted a detailed video telling the history of the Nandi Bear.

In 1923, Charles William Andrews proposed that the Nandi bear might be a surviving species of the extinct Chalicothere. Louis Leakey later suggested in the 1930s that the Nandi Bear’s descriptions matched those of the Chalicothere, despite chalicotheres being herbivores.

The Chalicothere hypothesis was eventually abandoned. In 2000, paleontologist Louis L. Jacobs stated that if Chalicotheres still existed, they would have been discovered, much like the giant forest hog. Jacobs concluded that if there was any truth to the Nandi bear story, it could be a description of gorillas passed down orally across the continent.

Zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock argued that the Nandi bear sightings were actually misidentified spotted hyenas. The British Natural History Museum also stated in 1932 that many reports of the Nandi bear were nothing more than spotted hyenas.

Paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson claimed that the Nandi bear turned out to be honey badgers, which zoologists had been aware of since 1776.

Have you ever seen a Nandi Bear? Let us know in the comments.

If you enjoyed learning about the Nandi Bear you might also be interested in the J’Ba Fofi: A Giant Congolese Spider Cryptid or the Tikoloshe, a South African Cryptid.

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Cryptids

Squonk: The Saddest Cryptid

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The Squonk as featured in Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods by William Cox. Photo: Wikipedia

The Squonk is said to be the ugliest creature in the world. It is so ashamed of its appearance that it will hide from anyone who approaches and, if caught, it will dissolve into a puddle of tears.

The Legend of the Squonk

The rock band Genesis wrote a popular song about the Squonk

The first mention of the squonk in written history is in William Cox’s 1910 book “Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, With a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts.”

Cox describes the as the ugliest animal in the world and claims it is aware of its unfortunate appearance.

Cox claims that the squonk used to have a wide distribution and preferred habitats with plenty of desert vegetation on high plains. As these areas changed into swampy, lake-dotted regions, the squonk was forced to adapt to the water.

Due to its low intelligence, the squonk constantly searched for food by swimming in the marshes, and over time developed webbing between its toes, but only on its left feet that were submerged in water. As a result, it could only swim in circles and could never return to shore, leading to thousands of squonks dying from starvation, as evidenced by fossil bones found in the lake bottoms.

Cox also claimed that the squonk can only be found in the hemlock forests of Pennsylvania. It is said to be shy and reclusive, and can be seen mostly during twilight hours.

It is covered in a loose and warty skin that doesn’t fit properly. The squonk is known to be perpetually unhappy and often weeps due to its distressing appearance, leaving a trail of tears that can be followed.

The best time to search for a squonk is during moonlit nights, as it tends to stay hidden in its hemlock dwelling, afraid to catch a glimpse of itself in a reflective pool.

Sometimes, the sound of a softly weeping squonk can be heard, which sounds like a mournful call resembling that of the cross-feathered snee.

A Mr. J.P. Wentling had a disappointing experience with a squonk near Mont Alto. He captured the squonk by mimicking its crying sounds and tricking it into hopping into a sack. As he carried it home the sack suddenly became much lighter. Wentling unslung the sack and looked in. He found that the squonk had dissolved into tears and bubbles.

Squonk Meme

A variation of the squonk meme that has become popular in recent times.

The squonk has become a meme in recent times, with many internet users feeling like they can relate to the poor little creature. The squonk has even featured in one of our paranormal meme dumps.

Have you ever seen a poor little squonk in the wild? Let us know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this article you might also be interested in the story of the kushtaka or the Central American Whintosser.

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