Hodag

In American folklore, the hodag is a fearsome critter resembling a large bull-horned carnivore with a row of thick curved spines down its back.

The hodag was said to be born from the ashes of cremated oxen, as the incarnation of the accumulation of abuse the animals had suffered at the hands of their masters.

The articles claimed the hodag had "the head of a frog, the grinning face of a giant elephant, thick short legs set off by huge claws, the back of a dinosaur, and a long tail with spears at the end".

The reports were instigated by well-known Wisconsin land surveyor, timber cruiser and prankster Eugene Shepard,[1] who rounded up a group of local people to capture the animal.

[7] A larger-than-life fiberglass sculpture of a hodag, created by Tracy Goberville, a local artist,[8] resides on the grounds of the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce where it draws thousands of visitors each year.