The Cryptid Zoo: Loveland Frogs

One of America's most bizarre urban legends is that of the Loveland frogs, or frogmen as they are sometimes called. The first sighting was of strange creatures seen under a bridge, and the witness sounded as if he could not decide whether he had seen fairy-tale trolls, reptoids or things that were half human, half frog.

Later sightings were less confused, but still contained inconsistencies. Witnesses claimed that what they had seen was certainly frog-like, but they disagreed on the details. Some reported human-sized frogmen, some reported tiny frog-sized frogmen, and some reported just plain giant frogs with no noticable human features.

This may sound like a really stupid legend, but there was enough evidence, including tracks, that both the police and the FBI investigated (probably with the theory that it was pranksters in costumes). Of course, cryptozoologists and all sorts of paranormal investigators became interested too.

The Loveland frogs continue to be sighted at irregular intervals along the Ohio River and the Little Miami River. They got their moniker from the town of Loveland, Ohio, near most of the sightings. Today cryptozoologists have little interest in these creatures. After all, they sound absurd, just like most humanoids that are not some kind of Bigfoot or a closely related hairy humanoid.

You can find out more about Loveland Frogs from the following sources:

Benjamin, R.W. Loveland Frog

Blackman, W. Haden. The Field Guide to North American Monsters. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1998. Pages 164-165

Clark, Jerome. Unexplained!. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1999. Page 498

Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America: The Revised Edition. New York: Paraview Press, 2001. Page 68

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Newton, Michael. Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide to Hidden Animals and Their Pursuers. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2005. Page 275

Russell, Davy. The Loveland Frog.

Wikipedia, The. Loveland Frog

Woodyard, Chris. Haunted Ohio II: More Ghostly Tales from the Buckeye State. Beavercreek, Ohio: Kestrel Publications, 1992. Page 96