H is for...Hodag

The strange looking Hodag is a creature from North American folklore. It has "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". Due to the spines along its back, the Hodag cannot sleep on its side and leans against trees instead. To kill the creature lumberjacks would saw through part of a tree and wait for the Hodag to lean against it, when it fell over its spines would get stuck in the ground leaving it helpless and open to attack.

A Hodag was discovered in 1893 by Eugene Shepard in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Shepard wanted to capture the creature alive and gathered a hunting gang to help him. After they found that their guns had no effect on the beast they decided to use dynamite, but the resulting fire killed their prey leaving nothing but charred remains. Shepard claimed that he had caught another Hodag in 1896 and he put the creature on display at the first Oneida County Fair. Hundreds of people paid money and went to see the beast which Shepard could move with a series of wires in order to make the hoax seem more real.