Loveland frog
Encyclopedia
The Loveland Frog is said to be a humanoid creature with the face of a frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...

 and is described as standing roughly 4 feet (1.2 m) tall with green leathery skin. It walks upright and has webbed hands and feet, and was allegedly first spotted in Loveland, Ohio
Loveland, Ohio
Loveland is a city in Hamilton, Clermont, and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Considered part of the Greater Cincinnati area, Loveland is located near exit 52 off Interstate 275, about northeast of the Cincinnati city limits. It borders Symmes, Miami and...

. It is generally considered a cryptid
Cryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...

—a creature rumored or reported to be living, but with no confirmable proof.

1955

The first claimed sighting was in May 1955. A businessman is said to have seen three or four 3 foot (0.9144 m)-tall frog-faced creatures squatting under a bridge near Loveland. They were described as having wrinkles instead of hair on their heads, lopsided chests, and wide mouths without lips, like frogs. One of them is said to have held up a bar device that shed sparks. A strong odor of alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...

 and almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...

s was reportedly left behind.

1972

For approximately twenty years, there were no further reported sightings of the Loveland Frog. On March 3, 1972, police are said to have seen a four-foot-tall frog-faced human-like creature with leathery skin, again near Loveland. It jumped over a rail and into the Little Miami River
Little Miami River
The Little Miami River is a Class I tributary of the Ohio River that flows through five counties in southwestern Ohio in the United States. The Little Miami joins the Ohio River east of Cincinnati. It forms parts of the borders between Hamilton and Clermont counties and between Hamilton and Warren...

. Two weeks later, officer Mark Mathews saw it again, lying in the road. It got away as Mathews shot at it and apparently missed.

The officer's description was falsely reported as follows:
The creature was three to four feet tall, 50 to 75 pounds, leathery skin, possibly wet - matted hair on its body that made it look textured, possible tail, a head and face like a frog or lizard, and could leap over the roads' guard rail.


A local farmer is also said to have seen the Loveland frog cycling on a bicycle later that month.

Although the officers in question did not report their encounter, word of it leaked to the news media. However, in a 2001 e-mail interview, Officer Mark Mathews, now retired, explained that the incident was "habitually blown out of proportion [. . .]". He stated that, "It was and is no 'monster'. It was not leathery or [had] wet matted fur. It was not 3-5 feet tall. It did not stand erect. The animal I saw was obviously some type of lizard that someone had as a pet that either got too large for its aquarium, escaped by accident or they simply got tired of it. It was less than 3 feet in length, ran across the road and was probably blinded by my headlights. It presented no aggressive action." Mathews attempted to shoot the creature in order to back-up the account of his partner's sighting a few nights prior, but the lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

escaped, most likely to die from its injury, or from the bitter freezing cold.

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