12 Ohio Cryptids: Appearance, Behavior, and Location

The Ohio cryptids blur the line between fact and fiction. Some of these stories are unique to the Buckeye State, while others connect them to national urban legends. So, who are the Ohio cryptids? Keep reading to learn about their appearance, behavior, and location. You might see them on your next hike through the woods.  

1. Loveland Frog

The legend of the Loveland Frog – also known as the Loveland Frogman or Loveland Lizard – begins along the riverbanks of the Miami River. The actual first sighting is up for debate, but one of the most popular stories of the bipedal frog traces back to 1955. A traveling businessman spotted several pale, leathery, frog-faced figures with bright eyes standing up to 4 feet tall on the side of a Branch Hill road.  

Since then, sightings of the Ohio cryptid have occurred throughout Loveland, Ohio, as recently as 2016 around Lake Isabella. Skeptics believe it may be a misidentified and tailless iguana.

Whether you believe in the peaceful Loveland Frog or not, the story led to the creation of the musical Hot Damn! It’s the Loveland Frog. 

2. Grassman

One of Ohio’s most well-known cryptids is the Grassman, also known as Eastern Bigfoot. The hominid has long dark hair, orange eyes, and a pungent smell. He’s about 10 feet tall and weighs up to 1,000 pounds. However, reports vary, citing him as being 7 feet tall and 300 pounds, like the Minerva Monster described below.

The name “Grassman” comes from the dens he allegedly creates using tall grass from Ohio fields. The Grassman resembles the famous Bigfoot or Sasquatch but is more human-like. You can try to spot him along the many hiking trails in Salt Fork State Park.

3. Minerva Monster

The first sighting of the Minerva Monster dates back to August 1978 in Minerva, Ohio. A local family discovered the 7-foot tall, 300-pound furry monster in their gravel pit and continued to see him many times after the initial incident. His appearance is similar to that of Bigfoot and the Grassman, causing some to believe they are related. 

4. Cedar Bog Monster

The description of the Cedar Bog Monster is eerily similar to that of Grassman. But the tall, fur-covered monster was seen lurking in the Cedar Bog shortly after it became a designated protected land.

The first sighting comes from an investigation of an abandoned car near the Cedar Bog Nature Preserve in 1945. The only thing found was a mysterious pair of footprints leading into the preserve. The vehicle was traced back to a group of teenagers who disappeared in the bog, never to be seen again. 

Many believe the Cedar Bog Monster is responsible and continues to orchestrate bizarre occurrences in the area to this day.   

5. Orange Eyes

Orange Eyes is another humanoid creature similar to Sasquatch or the Grassman. You can’t have too many stories of hairy men wandering the woods, right? Orange Eyes is said to live under a Cleveland Cemetery or around Mill Lake, where the famous Charles Mill Monster lives. 

The first sighting of Orange Eyes dates back to 1959 when two teenagers were attacked by what appeared to be a large, hairy beast with glowing eyes. Others believe he’s an extraterrestrial associated with the UFO that landed outside of Mansfield in 1973.   

6. Mothman

The Ohio cryptids list would be incomplete without the pop culture icon Mothman. Hailing from Point Pleasant, West Virginia, the man-like figure has feathers, a 10-foot wingspan, and bright red eyes. Mothman was active in the Ohio River region of Gallipolis before the Silver Bridge connecting the two areas collapsed in 1967. In fact, there were hundreds of reported sightings throughout the 1960s. 

7. Melon Heads

Melon Heads is one of the more frightening Ohio cryptids by evoking the uncanny valley. They are tied to stories of human experimentation, ghosts of orphaned children, and even extraterrestrials. They look like children with large, bald heads wandering the woods of Kirtland in northeast Ohio. No one can say for sure who the Melon Heads are, but you might spot them along Wisner Road.     

8. Dogman

Another humanoid creature spotted in the 1970s is the Dogman of Defiance or the Werewolf of Defiance. The canine-like monster wielding a wooden weapon attacked railway workers and evoked fear in Defiance residents. Reports are few and far between, but the legend continues to spark curiosity. 

However, legends involving some form of similar canine monsters date back to the 1800s. Lumberjacks and farmers outside Cincinnati reported spotting a dog-human hybrid wandering the woods and disappearing before they could get a better look at the unsightly creature.     

9. Charles Mill Monster

You can’t visit Charles Mill Lake without hearing the story of the Charles Mill Monster. A bright-eyed monster standing 11 feet tall and weighing nearly 1,000 pounds has caused a stir around Mansfield for decades. Two teenage boys saw the armless humanoid monster with webbed feet in 1959. Some believe Orange Eyes and the Charles Mill Monster might actually be the same but with description changes. 

10. Lake Erie Bessie 

Lake Erie Bessie, also called South Bay Bessie, is Ohio’s version of the Loch Ness Monster. The creature is gray or dark-colored and sturgeon-like, anywhere from 20 to 40 feet tall. Skeptics think Bessie may be a massive sturgeon known to live in Lake Erie, but believers quickly shut down that idea. 

The first sighting of Lake Erie Bessie was in 1739, off the shore of Sandusky. Since then, reports of Bessie have come from Lake Erie near Toledo and the Marblehead Peninsula. Throughout the 1990s, there was even a reward for anyone who could catch Bessie! Sadly, no one claimed the reward.

11. Crosswick Monster

The Crosswick Snake Monster is a popular Ohio cryptid in Waynesville, not too far from the legend of the Loveland Frogman. The Crosswick Monster’s story begins in 1882 when two boys were attacked by a hulking lizard 12 to 14 feet long. The city’s brave men drove it out of the city’s limits.   

12. Peninsula Python 

Last but certainly not least, the Peninsula Python may be closer to fact than fiction compared to the other Ohio cryptids on the list. Peninsula residents saw the enormous 20-foot snake in 1944. It left trampled fields, raided chickens, and unimaginable tracks in the ground in its wake. The python was never seen again. However, residents swore they saw it. Who can argue with that?    

Summary of the 12 Ohio Cryptids

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Tim Bertelink, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons – License / Original