According to 1893 news accounts of Eugene Shepard’s discovery, 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 Hodag also had green eyes, huge fangs and two horns sprouting from its temples.
The Hodag reportedly breathed fire and smoke and had a pungent smell—“a combination of buzzard meat and skunk perfume.”
Early reports indicated the Hodag was about 7 feet long, 30 inches tall and weighed in at about 200 pounds. But, as visitors will see in the Hodag statues and murals around the Rhinelander Area, the Hodag’s exact appearance has long been open to interpretation.
