FIELD FILE · OZARK-HOWLERBIG CATREGIONAL LEGEND
Ozark Howler
Also known as Howler
A shaggy, bear-sized cat-like beast with glowing eyes and a bone-chilling cry, said to roam the Ozarks – and the subject of a famous 2015 photo hoax.
The Ozark Howler is the signature monster of the Ozark Mountains, the rugged, forested plateau that spreads across northern Arkansas, southern Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma. It takes its name from its call – a long, mournful scream that witnesses compare to a wolf’s howl mixed with an elk’s bugle or a cougar’s shriek – and most descriptions make it a massive, dark animal somewhere between a big cat and a black bear, with glowing eyes and, in some tellings, horns.
Nobody can say for certain where the legend began. A frequently repeated story claims that frontiersman Daniel Boone met and shot a large, hairy creature in the region around the turn of the 19th century, but no record of that encounter has been found. Other writers suggest the Howler borrows from Indigenous stories, from the panther tales of 19th-century settlers or from the general Ozark love of a good tall tale. Most reported sightings date from the 20th century onward.
Like many modern cryptids, the Howler has grown in the internet age, where descriptions have multiplied: a giant black cougar, a shaggy hyena, a wolf-goat-cat hybrid with curly horns. Some versions make it a shape-shifter or an omen of death. Others see it more kindly – Arkansas writer Lillian Stone has described it as a guardian of the wild landscape, something to fear and respect rather than an animal out to hurt anyone.
Its most famous moment came in December 2015, when photos said to show a horned, dog-like Howler in Devil’s Den State Park reached local TV stations and the Springfield News-Leader. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said it had no record of Howler sightings and called the images a hoax. Wildlife officials still field the occasional question; their advice is to treat any large, dark animal in the woods the way you would a black bear – back away slowly and leave it alone.
- Type
- Big cat
- Status
- Regional legend
- First reported
- 20th century
- Best-known location
- Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma
- Also called
- Howler
What witnesses describe
A heavy, shaggy, dark-coated animal the size of a bear, with a cat-like body, long tail and glowing red or yellow eyes; some witnesses add short horns. It is known above all for its call, a drawn-out howl or scream that seems to carry for miles.
Where and when it’s seen
Remote hollows, bluffs, caves and hardwood forests of the Ozark Plateau and the Boston Mountains, especially around northwest Arkansas; usually heard or seen at night.
Notable sightings
- October 2014A near miss on Pump Station Road Springdale, Arkansas
According to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission call records reported by local TV, a motorist nearly hit a large, fast-running, bear-sized gray animal one evening. The animal was never identified.
- December 2015The Devil’s Den photos Devil’s Den State Park, Arkansas
A man sent local news outlets photos he said showed the Howler inside the park. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said it had heard of no genuine sightings and dismissed the pictures as a hoax.
What could explain it?
- Black bears, which are common in the Ozarks, match the size, dark coat and heavy build that witnesses describe.
- Mountain lions and bobcats produce eerie screams at night, and a large cat glimpsed in poor light is easy to exaggerate.
- The famous 2015 photos were judged to be a digital hoax, and the Daniel Boone origin story has no documentary support.
- The creature’s inconsistent descriptions – cat, bear, wolf, goat, sometimes with horns – suggest a legend built from campfire tales and online storytelling rather than a single real animal.
Legend, culture and tourism
The Howler is a staple of Ozark campfire stories, local podcasts and roadside folklore, and has become something of an unofficial regional mascot for the Arkansas Ozarks. It features in collections such as Arcadia Publishing’s Missouri Ozarks Legends & Lore and in magazine features on Southern monsters.
Places to visit
The rugged park in the Boston Mountains where the 2015 “Howler” photos were supposedly taken, known for its caves, trails and Civilian Conservation Corps buildings.
Where it’s reported
Ozark Howler in the news
No recent headlines about the Ozark Howler. Our news desk checks every day — see all cryptid news.
Sources
First published · Updated
