The Ozarks are a range of low mountains found primarily in
Northern Arkansas and southern Missouri with portions extending into Oklahoma
and Kansas. Their origins lie in the late Paleozoic when
sand, silt, coral, and shells built up as layers of sludge on the bottom of a sea
that covered what would eventually
become the American South. Over time these sediments hardened into rock- sand became
sandstone, silt became slate, and the shells and coral became limestone- and the
movement of tectonic plates pushed them upwards into a low dome-like plateau. Over the next 485 million years rivers and
rain gradually eroded the soft rocks into canyons, cliffs, and caves that have provided
habitat for bears, bobcats, otters and other Southern wildlife along with more
unusual creatures like blind cave fish, collared lizards and endangered grey
bats. And perhaps a cryptid or two.
According to legend, the people of the Ozarks have been haunted
for decades by the unearthly screams of a beast dubbed the Black Howler. Those who have caught a glimpse of the monster
describe it as a dark-furred cat nearly the size of a bear. Other reports claim
it has glowing red eyes and demonic horns sprouting from its head.
Explanations for the beast range from a normal, though unknown,
species of large cat to something more supernatural. A few people have even
compared the beast to English and Welsh legends of black dogs, cŵn
annwn, hellhounds, and other supernatural beasts that bring misfortune to those
who see them.
More skeptical people have speculated that the Howler is
simply a misidentified cougar. Though these big cats are believed to be extinct
in this region, it’s possible that a small population has survived. Or perhaps
a few lone individuals have wandered in from other areas. This theory is
bolstered by photos from trail cams showing creatures that strongly resemble
these animals, and by similar cases of “phantom big cats” occurring in areas of
the US where they are not normally found.
Though some claim that legends of the Howler go back
generations, cryptozoologist Loren Coleman has found that the first reports of
the beast originated from posts on online forums in the late 1990s. His
investigations indicate that the “folklore” about the beast was a deliberate
hoax to mock the widespread reports of chupacabras and bigfoots that were
becoming increasingly widespread at the time thanks to the advent of the internet.
Hoax it may be, but the Howler has since become a popular piece of Ozark
folklore and sightings are still regularly reported.
The Howler is
especially significant as one of the first urban legend monsters to be created online,
laying the groundwork for later, more famous internet creatures like
Slenderman, The Rake, Momo, and Trevor Henderson’s Sirenhead.
REFERENCES
An article from Unlock the Ozarks about the Howler
An article from Only in Arkansas about the Howler
An article from Explore Southern History
