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Writer's pictureBrother Upton Gardener

The Great Wisconsin Bestiary - Index

Updated: Sep 13, 2023

There are many creatures within the Great State of Wisconsin that go largely unacknowledged by the authorities. Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources barely acknowledges the existence of cougars within the state, and is in a state of complete denial about the kangaroos (despite the ample physical evidence), and so we can hardly expect them to acknowledge the more fantastical creatures within this great land, like the hodag, the tree-squeak, or the manbat.

Where the DNR's records fall short, the Ancient Order of the Reveeting Society has decided to fil in the gaps. Here we hope to establish a bestiary of all creatures within the State that go unacknowledged and undocumented by those in the government who would prefer to pretend such creatures do not exist. Details on the physical characteristics, habitat, diet, behaviors, supernatural properties, relevant woodslore, and hunting tips (where applicable) will be added for these creatures over time as our Reveeteer Loremasters scour and study the relevant tomes.


As a note we will not seek to document the typical ghost, since such hauntings are varied and often must be taken on a case-by-case basis, but we will seek to document the other types of local undead.


Hereafter is a list of the creatures of Wisconsin, in alphabetical order, and with links to those creatures who have been fully documented by this project. We encourage any tips for creatures that may have escaped our notice:

  • Aniwye: A gigantic skunk with a deadly, toxic spray.

  • Atnayalho: A stony-skinned, ogre-like, large humanoid with a taste to human flesh.

  • Axehandle Hound: A canine with a long body, short, stubby legs, and a sharp, axe-shaped face. It feeds exclusively on axe handles, but detests the taste of red oak.

  • Agropelter: A tree-dwelling, flexible-armed ape. Known to be territorial, it throws branches at anything that intrudes on its domain.

  • Argopelter: Alternate name for an Agropelter.

  • Bagwajiwini: A specific group of Gnomes.

  • Barron County Troll: A specific group of Gnomes. The word "troll" in their name is a misnomer, these are not to be confused with proper Trolls.

  • Baykok: A liver-eating, nearly-skeletal, undead monster formed from the body of a greedy hunter.

  • Beast of Bray Road: A type of bipedal wolf-man found usually near earthworks.

  • Bearwalker: A spirit-creature with three forms: the form of a man, the form of a bright light, and the form of a bear (or, occasionally, another animal).

  • Bigfoot: Alternate name for a Sasquatch.

  • Big Harry: Name given to a specific Sasquatch.

  • Birdman: A yellow-feathered, bipedal, wingless bird-man.

  • Black Cougar: Alternate name for an Eau Claire Beast.

  • Blue Ox: A gigantic, blue colored ox, created when a normal ox calf is exposed to blue snow.

  • Blue Racer: Alternate name for Misiginebig.

  • Boobooshaw: A tall, pitch-black, skeletal undead creature.

  • Bozho: Name given to a specific Misiginebig.

  • Buffabob: A bovine that resembles a bison with long, twisting, antelope-like horns.

  • Camp Chipmunk: A bear-sized chipmunk that grows to massive sizes when it consumes a vast quantity of prune stones. It seeks out and kills large predators like bears and cougars.

  • Central American Whatsit: Alternate name for a Tree-Squeak. Not to be confused with the Kidrick Swamp Whatsit.

  • Cougar Fish: A dangerous, clawed fish that likes to sharpen its claws on floating logs.

  • Cthugha: Name of a specific entity, see Peshtigo Fire Demon for more information.

  • Cumberland Beast: Alternate name for a Sasquatch.

  • Deer Woman: A benevolent spirit taking the form of a woman with the feet of a deer. Punishes those who are cruel to women and children.

  • Dungavenhooter: A mouthless, large nostrilled, crocodilian creature with a club-like tail.

  • Dwarf Mastodon: A breed of small mastodon that survived the extinction of the main species, about the size of a dog.

  • Eau Claire Beast: A melanistic cougar.

  • Eddie: Name given to a specific Sasquatch.

  • Elbedritzel: A large bird that can become invisible to all except women and children.

  • Elkhart Lake Monster: Alternate name for a Plesiosaur.

  • Elk Mound Dragon: A singular entity that slumbers beneath the earth. Has not awoken since first discovered.

  • Fish Hound: A crossbreed between a helldiver grouse and a mink, which resembles a dog, covered on one side by helldiver feathers, the other side by mink fur. It is an expert diver and fisher.

  • Flitterick: A flying-squirrel like creature, capable of accelerating to vast speeds, causing it to land with force strong enough to kill an ox if it strikes the ox's head.

  • Flying Head: A demonic, man-eating, levitating head.

  • Freshwater Kraken: A giant octopus-like mollusk that dwells in certain Wisconsin lakes.

  • Giant: A giant humanoid known for their strength and superior work ethic. They seem to have the ability to crossbreed species that cannot normally be mixed, and can cause animals to grow much larger than they normally could.

  • Giant Mosquito: A mosquito so large it can carry off oxen and straddle rivers. When it is killed, a massive swarm of regular-sized mosquitos swarm out of its body.

  • Giant Sturgeon: Alternate name for a Mashe-Nomak.

  • Giddyfish: A rubbery fish that shoots out of the water and bounces across the ice, when coaxed out of an ice hole by an ice fisher.

  • Gillygaloo: A species of bird that dwells in hilly terrain or on massive earthworks. They lay square, dice-spotted eggs to prevent them from rolling downhill.

  • Gloomnadoom: A dark spirit resembling a tiny, hooded and cloaked figure. It is normally invisible, and perches on the shoulders of its chosen victim, growing heavier and heavier over time, until its victim can no longer move.

  • Gnome: A tiny humanoid among one of the many different Gnome Tribes of Wisconsin. Different tribal groups have different magical abilities, but in general a Gnome can become invisible to all except for children and wise men, can throw rocks with incredible force and accuracy, and can curse those who disrespect it (specific details of the curse vary based on the tribe of the Gnome).

  • Goatman: A vulgar, bearded, horned, and goat-hoofed humanoid that dwells in the Kettle Moraine.

  • Goofus Bird: A colorful bird that flies backwards and nests upside-down.

  • Great Head: Alternate name for a Flying Head.

  • Gumberoo: A large, hairless, rubbery ursine creature. Its skin is incredibly flammable, and its bloated body is filled with an explosive oil that causes the creature to burst in an explosion of burning oil when the gumberoo is exposed to flame.

  • Gyascutus: A telescopic-legged creature that eats lichen-covered rocks for sustenance. Outside of Wisconsin the name is used instead for a Sidehill Gouger.

  • Hangdown: A slothlike creature with a fine fur.

  • Haunchy: A specific group of degenerate Gnomes.

  • Headless Snowmobiler: A headless, undead creature known for their strange snowmobiles.

  • Hidebehind: A mostly unknown, unseen, and incredibly predator that hides itself behind trees. It disembowels its prey to eat the innards.

  • Hillsboro Hairless Thing: A small, ugly, hairless predator with a long tail.

  • Hodag: A hairy, green, bovine horned creature with dorsal spines. Its body becomes copper upon its death.

  • Hoopsnake: A snake with a venomous stinger in its tail. It moves by holding its tail in its mouth and rolling like a wheel.

  • Horned Serpent: Alternate name for a Misiginebig.

  • Hugag: A long-lipped, hornless, deer-like creature that lacks leg-joints.

  • Hulder: A seductive creature that takes the form of a beautiful woman, but can be identified by its ox tail and a hollow back.

  • Huldra: Alternate name for a hulder.

  • Huldrekal: Term for a male of the hulder species.

  • Ithaqua: Name of a specific entity, see Windigo for more information.

  • Jennie: Name given to a specific Misiginebig.

  • Jogah: Alternate name for a Tehotikal Luhe', a specific group of Gnomes.

  • Kangaroo: An invasive species to the State that now has a breeding population

  • Kidrick Swamp Whatsit: A swamp-dwelling, scavenging marsupial, similar to a large, fat, hippopotamus-sized possum, with sharp rows of crocodilian teeth, muskox-like horns, and shaggy red fur. Not to be confused with the Central American Whatsit.

  • Lake Koshkonong Monster: Name given to a specific Misiginebig.

  • Lake Michigan Gargoyle: Alternate name for a Manbat.

  • Lake Michigan Mothman: Alternate name for a Manbat.

  • Lake Michigan Serpent: Alternate name for a Misiginebig.

  • Lake Ripley Monster: Name given to a specific Plesiosaur.

  • Lake Superior Monster: Alternate name for a Freshwater Kraken.

  • Lake Waubesa Monster: Name given to a specific Plesiosaur.

  • Lake Winnebago Water Monster: Alternate name for a Mashe-Nomak.

  • Leprocaun: A specific group of Gnomes.

  • Log Gar: A large, saw-toothed gar fish capable of sawing through logs and boats with its bite.

  • Long-Neck: Name given to a specific Plesiosaur.

  • Luferlang: A bizarre, horse-like creature with a bushy tail sprouting out of the middle of its back, and a venomous bite that is always lethal.

  • Lutin: A specific group of Gnomes.

  • Makia'wisag: A specific group of Gnomes.

  • Manbat: A winged, reptilian humanoid that can phase between different dimensions.

  • Man-Faced Pig: A creature born from a curse, with the body of a pig and the face of a man.

  • Mashe-Nomak: A gigantic species of sturgeon that dwells in Lake Winnebago. It preys on moose and deer that venture too close to the water.

  • Memegwesi: A specific group of Gnomes.

  • Mermaid: Alternate name for a Nibiinaabe.

  • Mishipeshu: Alternate name for a Hodag.

  • Misiginebig: A large, water dwelling, antlered serpent.

  • Moosehound: A gigantic crossbreed between a Saint Bernard and a Canada Moose, bred by the Giants and nursed on a diet of bear's milk.

  • Mosquitobee: A fearsome crossbreed accidentally created by the Giants crossing a Giant Mosquito with a species of giant Texan bumblebee, and further crossing that mix with the firefly. They are massive, bioluminescent, and have a sting at both ends. Tinier versions of the creatures are created when a Mosquitobee is killed, much like the Giant Mosquito.

  • Mud Shark: A small, mustache-bearing, freshwater shark.

  • Nibiinaabe: A mer-creature from Lake Superior, with a humanoid upper body, and a fishlike tail.

  • Night Rider: An invisible, possessive force that travels in the form of a storm of noise.

  • Night Spirit: A mostly benevolent spirit of darkness, cold, and night. Capable of freezing with a touch.

  • Night Visitor: A staff-wielding, levitating desiccated undead creature that appears at the doors of homes during the night.

  • Oniare: Alternate name for a Misiginebig.

  • Pa'is: A specific group of Gnomes.

  • Panther: Alternate name for an Eau Claire Beast.

  • Pepie: Name given to a specific Plesiosaur.

  • Pressie: Name given to a specific Plesiosaur.

  • Peshtigo Fire Demon: A demonic entity that can take either the form of a pyrocumulonimbus, or the form of a young boy with a tail riding a burning elk. They are the cause of the worst wildfires in the State.

  • Peshtigo Shadow Person: A spirit entity resembling a burning silhouette. It is accompanied by the scent of char and ash, and can sometimes be heard whispering indistinctly. They frequent areas affected by the Great Peshtigo Fire.

  • Phantom Chicken: An ethereal chicken spirit, which frequents roads.

  • Phantom Elephant: An ethereal elephant, frequenting areas where circuses are or were once prominent.

  • Phillyloo Bird: A featherless, storklike bird that flies upside-down. Outside of Wisconsin the name is used instead for a Goofus Bird.

  • Pinnacle Grouse: A bird with one wing found exclusively on the Pyramid Forty. Its feather colors change based on season and observer.

  • Plesiosaur: A paddle-finned, long-necked reptilian creature that dwells in numerous rivers and lakes throughout Wisconsin.

  • Pterosaur: A species of prehistoric, flying reptile.

  • Puckwudgie: Alternate name for Bagwajiwini, a specific group of Gnomes.

  • Rhinelapus: A bizarre plant-creature, vaguely reptilian in appearance. It has three clawed legs sticking out of its body at strange angles, and a large horn growing out of its long neck.

  • Rocky: Name given to a specific Misiginebig.

  • Roperite: A species of swift, flightless avian with a lasso-like beak.

  • Rumtifusel: An extremely flat, furry, constricting ambush predator that vaguely resembles a discarded fur coat.

  • Sasquatch: A bipedal species of ape.

  • Sidehill Gouger: A horned, vaguely badger-like burrowing mammal whose left legs and right legs are of different lengths, meaning it can only live on the sides of hills.

  • Silver Cat: An arboreal species of large, predatory cat, with a spiked club on the end of its tale which it uses to bludgeon and retrieve prey from a branch above.

  • Slopehound: A gigantic breed of dog bred by the Giants resulting from the cross between a dachshund and a Russian wolfhound, with the front-half of the dachshund, and the back-half of the wolfhound, resulting in a sloping gait from its stubby front legs and tall hind legs.

  • Snow Snake: A pure white viper, which hibernates in the summer and hunts during the winter. It is the most venomous snake in the state.

  • Splintercat: A species of feline that headbutts trees to break apart hollows, searching for its main diet, the beehives and raccoons found inside those tree hollows.

  • St. Croix River Little Person: A specific group of Gnomes.

  • Steinthal Monster: A large, white, bipedal ape with three glowing, green eyes.

  • Stonecoat: Alternate name for an Atnayalho.

  • Stumper-Jumper: A creature born from a curse, with the body of a man and the face of a pig.

  • Swamp Augur: An amphibious species of bird with a drill-shaped bill which it can use to drill into the hulls of ships.

  • Teakettler: A stout, canine creature, with ears resembling that of a cat. Its call sounds like a teakettle.

  • Tehotikal Luhe': A specific group of Gnomes.

  • Thunder: Alternate name for a Thunderbird.

  • Thunderbird: A massive, divine, storm spirit that can take either the form of a large bird of prey with a turkey-like head, or the form of a man with the head of a turkey and angel-like wings.

  • Thunderer: Alternate name for a Thunderbird.

  • Toteroad Shagamaw: A satyr-like beast with the hind legs of a moose and the front-legs of a bear. It walks either bipedally or on its forepaws, alternating between front and hind legs to baffle trackers. It eats unattended cloth.

  • Tree-Squeak: An elastic, well-camouflaged rodent that wraps itself around a tree branch. They can mimic almost any sound, and frequently and randomly mimic sounds they have heard in the past.

  • Tripodero: A telescopic-legged species of bird. It can fire mud pellets out of its beak like bullets, and has a sight-like protrusion on the top of their beak.

  • Troll: A shaggy, hideous giant creature that generally brings misfortune wherever it goes.

  • Unktehila: Alternate name for a Misiginebig.

  • Upland Trout: A tree-dwelling, air-breathing, flying species of fish. It cannot swim and avoids large bodies of water.

  • Vampire: A pale, undead creature capable of jumping extreme distances.

  • Wakacuna: A spirit creature that takes the form of a horned wildcat. The spirit is tied to a tree, and seeing it is an omen of death.

  • Were-Grizzly: Alternate name for a Bearwalker.

  • Werewolf: Alternate name for a Beast of Bray Road.

  • Whiffenpoof: A strange species of fish that inflates when it gets angry, stressed, or upset.

  • Whirligig Fish: A fish that swims in spirals, capable of leaping out of the water in a spiraling path.

  • Whitewater Monster: Alternate name for a Freshwater Kraken.

  • Wendigo: Alternate name for a Windigo.

  • Windigo: A massive, undead giant with a body made of ice. The Windigo forms from a cannibal, with the original person cursed to becoming a Windigo entombed in the ice of the Windigo's body, at the heart of the creature.

  • Witiko: Alternate name for a Windigo.

This is, as far as our studies can currently ascertain, a full listing of Wisconsin's undocumented creatures. As these creatures are documented here, blog categories will be set up to further group these creatures by various categories.


-Brother Upton Gardener, High Loremaster, Ancient Order of the Reveeting Society

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