Archaeologists have discovered an ancient pyramid buried under a hill on the outskirts of Mexico City.
The site will not be fully explored because of its religious significance
The pyramid is said to be 1,500 years old and was built by the same ancient people who constructed the Teotihuacan complex, known as the City of the Gods.
Parts of the structure have been badly damaged as the hill has been used for decades to stage re-enactments of the crucifixion of Christ during Holy Week.
The religious celebration is attended by as many as one million devotees.
Measuring 150m (492 feet) on each of its four sides, the 18-metre (59-foot) tall pyramid was carved out on a natural hillside around 500 AD.
It was abandoned in about 800 AD, when the Teotihuacan culture collapsed for unknown reasons.
Cultural legacy
"When they first saw us digging there, the local people just couldn't believe there was a pyramid," archaeologist Jesus Sanchez said, who has been exploring the site since 2004.
The same ancient people are believed to have built Teotihuacan
It was only when the slopes and shapes of the pyramid, the floors with altars were found, that they finally believed us. The majority of the people now feel happy and proud, and have helped out a lot in protecting the relics," he added.
Iztapalapa hillside, known as Hill of the Star, overlooks one of Mexico City's poorest and most dangerous neighbourhoods.
Local people began re-enacting the Passion of Christ there in 1833, to give thanks for divine protection during a cholera epidemic - a ritual which now draws as many as a million spectators every year.
The site will not be fully explored because it is now considered a religious centre in its own right, said Mr Sanchez of the National Institute of Anthropology and History.
"Both the pre-Hispanic structure and the Holy Week rituals are part of our cultural legacy, so we have to look for a way to protect both cultural values."
P/S:seem that ancient human are very clever...
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Ancient Sea Monster Remains Found in Argentina
Argentine scientists have discovered the remains of a fierce sea monster that terrorized Pacific waters in the age of the dinosaurs. The researchers are calling it Godzilla after the legendary movie monster, but it really was an ancestor of modern crocodiles.
What has a head like a meat eating dinosaur and a tail like a fish? An ancient sea reptile called a dakosaur.
Millions of years ago when dinosaurs ruled the land, these early crocodiles dominated the oceans, but they never seem to have caught the public's imagination as dinosaurs have.
Perhaps this will change with the discovery of a 135- million-year-old dakosaur skull and two lower jaws in the Patagonia desert of southern Argentina. The researchers who describe it in the journal Science call it Dakosaurus andiniensis, the Andean Dakosaur, to contrast it to those that swam in other parts of the world at the time. What a contrast it is.
"At first glance, it was evident that Dakosaurus andiniensis was truly unique among marine crocodiles," said Diego Pol, an expert on ancient animals at the Ohio State University.
He took part in the research and says the creature was distinct from its crocodile cousins of the Jurassic era because it had a tall, short head shaped like a bullet and large, powerful, serrated teeth that seem to belong in a dinosaur's mouth.
These features indicate that it was a predator capable of gobbling reptiles and other large sea life, filling a niche eventually taken over by large sharks. In contrast, other dakosaurs and their modern crocodile descendants have long, thin snouts and many thin teeth suitable for feeding on smaller, more agile prey such as fish.
"We find these results extremely interesting because they indicate that the diversity of crocodiles back in the Jurassic was much greater than expected," he added.
Based on the size of the skull, Mr. Pol and his colleagues from the National University of La Plata, Argentina estimate that the creature was four meters long. They infer its body shape based on a computer program that analyzed the fossils and found that they most resemble the early crocodile branch that had flippers and a fish-like tail instead of four feet and a tail like modern crocodiles.
"This analysis revealed that the anatomical changes along the evolution of the Dakosaurus lineage were clearly the most drastic evolutionary change in the history of marine crocodiles. This places the 135-million-year-old Dakosaurus andiniensis not only as one of the most recent members of this family, but also as the most bizarre marine crocodile known today," he explained.
The National Geographic Society in Washington, which sponsored the research, says dakosaurs were only one of the monsters that cavorted in the world's oceans between 250 million and 65 million years ago. Back then shallow seas and a lack of significant marine predators created new opportunities for many reptiles that had first developed on land. They included such beasts as giant ichthyosaurs that might have reached 25 meters in length and plesiosaurs with seven-meter-long necks reminiscent of the fabled Loch Ness monster in Scotland.
Diego Pol says that all dakosaurs became extinct by the end of the Cretaceous era 65 million years ago, leaving us with only a fraction of the crocodile diversity of that long ago time.
"This pattern of extinctions is what we see in the fossil record of all species. It is fairly common to see that a species or family has its own moment where it diversifies and later goes extinct. The most famous case of this is the large dinosaurs that disappeared by the end of the Cretaceous," he said.
You might call these ferocious meat-eating dakosaurs, the dinosaurs of the sea, animals that shared the world at the same time.
Although they are no longer around, their smaller crocodile descendants, who split their time between land and water, are no friendlier and might just as well be avoided.
P/S:sometimes i think about why humans so dreaming about monsters..i believed that the monsters will only be threat to human being..
What has a head like a meat eating dinosaur and a tail like a fish? An ancient sea reptile called a dakosaur.
Millions of years ago when dinosaurs ruled the land, these early crocodiles dominated the oceans, but they never seem to have caught the public's imagination as dinosaurs have.
Perhaps this will change with the discovery of a 135- million-year-old dakosaur skull and two lower jaws in the Patagonia desert of southern Argentina. The researchers who describe it in the journal Science call it Dakosaurus andiniensis, the Andean Dakosaur, to contrast it to those that swam in other parts of the world at the time. What a contrast it is.
"At first glance, it was evident that Dakosaurus andiniensis was truly unique among marine crocodiles," said Diego Pol, an expert on ancient animals at the Ohio State University.
He took part in the research and says the creature was distinct from its crocodile cousins of the Jurassic era because it had a tall, short head shaped like a bullet and large, powerful, serrated teeth that seem to belong in a dinosaur's mouth.
These features indicate that it was a predator capable of gobbling reptiles and other large sea life, filling a niche eventually taken over by large sharks. In contrast, other dakosaurs and their modern crocodile descendants have long, thin snouts and many thin teeth suitable for feeding on smaller, more agile prey such as fish.
"We find these results extremely interesting because they indicate that the diversity of crocodiles back in the Jurassic was much greater than expected," he added.
Based on the size of the skull, Mr. Pol and his colleagues from the National University of La Plata, Argentina estimate that the creature was four meters long. They infer its body shape based on a computer program that analyzed the fossils and found that they most resemble the early crocodile branch that had flippers and a fish-like tail instead of four feet and a tail like modern crocodiles.
"This analysis revealed that the anatomical changes along the evolution of the Dakosaurus lineage were clearly the most drastic evolutionary change in the history of marine crocodiles. This places the 135-million-year-old Dakosaurus andiniensis not only as one of the most recent members of this family, but also as the most bizarre marine crocodile known today," he explained.
The National Geographic Society in Washington, which sponsored the research, says dakosaurs were only one of the monsters that cavorted in the world's oceans between 250 million and 65 million years ago. Back then shallow seas and a lack of significant marine predators created new opportunities for many reptiles that had first developed on land. They included such beasts as giant ichthyosaurs that might have reached 25 meters in length and plesiosaurs with seven-meter-long necks reminiscent of the fabled Loch Ness monster in Scotland.
Diego Pol says that all dakosaurs became extinct by the end of the Cretaceous era 65 million years ago, leaving us with only a fraction of the crocodile diversity of that long ago time.
"This pattern of extinctions is what we see in the fossil record of all species. It is fairly common to see that a species or family has its own moment where it diversifies and later goes extinct. The most famous case of this is the large dinosaurs that disappeared by the end of the Cretaceous," he said.
You might call these ferocious meat-eating dakosaurs, the dinosaurs of the sea, animals that shared the world at the same time.
Although they are no longer around, their smaller crocodile descendants, who split their time between land and water, are no friendlier and might just as well be avoided.
P/S:sometimes i think about why humans so dreaming about monsters..i believed that the monsters will only be threat to human being..
Dire Wolf
The Dire Wolf was a powerful creature, but now he is extinct. The Dire Wolf lived during the last Ice Age and it ranged all throughout the Western Hemisphere. The Dire Wolf became extinct over 10,000 years ago. Over 3,600 Dire Wolves have been recovered from Rancho La Brea. That's more than any other species of mammal that has been recovered from Rancho La Brea. The large number of Dire Wolves found at Rancho La Brea implies that, like the Saber-Toothed Cat, they may have hunted in packs. Since they hunted in packs, more than just one wolf got caught in the tar pits. the Dire Wolf was a close relative to the Timber Wolf, which has also been recovered from Rancho La Brea. The only difference between the Dire Wolf and the Timber Wolf is the size of their teeth and the Dire Wolf is a little bit smaller than the Timber Wolf. The Dire Wolf had slightly larger teeth than the Timber Wolf. These dental differences suggest that the Dire Wolf could crush bones more efficiently. Modern Timber Wolves are often kicked or stepped on while chasing and capturing such large animals such as moose. The fossils of Dire Wolves sometimes show similar types of injuries. These Dire Wolves may have been injured while hunting either some extinct horses or bison. Another name for the Dire Wolf is Canis Dirus. The case you see above contains more than 400 Dire Wolf skulls. WOW!! That's a lot! Carnivores have been uncovered way more than the omnivores which puts the Dire Wolf in there. The Dire Wolf has more bones that have been uncovered than any other animal found.
P/S:the size of a Dire Wolf actually is about 2 times of a normal adult..
P/S:the size of a Dire Wolf actually is about 2 times of a normal adult..
Okapis rediscovered
Thought extinct for 47 years in the Congo’s Virunga National Park, the okapis have been rediscovered!
Okapis are important in the history of romantic natural history. The animal was used to symbolize the International Society of Cryptozoology (1982-1995), and was the centerpiece of the organization’s logo.
The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a beautiful animal, a true “living fossil”. I have observed them in St. Louis, Chicago, San Diego, and every zoo I can find that has any. Last weekend, I was able to observe for several minutes over the space of three hours, the 21-year-old male, born in the San Diego Zoo, and now in captivity at the San Antonio Zoo. Zookeepers Charlene and Ramone were kind enough to discuss the specimen with me, and Ramone even engaged (via petting and feeding) and coaxed the animal to be a little less shy about starting its morning routine, before I left for Maine. Unnecessary but appreciated.
For years in the 19th century, Europeans brushed aside tales from the native peoples of the Congo, the pygmies, about a creature said to look like a cross between a zebra and a giraffe. That would all change at the turn of the twentieth century. Sir Harry Johnston gained the trust of a band of Congolese pygmies when he rescued them from a German showman who was trying to abduct and show them at the 1900 Paris Exhibition.
Johnston then began hearing stories from them about the okapi, a mule-sized animal animal with zebra stripes. In 1901, Johnston secured and sent a whole skin, two skulls, and a detailed description of the okapi to London. First found in what is now the Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 1901, the okapis were thought to have died out, nevertheless in recent years, in the very site of their discovery.
Now, on Friday, June 9, 2006, an announcement has been made that conclusive proof of the existence of okapis in the Congo’s Virunga National Park has been confirmed. This re-discovery of these animals is a remarkable story of survival, as they have not been found there since 1959. A recent survey of the area by conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) found 17 okapi tracks and other evidence of its presence. No sightings of the elusive animal were documented but its tracks were taken as “absolute proof of the creature’s recent activity in the park,” reported Reuters.
“The rediscovery of okapis in Virunga National Park is a positive sign,” said Marc Languy, of WWF’s Eastern Africa Regional Programme. “As the country is returning to peace, it shows that the protected areas in this troubled region are now havens for rare wildlife once more. Except for mountain gorillas, which have shown an increase in population due to important conservation efforts, most wildlife in the park (Virunga) have heavily suffered from poaching. The population of hippopotamus, for example, has dropped from 29,000 in the mid-1970s to less than 1,000 today,” Languy commented.
This is good news to hear about the okapis
P/S:i believed that those extinct animals not really extinct..maybe they just 'hidding' at somewhere that human cant find them out
Okapis are important in the history of romantic natural history. The animal was used to symbolize the International Society of Cryptozoology (1982-1995), and was the centerpiece of the organization’s logo.
The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a beautiful animal, a true “living fossil”. I have observed them in St. Louis, Chicago, San Diego, and every zoo I can find that has any. Last weekend, I was able to observe for several minutes over the space of three hours, the 21-year-old male, born in the San Diego Zoo, and now in captivity at the San Antonio Zoo. Zookeepers Charlene and Ramone were kind enough to discuss the specimen with me, and Ramone even engaged (via petting and feeding) and coaxed the animal to be a little less shy about starting its morning routine, before I left for Maine. Unnecessary but appreciated.
For years in the 19th century, Europeans brushed aside tales from the native peoples of the Congo, the pygmies, about a creature said to look like a cross between a zebra and a giraffe. That would all change at the turn of the twentieth century. Sir Harry Johnston gained the trust of a band of Congolese pygmies when he rescued them from a German showman who was trying to abduct and show them at the 1900 Paris Exhibition.
Johnston then began hearing stories from them about the okapi, a mule-sized animal animal with zebra stripes. In 1901, Johnston secured and sent a whole skin, two skulls, and a detailed description of the okapi to London. First found in what is now the Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 1901, the okapis were thought to have died out, nevertheless in recent years, in the very site of their discovery.
Now, on Friday, June 9, 2006, an announcement has been made that conclusive proof of the existence of okapis in the Congo’s Virunga National Park has been confirmed. This re-discovery of these animals is a remarkable story of survival, as they have not been found there since 1959. A recent survey of the area by conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) found 17 okapi tracks and other evidence of its presence. No sightings of the elusive animal were documented but its tracks were taken as “absolute proof of the creature’s recent activity in the park,” reported Reuters.
“The rediscovery of okapis in Virunga National Park is a positive sign,” said Marc Languy, of WWF’s Eastern Africa Regional Programme. “As the country is returning to peace, it shows that the protected areas in this troubled region are now havens for rare wildlife once more. Except for mountain gorillas, which have shown an increase in population due to important conservation efforts, most wildlife in the park (Virunga) have heavily suffered from poaching. The population of hippopotamus, for example, has dropped from 29,000 in the mid-1970s to less than 1,000 today,” Languy commented.
This is good news to hear about the okapis
P/S:i believed that those extinct animals not really extinct..maybe they just 'hidding' at somewhere that human cant find them out
The Megalodon
Most people consider the most terrifying creature to reign on this planet to be the Great White shark. Its size and sheer ruthlessness can send chills down the spines of any man or beast. The Great White's ancestor, though, is supremely larger and was even more terrifying.
The shark, Carcharodon megalodon, was the greatest hunter the planet has ever seen. Due to the size of the fossilized teeth the creatures length can be found to be anywhere from sixty feet to two hundred feet. Most scientists agree on the sixty foot length; it all depends on where in the mouth the teeth where located. Since the megalodon's skeleton, like all sharks, was constructed of cartilage, it was easily decomposed in a matter of years. The only remains of the creatures are the gigantic teeth that are the size of a man's hand.
Many scientists believe the shark went extinct about two million years ago during the Pliocene epoch. Due to the changing earth climates and the evolution of prey, the Megalodon was thought to have become a creature that couldn't fend for itself. The beast lived in the warmer waters of the oceans and as the climates changed the waters eventually cooled.
There are theories, however, that the Carcharodon megalodon is still alive. Author Steve Alten, whose novels include Meg and The Trench, has pioneered the theory that the shark may still be alive. His theory has the creature slowly moving into the deeper descents of the ocean to find warmth. The shark's metabolism would slow down, and it would require less to eat, so the creature could thrive on the food sources in the deep trenches. Mr. Alten puts it best himself:
We know from fossilized teeth that Megalodon survived the extinction that killed off most of the marine animals 65 & 45 million years ago. In fact, we have teeth that showed Meg's may have been alive as near as 10,000 years ago. What eventually killed them off was the decrease in water temperatures, a result of the last ice age. However, the recent discover of hydrothermal vents (1977) and life forms at the bottom of the deepest parts of the ocean leave the possibility that some Megalodon may have survived by inhabiting these deeper, unexplored waters.
There have been several sightings of gigantic sharks, which could be Megalodon's. The only problem for the Megalodon, and perhaps our hope, is that the several miles of frigid ocean water is keeping the shark trapped. If it were to try and reach the surface, the creature would be killed by the drastic change in temperature.
If the creature still does exist miles under the surface, we can only hope that it never escapes without man's help.
P/S:that's why i m so interested to marine biology..maybe one day i might found a new species of marine creature
The shark, Carcharodon megalodon, was the greatest hunter the planet has ever seen. Due to the size of the fossilized teeth the creatures length can be found to be anywhere from sixty feet to two hundred feet. Most scientists agree on the sixty foot length; it all depends on where in the mouth the teeth where located. Since the megalodon's skeleton, like all sharks, was constructed of cartilage, it was easily decomposed in a matter of years. The only remains of the creatures are the gigantic teeth that are the size of a man's hand.
Many scientists believe the shark went extinct about two million years ago during the Pliocene epoch. Due to the changing earth climates and the evolution of prey, the Megalodon was thought to have become a creature that couldn't fend for itself. The beast lived in the warmer waters of the oceans and as the climates changed the waters eventually cooled.
There are theories, however, that the Carcharodon megalodon is still alive. Author Steve Alten, whose novels include Meg and The Trench, has pioneered the theory that the shark may still be alive. His theory has the creature slowly moving into the deeper descents of the ocean to find warmth. The shark's metabolism would slow down, and it would require less to eat, so the creature could thrive on the food sources in the deep trenches. Mr. Alten puts it best himself:
We know from fossilized teeth that Megalodon survived the extinction that killed off most of the marine animals 65 & 45 million years ago. In fact, we have teeth that showed Meg's may have been alive as near as 10,000 years ago. What eventually killed them off was the decrease in water temperatures, a result of the last ice age. However, the recent discover of hydrothermal vents (1977) and life forms at the bottom of the deepest parts of the ocean leave the possibility that some Megalodon may have survived by inhabiting these deeper, unexplored waters.
There have been several sightings of gigantic sharks, which could be Megalodon's. The only problem for the Megalodon, and perhaps our hope, is that the several miles of frigid ocean water is keeping the shark trapped. If it were to try and reach the surface, the creature would be killed by the drastic change in temperature.
If the creature still does exist miles under the surface, we can only hope that it never escapes without man's help.
P/S:that's why i m so interested to marine biology..maybe one day i might found a new species of marine creature
Storsjoodjuret
SWEDEN'S most famous lake monster, the Storsjoodjuret (the monster of Lake Storsjon) had a lot of coverage in the Swedish newspapers last summer following a video recording of the creature in July by Gun-Britt Widmark, 67, while boating on the lake off Ostersund with a party of pensioners. Whatever it was had humps and was 33 to 39 feet long.
Four people made a further sighting on July 22 from their verandah overlooking the lake. They watched a long, wave-like movement in the water, like the wash of a boat, though there was no boat in sight. Through binoculars they saw something rolling up and down in the water, breaking the surface every three seconds. It moved parallel with the Rodo bridge for a couple of minutes, then changed direction by 90 degrees, finally diving and disappearing under the bridge. One of them tried to capture the phenomenon on video, but it was too far away. Sten Rentzhog, director of the local Ostersund museum, has collected nearly 500 accounts of Storsjoodjuret sightings dating back to 1635. In recent years, most of these have coincided with the summer tourist season, leading sceptics to suspect a degree of public relations hype; but last July the paper Ostersunds Posten complained that the monster was poorly marketed compared with Nessie or some of the American lake monsters. There was no merchandise on sale apart from two postcards. Furthermore, the monster was seasonal long before there were any tourists, as can be seen from Dr Peter Olsson's study of 1899.
The folkloric explanation is that the lake monsters of this part of Sweden are seasonal because they migrate from the Gulf of Bothnia, where they spend the winter months, and it was said that sometimes in summer they were observed on land moving between the various lakes. Incidentally, Dr Olsson wondered if the monster might be an unknown species of giant seal, but readily admitted that seals should have been more noticeable in the winter, and noted the lack of breathing holes in the lake's ice.
In 1986, after 22 years of sporadic debate, the county administration of Jamtland (the district which encompasses the lake) declared that anyone trying to capture or kill the Storsjon monster could be prosecuted. The ruling had taken such a long time because lawyers required an "official" Linnaean name for the animal and naturally the zoological establishment would not acknowledge that the creature existed.
No one could decide if the matter should be dealt with under the Game Act or the Fishery Regulation Act. Scandinavian sophistry overcame the conundrum by invoking the Nature Conservation Act, prohibiting any threat to the unknown creature "while awaiting a determination of its species". This was prudent, as descriptions of the monster have changed over the years.
In the 19th century, nearly all the witnesses described a "waterhorse", its head surrounded by a long white mane floating in the water. Contemporary witnesses don't seem to notice its horse-like head and mane. My Swedish correspondent dryly describes the beast as a "camouflageon" - a hitherto unknown species of highly developed amphibian chameleon.
Olle Mattsson, an antiquarian at the Ostersund museum, has spent the last two years examining the museum's archives for historical observations of the monster, to which he has added many interviews with modern witnesses. His version of the "typical" monster is 10 to 16 feet long, 12 to 16 inches wide, dark grey or black with a small head. "All evidence indicates that there is a population [of the monsters]," he said. "They probably move together in a pack."
Although the local papers report two or three sightings every summer, Mr Mattsson believes that most witnesses keep quiet out of fear of ridicule - which seems rather odd, considering the large number of witnesses who have come forward. This is probably a modern gloss on the old taboo against mentioning encounters with the dangerous or unknown, especially to strangers.
P/S:i believed that monster fever affected the whole world..
Four people made a further sighting on July 22 from their verandah overlooking the lake. They watched a long, wave-like movement in the water, like the wash of a boat, though there was no boat in sight. Through binoculars they saw something rolling up and down in the water, breaking the surface every three seconds. It moved parallel with the Rodo bridge for a couple of minutes, then changed direction by 90 degrees, finally diving and disappearing under the bridge. One of them tried to capture the phenomenon on video, but it was too far away. Sten Rentzhog, director of the local Ostersund museum, has collected nearly 500 accounts of Storsjoodjuret sightings dating back to 1635. In recent years, most of these have coincided with the summer tourist season, leading sceptics to suspect a degree of public relations hype; but last July the paper Ostersunds Posten complained that the monster was poorly marketed compared with Nessie or some of the American lake monsters. There was no merchandise on sale apart from two postcards. Furthermore, the monster was seasonal long before there were any tourists, as can be seen from Dr Peter Olsson's study of 1899.
The folkloric explanation is that the lake monsters of this part of Sweden are seasonal because they migrate from the Gulf of Bothnia, where they spend the winter months, and it was said that sometimes in summer they were observed on land moving between the various lakes. Incidentally, Dr Olsson wondered if the monster might be an unknown species of giant seal, but readily admitted that seals should have been more noticeable in the winter, and noted the lack of breathing holes in the lake's ice.
In 1986, after 22 years of sporadic debate, the county administration of Jamtland (the district which encompasses the lake) declared that anyone trying to capture or kill the Storsjon monster could be prosecuted. The ruling had taken such a long time because lawyers required an "official" Linnaean name for the animal and naturally the zoological establishment would not acknowledge that the creature existed.
No one could decide if the matter should be dealt with under the Game Act or the Fishery Regulation Act. Scandinavian sophistry overcame the conundrum by invoking the Nature Conservation Act, prohibiting any threat to the unknown creature "while awaiting a determination of its species". This was prudent, as descriptions of the monster have changed over the years.
In the 19th century, nearly all the witnesses described a "waterhorse", its head surrounded by a long white mane floating in the water. Contemporary witnesses don't seem to notice its horse-like head and mane. My Swedish correspondent dryly describes the beast as a "camouflageon" - a hitherto unknown species of highly developed amphibian chameleon.
Olle Mattsson, an antiquarian at the Ostersund museum, has spent the last two years examining the museum's archives for historical observations of the monster, to which he has added many interviews with modern witnesses. His version of the "typical" monster is 10 to 16 feet long, 12 to 16 inches wide, dark grey or black with a small head. "All evidence indicates that there is a population [of the monsters]," he said. "They probably move together in a pack."
Although the local papers report two or three sightings every summer, Mr Mattsson believes that most witnesses keep quiet out of fear of ridicule - which seems rather odd, considering the large number of witnesses who have come forward. This is probably a modern gloss on the old taboo against mentioning encounters with the dangerous or unknown, especially to strangers.
P/S:i believed that monster fever affected the whole world..
Monsters of the Antarctic
In 1996, a meteorite found in Antarctica made headlines upon the announcement that fossilized microbes from Mars had fallen to Earth. Now further research from the desolate South Pole continent is providing more news of a fantastic nature, doing for the field of cryptozoology what it did for ufologists before. Scientists studying icebergs on the Antarctic seabed have discovered a variety of never-before-seen species of such immense size and peculiarity that they could rightly be called monsters.
Dr. Lloyd Peck, head of Nearshore Marine Biology for the British Antarctic Survey, announced that the frigid polar environment has brought about a sort of "gigantism" among a number of diverse marine life forms. There are Antarctic sea spiders measuring up to 13 inches across, which is a thousand times the size of the common European sea spider. Isopods, aquatic insects comparable to wood lice that normally grow to a length of 1.2 inches in warmer seas, have been found as long as 6.7 inches. Other giant creatures include 10-foot sponges and ribbon worms over nine feet long.
Peck explained that two primary conditions of the Antarctic are responsible for the evolution of these monsters: cold and isolation. The freezing temperatures cause marine life to have extremely low metabolic rates, which enables them to live longer and grow much larger than their relatives in more temperate oceans. The isolated and foreboding habitats of these species also help them to thrive, keeping them relatively free of encroaching predators -- and human beings.
Icebergs are a vital element in the shaping of the creatures' habitat, and a topic of special interest to Peck. Measuring acres across, giant icebergs routinely crash into the Antarctic seabed, laying waste to vast colonies of marine life like a naturally occurring nuclear blast.
"An iceberg obliterates everything short of bacteria, leaving a pristine environment," Peck said. While obviously detrimental to the organisms caught in its path, an iceberg's "cleansing" leaves behind a virginal habitat in which other species may then successfully propagate. The combination of these environmental factors has led Antarctica to spawn a hitherto unknown diversity of marine life which Peck says might compare to the exotic species of tropical seas.
P/S:maybe because of isolated condition..that's why those creatures evolved into monsters?
Dr. Lloyd Peck, head of Nearshore Marine Biology for the British Antarctic Survey, announced that the frigid polar environment has brought about a sort of "gigantism" among a number of diverse marine life forms. There are Antarctic sea spiders measuring up to 13 inches across, which is a thousand times the size of the common European sea spider. Isopods, aquatic insects comparable to wood lice that normally grow to a length of 1.2 inches in warmer seas, have been found as long as 6.7 inches. Other giant creatures include 10-foot sponges and ribbon worms over nine feet long.
Peck explained that two primary conditions of the Antarctic are responsible for the evolution of these monsters: cold and isolation. The freezing temperatures cause marine life to have extremely low metabolic rates, which enables them to live longer and grow much larger than their relatives in more temperate oceans. The isolated and foreboding habitats of these species also help them to thrive, keeping them relatively free of encroaching predators -- and human beings.
Icebergs are a vital element in the shaping of the creatures' habitat, and a topic of special interest to Peck. Measuring acres across, giant icebergs routinely crash into the Antarctic seabed, laying waste to vast colonies of marine life like a naturally occurring nuclear blast.
"An iceberg obliterates everything short of bacteria, leaving a pristine environment," Peck said. While obviously detrimental to the organisms caught in its path, an iceberg's "cleansing" leaves behind a virginal habitat in which other species may then successfully propagate. The combination of these environmental factors has led Antarctica to spawn a hitherto unknown diversity of marine life which Peck says might compare to the exotic species of tropical seas.
P/S:maybe because of isolated condition..that's why those creatures evolved into monsters?
Giant Anacondas
The Anaconda has long since been known in scientific circles as Eunectes murinus. The longest specimen that has been reliably recorded is twenty-four feet. For some time, this snake was thought to be thirty-seven and half feet long, but later investigations showed the snake had been stretched accidentally. The creature, which had been killed by Robert Lamon, was located in eastern Colombia in 1944.
Natives of the Amazon know of a creature, called Sucuriju gigante, so well that they can name each of the animals specifically. The snakes are known to grow up to at least sixty two feet in length and some reports have them growing up to one hundred fifteen feet!
Lieutenant Colonel Percy Fawcett was exploring the Rio Abunã, near the intersection of the Rio Negro in southern Brazil, when the head of a Giant Anaconda surfaced next to his canoe. Several feet of the creatures back also came to break the muddy water as it moved towards the riverbank. Without hesitation, Fawcett shot and killed the creature with his pistol. After paddling to the shore, he found the creature to be "a length of forty five feet out of the water and seventeen feet in it making a total of length of sixty two feet." The explorer also told of another species of snake, nicknamed the "Sleeper", which is said to be black and much larger.
Perhaps the most amazing report comes from Fort Tabatinga, on the River Oiapoc in the Guaporé territory. In 1948, the Rio de Janerio newspaper told of a snake that came ashore and measured one hundred fifteen feet in length. Soldiers fired at least five hundred machine gun bullets into the beast before it finally died. After the body was measured and photographed the carcass was pushed into the river to avoid the horrendous stench that would be caused by decomposition.
Although the creatures seem too large to live, due to their length and girth, some speculate it could be possible for the snakes to exist. If they remained in the river water the buoyancy could sustain the creature's life and counteract the effects of gravity.
Some reports give the snake's gargantuan size- but it must be noted that snakeskins are very easy to stretch. It would be impossible, however, for someone to stretch a skin if the snake is still wearing it.
P/S:i think u heard before the movies about giant anacondas..right?
Natives of the Amazon know of a creature, called Sucuriju gigante, so well that they can name each of the animals specifically. The snakes are known to grow up to at least sixty two feet in length and some reports have them growing up to one hundred fifteen feet!
Lieutenant Colonel Percy Fawcett was exploring the Rio Abunã, near the intersection of the Rio Negro in southern Brazil, when the head of a Giant Anaconda surfaced next to his canoe. Several feet of the creatures back also came to break the muddy water as it moved towards the riverbank. Without hesitation, Fawcett shot and killed the creature with his pistol. After paddling to the shore, he found the creature to be "a length of forty five feet out of the water and seventeen feet in it making a total of length of sixty two feet." The explorer also told of another species of snake, nicknamed the "Sleeper", which is said to be black and much larger.
Perhaps the most amazing report comes from Fort Tabatinga, on the River Oiapoc in the Guaporé territory. In 1948, the Rio de Janerio newspaper told of a snake that came ashore and measured one hundred fifteen feet in length. Soldiers fired at least five hundred machine gun bullets into the beast before it finally died. After the body was measured and photographed the carcass was pushed into the river to avoid the horrendous stench that would be caused by decomposition.
Although the creatures seem too large to live, due to their length and girth, some speculate it could be possible for the snakes to exist. If they remained in the river water the buoyancy could sustain the creature's life and counteract the effects of gravity.
Some reports give the snake's gargantuan size- but it must be noted that snakeskins are very easy to stretch. It would be impossible, however, for someone to stretch a skin if the snake is still wearing it.
P/S:i think u heard before the movies about giant anacondas..right?
Minhocão
One of the most extraordinary mystery beasts of the world is the Minhocão. Relatively unknown to the rest of the world, the Minhocão has been reported from the forests of South America since the 19th century. The Minhocão is commonly described as a giant worm-like animal up to 75 feet long, with black scaly skin and two tentacle-like structures protruding from its head. Known best as being a burrowing animal, the Minhocão is commonly blamed for houses and roads collapsing into the earth. It is also said to frequently visit the local lakes and rivers of the areas in which it's reported.
The first published reference to the Minhocão appeared in the American Journal of Science in an article written by Auguste de Saint-Hilaire. In the article Saint-Hilaire stated several instances where a Minhocão was seen near fords of rivers. Some of these reports had a Minhocão snatching livestock and dragging them underwater! All of instances he reported took place in the Brazilian province of Goyaz. Saint-Hilaire also stated his belief that the name Minhocão is derived from the Portuguese word meaning earthworm, minhoca.
Publications regarding the Minhocão ceased until 1877, when zoologist Fritz Müller wrote an article on the beast for a German publication Zoologische Garten. Müller's article included new information on the Minhocão, including reports of huge mysterious trenches that were so big they'd divert rivers and destroy orchards. Unlike Saint-Hilaire's article, Müller's included actual sightings of the Minhocão. The following is of one of these sightings, which took place in the Paranà State in the 1840s:
A black woman going to draw water from a pool near a house one morning ... saw a short distance off an animal which she described as being as large as a house moving off along the ground. ... In the same district a young man saw a huge pine suddenly overturned ... he found the surrounding earth in movement, and an enormous worm-like black animal in the middle of it, about twenty-five meters long, and with two horns on its head.
Müller also mentioned a story told by Lebino José dos Santos who had heard tales of a dead Minhocão being found near Arapehy, Uruguay. According to the tale the creature was found lodged between two rocks, the reputed skin was said to be "as thick as the bark of a pine-tree" and armored with "scales like those of an armadillo". A sighting of a live Minhocão near Lages, Brazil in 1870 by Francisco de Amaral Varella, he said he:
... saw lying on the bank of the Rio das Caveiras a strange animal of gigantic size, nearly one meter in thickness, not very long, and with a snout like a pig, but whether it had legs or not he could not tell. ... whilst calling his neighbors to his assistance, it vanished, not without leaving palpable marks behind it in the shape of a trench ...
With the end of the 19th century also came the end of Minhocão sightings. There are still large mysterious trenches from time to time, but no actual sightings. Some researchers believe that the Minhocão, sadly, went extinct, while others think it is more likely that Minhocãos are still seen, but are thought to be giant anacondas and end up being reported as giant anacondas. There is still the question of what the Minhocãos could possibly be. Some researchers take into account that it is said to be a giant earthworm. There are giant earthworms, but these species don't grow over 12 feet and are only native to Australia. Also despite their large sizes, these giant earthworms are only about an inch thick. Another fact that may debunk the giant earthworm theory is that earthworms are not predators like some reports state the Minhocão may be.
Some researchers say that the Minhocão are surviving glyptodont, a large armadillo-like animal believed to have gone extinct in the Pleistocene. Researchers say that the glyptodont would be capable of digging the mysterious trenches and burrowing underground, it also had and armored shell over it's back. What is normally not mentioned about the glyptodont is that it was not a borrowing animal and it was probably not capable of doing so. There is also the fact that they do not fit any descriptions of the Minhocão.
Yet another theory goes on to say that the Minhocão is a lepidosiren (serpentine South American lungfish). If a lepidosiren were to grow to a large enough size it could explain the sightings of Minhocão near waterways. The large trenches could also be caused by a lepidosiren when it unburrows itself from the ground and returns to the rivers. One of the most likely theories of the Minhocão's identity was proposed by cryptozoologist Karl Shuker. He believes that the Minhocão may be a form of caecilian, a worm-like burrowing amphibian. Caecilians are native to South America and some fit the description and lifestyle of Minhocão perfectly, only in a smaller form. The largest of the caecilians only gets up to 5 feet. If one species does grow to enormous lengths then the Minhocão mystery would be solved.
The true identity of the Minhocão will remain hidden until one can be caught or good footage of it can be obtained. However it seems unlike that we will ever know the truth. Without a sighting of an actual animal in over a 130 years it may be extinct by now. Hopefully this is not the case and some day soon a living Minhocão will be discovered in the rainforests of South America.
P/S:i think i watched the movie about this creature before..
The first published reference to the Minhocão appeared in the American Journal of Science in an article written by Auguste de Saint-Hilaire. In the article Saint-Hilaire stated several instances where a Minhocão was seen near fords of rivers. Some of these reports had a Minhocão snatching livestock and dragging them underwater! All of instances he reported took place in the Brazilian province of Goyaz. Saint-Hilaire also stated his belief that the name Minhocão is derived from the Portuguese word meaning earthworm, minhoca.
Publications regarding the Minhocão ceased until 1877, when zoologist Fritz Müller wrote an article on the beast for a German publication Zoologische Garten. Müller's article included new information on the Minhocão, including reports of huge mysterious trenches that were so big they'd divert rivers and destroy orchards. Unlike Saint-Hilaire's article, Müller's included actual sightings of the Minhocão. The following is of one of these sightings, which took place in the Paranà State in the 1840s:
A black woman going to draw water from a pool near a house one morning ... saw a short distance off an animal which she described as being as large as a house moving off along the ground. ... In the same district a young man saw a huge pine suddenly overturned ... he found the surrounding earth in movement, and an enormous worm-like black animal in the middle of it, about twenty-five meters long, and with two horns on its head.
Müller also mentioned a story told by Lebino José dos Santos who had heard tales of a dead Minhocão being found near Arapehy, Uruguay. According to the tale the creature was found lodged between two rocks, the reputed skin was said to be "as thick as the bark of a pine-tree" and armored with "scales like those of an armadillo". A sighting of a live Minhocão near Lages, Brazil in 1870 by Francisco de Amaral Varella, he said he:
... saw lying on the bank of the Rio das Caveiras a strange animal of gigantic size, nearly one meter in thickness, not very long, and with a snout like a pig, but whether it had legs or not he could not tell. ... whilst calling his neighbors to his assistance, it vanished, not without leaving palpable marks behind it in the shape of a trench ...
With the end of the 19th century also came the end of Minhocão sightings. There are still large mysterious trenches from time to time, but no actual sightings. Some researchers believe that the Minhocão, sadly, went extinct, while others think it is more likely that Minhocãos are still seen, but are thought to be giant anacondas and end up being reported as giant anacondas. There is still the question of what the Minhocãos could possibly be. Some researchers take into account that it is said to be a giant earthworm. There are giant earthworms, but these species don't grow over 12 feet and are only native to Australia. Also despite their large sizes, these giant earthworms are only about an inch thick. Another fact that may debunk the giant earthworm theory is that earthworms are not predators like some reports state the Minhocão may be.
Some researchers say that the Minhocão are surviving glyptodont, a large armadillo-like animal believed to have gone extinct in the Pleistocene. Researchers say that the glyptodont would be capable of digging the mysterious trenches and burrowing underground, it also had and armored shell over it's back. What is normally not mentioned about the glyptodont is that it was not a borrowing animal and it was probably not capable of doing so. There is also the fact that they do not fit any descriptions of the Minhocão.
Yet another theory goes on to say that the Minhocão is a lepidosiren (serpentine South American lungfish). If a lepidosiren were to grow to a large enough size it could explain the sightings of Minhocão near waterways. The large trenches could also be caused by a lepidosiren when it unburrows itself from the ground and returns to the rivers. One of the most likely theories of the Minhocão's identity was proposed by cryptozoologist Karl Shuker. He believes that the Minhocão may be a form of caecilian, a worm-like burrowing amphibian. Caecilians are native to South America and some fit the description and lifestyle of Minhocão perfectly, only in a smaller form. The largest of the caecilians only gets up to 5 feet. If one species does grow to enormous lengths then the Minhocão mystery would be solved.
The true identity of the Minhocão will remain hidden until one can be caught or good footage of it can be obtained. However it seems unlike that we will ever know the truth. Without a sighting of an actual animal in over a 130 years it may be extinct by now. Hopefully this is not the case and some day soon a living Minhocão will be discovered in the rainforests of South America.
P/S:i think i watched the movie about this creature before..
The Moca vampire
Coinciding with the overwhelming number of cattle mutilations occurring in the United States and in the rest of the world at that time, Puerto Ricans discovered that their livestock was being slain by a mysterious, unseen assailant. They would have been even more distressed to learn that the same situation would replay itself twenty years later, courtesy of the ubiquitous Chupacabras.
In February 1975, a Puerto Rican newspaper ran one of the very first headlines concerning the wave of mysterious animal deaths to occur in the vicinity of the small town of Moca, on the island’s western side.
The entity, dubbed “The Moca Vampire” by the press, kicked off its killing spree in Barrio Rocha, a sector of the town of Moca, where it took the lives of a number of animals in a grisly manner never seen before. Fifteen cows, three goats, two geese and a pig were found dead with bizarre perforations on their hides, suggesting that a sharp instrument had been inserted into the hapless bovines. Autopsies showed that the animals had been thoroughly relieved of blood, as if consumed by some predator.
On March 7, 1975, a cow belonging to Rey Jiménez was found dead in Moca’s Barrio Cruz, presenting deep, piercing wounds on its skull and a number of scratches around the wounds on its body. Jiménez’s cow was added to the growing list of victims, which now totaled well over thirty.
As the number of victims grew, the Moca Vampire acquired an identity of its own, much in the same way that the Chupacabras would twenty years later. Speculation as to its nature was rife: many believed it was a supernatural “bird”, like the one seen by María Acevedo, a Moca resident who noticed that a strange animal had landed on her home’s zinc rooftop in the middle of the night. According to Acevedo’s testimony, the bird pecked at the rusty rooftop and at the windows before taking flight, issuing a terrifying scream. Others more readily accepted any suggestion that it was a space alien, an occupant of the UFOs reported on an almost daily basis over Puerto Rico at the time. Some clung to the belief that a gigantic vampire bat had somehow made it from the mainland to the Caribbean, slaking its thirst on the local cattle. Only days later, farmer Cecilio Hernández notified authorities that the elusive Moca Vampire had slain thirty-four chickens on his property at some point during the night. The supernatural entity was by now responsible for ninety animal deaths in a two week period.
A faint ray of hope—soon to be dissipated by harsh reality—appeared during this critical moment in the crisis: another farmer, Luis Torres, became the man of the hour after slaying two enormous snakes (Puerto Rican boas) measuring an unheard-of length of six feet. Torres had captured the snakes as they stood ready to attack a 600-pound heifer. The media hailed this act of heroism as the “solution to the mutilation riddle”; citizens could finally issue a collective sigh of relief.
However, the Moca Vampire had its own agenda. On March 18, 1975, two goats belonging to Hector Vega, a resident of Moca’s Barrio Pueblo, were found drained of blood. Puncture marks on the goats’ necks were the unmistakable sign that the strange entity causing the deaths was still at large and hungrier than ever: it returned to Vega’s farm the following night to finish off ten more goats and wound another seven. The horrified farmer also discovered that ten additional goats had gone missing.
P/S:sounds creepy..dont u think so?
In February 1975, a Puerto Rican newspaper ran one of the very first headlines concerning the wave of mysterious animal deaths to occur in the vicinity of the small town of Moca, on the island’s western side.
The entity, dubbed “The Moca Vampire” by the press, kicked off its killing spree in Barrio Rocha, a sector of the town of Moca, where it took the lives of a number of animals in a grisly manner never seen before. Fifteen cows, three goats, two geese and a pig were found dead with bizarre perforations on their hides, suggesting that a sharp instrument had been inserted into the hapless bovines. Autopsies showed that the animals had been thoroughly relieved of blood, as if consumed by some predator.
On March 7, 1975, a cow belonging to Rey Jiménez was found dead in Moca’s Barrio Cruz, presenting deep, piercing wounds on its skull and a number of scratches around the wounds on its body. Jiménez’s cow was added to the growing list of victims, which now totaled well over thirty.
As the number of victims grew, the Moca Vampire acquired an identity of its own, much in the same way that the Chupacabras would twenty years later. Speculation as to its nature was rife: many believed it was a supernatural “bird”, like the one seen by María Acevedo, a Moca resident who noticed that a strange animal had landed on her home’s zinc rooftop in the middle of the night. According to Acevedo’s testimony, the bird pecked at the rusty rooftop and at the windows before taking flight, issuing a terrifying scream. Others more readily accepted any suggestion that it was a space alien, an occupant of the UFOs reported on an almost daily basis over Puerto Rico at the time. Some clung to the belief that a gigantic vampire bat had somehow made it from the mainland to the Caribbean, slaking its thirst on the local cattle. Only days later, farmer Cecilio Hernández notified authorities that the elusive Moca Vampire had slain thirty-four chickens on his property at some point during the night. The supernatural entity was by now responsible for ninety animal deaths in a two week period.
A faint ray of hope—soon to be dissipated by harsh reality—appeared during this critical moment in the crisis: another farmer, Luis Torres, became the man of the hour after slaying two enormous snakes (Puerto Rican boas) measuring an unheard-of length of six feet. Torres had captured the snakes as they stood ready to attack a 600-pound heifer. The media hailed this act of heroism as the “solution to the mutilation riddle”; citizens could finally issue a collective sigh of relief.
However, the Moca Vampire had its own agenda. On March 18, 1975, two goats belonging to Hector Vega, a resident of Moca’s Barrio Pueblo, were found drained of blood. Puncture marks on the goats’ necks were the unmistakable sign that the strange entity causing the deaths was still at large and hungrier than ever: it returned to Vega’s farm the following night to finish off ten more goats and wound another seven. The horrified farmer also discovered that ten additional goats had gone missing.
P/S:sounds creepy..dont u think so?
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