We are here on the Blind Side will go From a great white that needed a fish more than the fisherman, to a humpback whale that interrupts a diving trip, here are 15 most surprising fishing moments you will ever see.

Hungry Hungry Piranhas

There’s something genuinely devastating about spending a lot of hard work and effort reeling in a fish, and then your line snaps or the fish gets away. You then have to spend even longer trying to get that second catch, but always wondering how large that first one might have been.

That’s pretty sad, but what if a hoard of hungry, vicious piranhas stole your prized catch instead? That’s what happened to one dejected fisherman who was out fishing on a still body of water with his friend.

They were on board a boat when the second fisherman decided to film the first reeling in what looked to be a hefty fish. As he pulled his line closer to the boat, the pair became aware of something else latching on. But it wasn’t just one fish, it was several, and they wanted what the fisherman had.

You can see in the footage a lot of movement around the catch, but it’s not the caught fish that’s causing all the ruckus. By the time the man pulls the fish up, it’s a mere head. The body is ravaged by a school of hungry, freeloading piranhas that were too lazy to catch their own dinner.

Surprising Fishing Moment

We see some pretty crazy stuff caught in the ocean, but we rarely see photos of things playing out as they happen! This time, we’ve got the goods. A father and son were out fishing on the coastline of a popular beach when something massive caught their line. And it was furious. Once it was close to the water’s edge, it wanted to make the boy and his dad its dinner. To this day, they are unsure what that fish was, but they managed to get away unharmed. What do you think that fish is?

Shark Takes Fish from Boy

You may have been within an inch of securing your dinner and being made a fuss of by your family, but would you fight a Great White Shark for a fish? Probably not.

A family had been fishing in Cape Cod Bay on a fishing boat when Jack Nelson, a young boy, had a fish hook onto his line. He excitedly reeled the catch in while his family proudly filmed the whole event. His dad, Doug Nelson, was behind the camera.

But instead of patting their son on the back when he brought the fish onto the deck, the fish never made it that far. Instead, a Great White Shark breached the water’s surface and took the fish before he could bring it aboard the boat. The shark was within mere inches of ending up on the family’s boat, and everyone looks on astounded. Fortunately, the moment was caught on camera for everyone to see.

13. Great White Shark Takes Man’s Fish

It’s part of New Zealand’s culture to head out on the boat for a day’s fishing. After all, the entire country is surrounded by water. But not everyone has this experience while out fishing.

A boat with at least three New Zealanders was out in the Bay of Islands for a day’s fishing when they got more than they bargained for. One man was working hard to bring in a fish, which was large enough to bend his sea fishing rod nearly in half.

But as he started to bring the fish closer to the water’s surface, he noticed that only the head remained. The rest of the fish had been eaten by something.

What that “something” was became apparent within seconds. A Great White Shark breached the water’s surface and took off with the rest of the fish, leaving the man with nothing.

While the man would undoubtedly have to start his fishing process again, he’ll have a pretty unbelievable story to tell his friends and family when he returns home.

Sea Bass Eats Shark

In 2014, a group of people out for a casual fish off the coast of Bonita Springs in Florida got the fright of their life, and this time, it wasn’t a shark that was to blame.

They had caught a blacktip shark on their line, which was of quite a large size – around four feet approximately. They then began to try and bring it in while the shark swam around in the water. As they pulled in the line with the shark attached, the shark didn’t even get a chance to fight. A Goliath Grouper swoops in out of nowhere and swallows the shark in one bite before taking off again.

Atlantic goliath groupers are common in tropical waters, especially shallow water near coral and artificial reefs. They are most commonly found at depths of around 15 – 170 feet. Given the size of the shark, you would have to assume this creature grows pretty big, and you would be right. They can weigh as much as 790 pounds and at lengths of around eight feet.

You would be pretty brave to take on a blacktip shark, let alone a hungry grouper, so those fishing on the boat would have probably let the grouper have their catch anyway.  

Man Gets Huge Shock

Electric eels are a South American electric fish that are a type of knife fish, rather than an eel. They grow to nearly seven feet long and around 44 pounds, and they have a square mouth, but no scales. Perhaps the more intriguing feature of the electric eel is the fact that, well, they are electric.

Their three abdominal organs produce electricity – both high and low voltage. When their prey gets close to them, they can create a current, not all that dissimilar from a battery. They can control their victims with electrical pulses, and can even affect their nervous system to put them into a state of paralysis.

Now that you know how an electric eel functions, you can see it all play out for yourself! A man gets the “shock” of his life when out trying to capture an electric eel. He tries to collect it with his bare hands while standing in a t-shirt and shorts in a body of water. He isn’t having much luck, so he grabs a pole to try and bring it to the surface.

All of a sudden, the man makes noises as if he has been shocked, and ends up falling into the water, completely paralyzed and unable to make any sudden movements. Any movements he does make are jilted and likely caused by electricity. The scary part is, the man was mere inches away from smashing his head open on a rock!

Whale Nearly Swallows Diver

Whales are peaceful creatures of the deep, but that doesn’t mean they don’t make errors in judgment. Fortunately for a group of divers, the outcome was a lot better than it could have been. Four men had been diving in Souza Rock on the Central California Coast. Jay Hebrard was filming from aboard the boat.

In the water, you can see two men in their full diving gear, but they aren’t doing much diving at this point.

All of a sudden, small fish flurry to the surface, hitting the face masks of the divers. Something is about to happen, and the divers have an inkling about what that might be. A humpback whale is nearby, and the divers quickly move out of the way before it breaches the surface for its fish dinner.

The humpback whale ends up in the same spot the divers were before, which means they narrowly missed being eaten.

Humpback whales are a type of baleen whale that has a knobbly head and long pectoral fins. They grow to around 52 feet long and weigh up to 33 tons. They are not as friendly around boats as gray whales, but they do try to avoid human contact where possible. This was one of those cases where it very nearly went wrong!

Man Catches More than He Bargained For

Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Well, apparently not. This man got far more than he bargained for when out fishing. He caught a massive fish, only for it to be rudely latched onto by a greedy snake that just wouldn’t let go.

He held onto the snake with a hook, and the snake held onto the fish. Neither man nor snake were ready to let go of their dinner. The man with the camera pans from the fish and snake combo to his face, which is less than impressed.

No matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to make the snake let go. In the end, he has to cut the fish from the snake to enjoy the fish dinner he had worked so hard to get.

8. Black Bear Takes the Catch

In life, you have to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em, and we’re pretty sure these fishermen made the right choice. A curious black bear wandered into the fishing area of men who had been fishing at the water’s edge.

Their tackle boxes, rods, and water bottles were laid out neatly when the bear started to approach them. It first sniffed at one man’s water bottle before curiously navigating its way to the tackle box. Seeing nothing delicious, it wandered off.

The men made a wise choice, upon seeing the bear, to move to a safe distance – while still filming. Black bears are a medium-sized bear that lives in many parts of North America. They mainly frequent forested areas but tend to wander into human communities because food is quite often available. In this case, it wasn’t.

American black bears can weigh up to 550 pounds, but females tend to be smaller. They have a keen sense of smell, which is thought to be around seven times greater than that of a dog. Fortunately for these fishermen, they are also far less aggressive than grizzly bears.

They rarely attack humans when confronted, and usually, only let out a “mock charge.” This is when they swat the grounds with their paws and blow air out their noses. If there are any attacks, they are usually around campgrounds and national parks where they choose to frequent for quick and easy food sources.

7. Bull Shark Flips Over Kayaker

Florida angler and Captain Ben Chancey operates a fishing charter company called Chew on This. He regularly goes fishing in the ocean, and often with the idea of shooting footage for his YouTube channel fishing show.

While someone films from the fishing boat, Ben is in his sea kayak with a rod containing bait. A grouper hooks onto his line, eats the bait, but then spits it back out. That seems like it’s the end of the adventure, but it’s not.

Before Ben knows it, a bull shark eats the bait, fights, and tips Ben out of the kayak. He struggles to get back on top of the overturned kayak. He realizes he is only wearing flipflops, so he abandons his attempt to get on the kayak and frantically swims to the fishing boat.

As the bull shark is still hooked onto the bait, he bravely gets back into the kayak and manages to catch that bull shark after all. Not only does Ben capture some excellent footage of the whole ordeal, but he manages to wrangle a bull shark that could have been a tragic event.

Bull sharks are not known to be the most delightful creatures in the water. They are aggressive and frequent both fresh and saltwater. They can grow up to around eight feet long and 290 pounds, and the male bull sharks are often smaller.

Out of all shark species, bull sharks are one of the more likely to bite humans. They are joined in their aggressive behavior by tiger sharks and great white sharks. There have even been several reports of bull shark attacks around Sydney Harbor inlets, which are typically quite populated.

Ben was extremely fortunate that the one he caught happened to have its mouth preoccupied with bait at the time.

6. Sleeping Fisherman Catches Whale

Whale watching expeditions are a fun way to spend an afternoon, but this group of whale watchers were treated to more entertainment than just whales. A family videoing humpback whales in the water happened to zoom in on a fishing boat with a man taking a snooze on the boat’s bow. He had two sea rods in the water, hoping to catch something while he took a short break.

The sleeping fisherman was missing the entire whale-watching expedition, but he didn’t realize that he was soon going to be a part of it. He woke up to his lines whizzing through the water, and he quickly grabbed onto them, possibly expecting a fish. But as the lines moved faster than he could reel them in, it probably dawned on him that it was a whale caught in his line, not a fish.

The boat then began to be pulled back by the whale, and he ran to start the boat up and follow the line to see if he could get back in control. The man on the boat then becomes the attraction as he is sandwiched between two tour boats of people who were out for whale watching but ended up people watching. The man gains control and probably continued to fish as if nothing happened.

5. 600-pound Fish Jumps in Boat

Black Marlin are high-prized game fish, but that’s if you catch them. In this case, a black marlin was the one doing the catching.

Men fishing off a boat called the Little Audrey were treated to several minutes of drama when a giant black marlin jumped aboard their boat off the coast of Cairns, Australia.

The men were fishing in choppy waters, with water splashing into the boat regularly, causing the men to struggle to continue fishing. They catch a black marlin that fights against them in the water. Next thing they know, it’s flipping aboard their boat, almost taking out one of the fishermen and hauling a deck chair at another. One man goes flying, another gets a hefty whack to the head with a chair, and it’s chaos for what feels like forever.

Fortunately, the men on board the boat only sustain minor injuries, and it could have been a lot worse. Black marlin can grow up to around 15 feet long and over 1,500 pounds. They are not only large but fast. There have been many cases where they have taken off with fishing line at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour. They are fished for in a commercial capacity and are thought to be easier to catch after a full moon.

4. Croc Chases Man’s Fish

Most fishers run towards their catch, but Daniel and his friend had to run away from it – and fast – when faced with an even larger score: a hungry croc.

Daniel and his friend were fishing in a body of water that was frequented by saltwater crocodiles. Daniel had a sizeable barramundi on his line and was having to fight to reel it in. His friend was offering helpful advice, such as to keep the pressure on and run back. But as the fish edged closer to Daniel, a croc decided he wanted it even more.

The crocodile chased the fish while the two men had to run for their lives. The crocodile then swallowed the fish whole, leaving the men nothing to show for their efforts. But it’s probably for the best, for tackling a barramundi is one thing, but taking on a saltwater crocodile is a whole different kettle of… well, fish.

These day-ruining reptiles can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh over 2,000 pounds. They have the strongest bite of any animal, including bite force, and they are more likely to bite humans than any other crocodile species. It might have been a worthwhile fish to fight for, but not when the opponent is a giant croc.

3. Fisherman Catches 1,000-Pound Tiger Shark

A fisherman had headed out for a spot of fishing and had been trying various methods to land the best catch. He started deep dropping – a way of fishing – from the Old Bahama Bay Resort in the Bahamas. He caught a yelloweye snapper then decided to head north to try wahoo fishing.

As the ocean was rough that day, they decided to try fishing in shallow water in a method known as bottom fishing. He hooked a reef shark, which was exciting enough, but the best was yet to come.

Before the man knows it, a tiger shark swims quickly to the boat and devours the reef shark on his line. The tiger shark was 13 feet long and over 1,000 pounds. Catching a reef shark was monumental, but a tiger shark was next level! It was the tiger shark’s lucky day, and the fisherman let it go. The man was also lucky not to be devoured himself, for tiger sharks are one of three main shark species that are more likely to attack humans than any other.

2. Fish Jumps in, Man Jumps Out

Three men were fishing near Alaska when they managed to secure a marlin on their line. One man sits in a chair in the center, while another moves side to side at the front to try and get the fish under control.

But there’s no controlling a speedy marlin, and certainly not this one. After two or three instances of the fish leaping out of the water, it then jumps into the boat, narrowly avoiding impaling one of the fishermen. One moves out of the way, but another chooses to abandon ship in an attempt to avoid being stabbed by the fish. He was very much at risk of being hit by the prop as well.

Marlin can move at some lightning-fast speeds, even when they are on a line. These men were lucky not to sustain serious injuries.

1. Bull Shark Attacks Fishermen

Out of all fish species, bull sharks are the most ferocious and aggressive. They do not take kindly to anything standing in their way – even if they are much larger than they are. So when kayak fishers off Key West in Florida accidentally caught one on their line, they probably were half-expecting it to fight back, and it did.

The bull shark launches itself from the depths of the water and rams the kayak. One man almost falls out. It then comes back for seconds, ramming both kayaks to unsteady both occupants. True to its name of ‘bull,’ it rams the kayaks several more times until it frees itself from their line and swims away.

The men don’t appear scared in the footage, but they should be. Bull sharks have been responsible for over 100 reported attacks, and over two dozen of these were unprovoked and fatal. Attacks in 1916 on a New Jersey Coast were thought to be the inspiration behind the film jaws, even though larger Great White Sharks were used in the movies.

Bull sharks are also thought to be more dangerous than other shark species because they tend to come into contact with humans more than others. They live in both freshwater and saltwater and bodies of water that are shallow enough for humans to enjoy. As they are territorial of where they live, they have no qualms about attacking anyone that comes within a short distance of their home.

Tiger sharks and great white sharks are often blamed for many shark attacks, but bull sharks may actually be responsible for more of them than other shark species. These men clearly got off lightly and didn’t even know it.

The post 15 Most Surprising Fishing Moments You Will Ever See! appeared first on Blind Side.

We are here on the Blind Side, the animal kingdom is full of creatures that have some strange quirks. The human race is not exempt from a few as well. But are there really animals that purposely self-destruct? It seems so. From a lazy male that makes the female do everything, to a mother that will let her babies devour her organs, here are 15 creatures that can actually self-destruct.

15. Female Octopus

As soon as a female octopus gets pregnant, her days are numbered. So, if you ever see the lump of a female octopus as thick as this, then you better run fast because it might just auto-explode right in front of you!

Female octopus (octopi?) begin to self-destruct as soon as they lay their eggs. There is no denying they are dedicated mothers but to their detriment. They guard the eggs, blow water on them, stroke them, and protect them 24/7.

While she won’t leave the eggs for food, she will take advantage of any food that comes within a short distance of them. However, within a week of an octopus hatching eggs, the erratic and self-destructive behavior begins.

The octopus will stop eating and foraging, and she will start focusing on self-harm. Some will groom themselves to the point of severe skin damage, while those in captivity can slam themselves against their tanks. It’s also not uncommon for them to bite their own tentacles off. Imagine being a new mother and deciding to eat your hands off?

When the babies start to hatch, she dies and they grow up without a mother. The babies must learn how to adapt and survive on their own from day one.

Scientists have been intrigued for years over how a seemingly healthy and sane octopus can all of a sudden become erratic and self-destructive at the impending arrival of their children. Scientists have labeled octopus as semelparous, which means they give birth and die. However, there are no robust theories as to why this happens.

Some believe it’s nature’s way of ensuring she doesn’t eat her babies, but we may never know for sure why the octopus breeds once, then dies.

14. Gray Slender Mouse Opossum

If you search for long enough in Brazil’s lower coastal region, you will likely come across a slender gray opossum. But don’t wait too long, for it won’t be long until the ones you spot are ready to pass on.

This little mammal has an exceptionally short lifespan, and no one is all that sure why. Females will live around 18 months with one reproductive cycle, and males will live for about a year. They will mate then pass on not long later.

The gray slender mouse opossum lives in scrub forests, rainforests, and deciduous forests. They prefer the humid coastal conditions of Brazil. However, it’s not uncommon to find them in inland plateaus and eastern mountain forests too. The only difference between these opossums is that coastal opossums tend to be darker.

After the mating season, the baby opossum is born without a dad. A few months later, the mother opossum passes on too. The strange thing is, baby opossums are not well-equipped to live on their own from a young age. They are vulnerable and frail, and both conditions and predators can put them at high risk. With such a short lifespan, the opossum must grow up fast, begin a new reproduction cycle, then repeat the process again.

13. Yellow-Footed Antechinus

The family dynamic of the yellow-footed antechinus is a little odd, and you may be surprised at what leads the males to self-destruct, and how the females act so callously.

This little marsupial, which also goes by the name of Mardo and looks like a mouse, is found in northeast Queensland of Australia, all the way to southwest Western Australia. It’s up to six inches long, around 2.75 ounces in weight, and adapts to most environments. It has no fear of humans, so it has no problem building a nest in your home. Oh, joy.

Mating season is something that can happen at random throughout the year and lasts around two weeks. Males will fight, overexert themselves, and visit different nests to find the woman of their dreams. Once they do the deed, which lasts around 12 hours, they usually die. Starvation, nutrient loss, weight loss, and overexertion see their early demise – all in the name of fatherhood.

Within a month, up to ten little babies are born, and the mother yellow-footed antechinus does her duty to care for them. They live in her outside pouch and cling to her for around five weeks. When they are too heavy, she builds them a nest and weans them off of her at approximately 12 weeks old.

The babies follow the mother everywhere she goes, but she’s a discriminatory critter. She will kill her babies at random, and females are usually the first to fall victim to her viciousness. If she produces another litter before the year is out, she’ll get rid of all the males as well, to make way for her new family.

Any remaining yellow-footed antechinus will reach maturity at around 11 months old and will take off to start this whole strange process again.

12. Male Anglerfish

The male anglerfish takes the term freeloader to an entirely new level. No, he doesn’t park up on his mom’s couch and empty her cupboards of snacks. Instead, he latches onto his new wife and makes her do all the work – eating, moving, breathing, and seeing included.

When the male anglerfish is born, it follows the scent of female pheromones to find a suitable mate. The female anglerfish aids this process by shining the way with her bioluminescent lure. He will bite onto her stomach and hang on tight until her skin – and his – fuse into one. Over time, their blood vessels join, and he is able to access all her nutrients. He no longer has to do any of the work. He’s not entirely useless, though, for he gives the female anglerfish sperm whenever she wants it.

Over time, the male doesn’t need any of his body parts. He does away with his eyes, fins, and some organs until he’s nothing more than a tumor-like chunk of flesh hanging onto the side of a fish. Whenever she’s ready to spawn, he’s literally by her side to provide the goods.

11. Stegodyphus Lineatus Spiders

The Stegodyphus Lineatus spider is proof of a mother’s love – and also of how far she will go to ensure her offspring are provided for. We’re not sure we’d go this far, but we applaud her efforts. The Stegodyphus Lineatus spider builds a silk sac and fills it with around 80 eggs in a little spider-like cave for protection.

When they hatch, she pierces a hole in the protective webby material and sets them free. She then devotes her life (literally) to make sure they don’t go hungry. She will stop eating and then regurgitate whatever is left in her stomach for her babies to eat. In this vomit is also a bit of her own stomach.

Weirdly enough, she will vomit on her own face for her babies to enjoy, and they all crowd around her like she’s the buffet table. Over time, she will bring up over 40 percent of her own body mass. But for growing spiderlings, that’s not enough. They see their mother as dinner and pierce a hole in her abdomen to drain the rest of her innards.

Research into this process shows that even while her babies are literally eating her from the inside out, she is still alive. If they touch a leg, she pulls it back. Once the babies have finished dinner, there is around five percent of the mother’s mass left. The good news is, the babies aren’t hungry anymore.

10. Wambengers

The red-tailed Wambenger, also known as the red-tailed phascogale, is a meat-eating marsupial. In many ways, it’s similar to a kangaroo, but it’s also quite different in others. Just like the ‘roo, a wambenger will carry its babies, known as joeys, in its pouch. It will also become mature at around one-year-old and lives in low-density areas around Western Australia.

When you see a wambenger, you might think it lives a similar life to a kangaroo, but it doesn’t. This self-destructive creature has an entirely different way of life. Male wambengers will pass away from stress after mating, and rarely survive their second year of life.

The male can work themselves up that much during the breeding season, covering around 50 hectares, that their little bodies can’t take it anymore. They go into self-destruct mode and pass on once they’ve done the deed.  

Females will live until they are around three years old, and can have about 15 babies in that time.

Because of their short life span naturally and from cat, fox, owl, and goanna attacks, wambengers are quite rare.

9. Male Australian Redback Spider

Most people immediately know how to identify an Australian redback spider. The clue is in the name! The female is black and has a long red stripe on her back. The male and juveniles are brown with a white stripe.

If you can’t identify them by their colors, then you surely will be able to if you see them mate. It’s insane. Once the male finds a female he likes or vice versa, he will prepare himself to be eaten – oh, and to make his newfound love a mother.

He lies on his back close to her mouth to ensure he’s in the best position for her to eat him. He will then fertilize her eggs while she slowly devours him – bit by bit.

The reason for this process is that the male can only mate once, and the female is likely to reject male attention after she claps eyes on “the one.” The male will do anything to create his prodigy.

But interestingly enough, males are taking a stand.  They don’t want to be eaten anymore. Many male redback spiders are now choosing to mate with females who are too young to eat them. They achieve their goal of fatherhood, but they get to leave with their life. This adaptive behavior is remarkable in the spider world and could spell the eventual end of self-destructive attitudes, at least in this species.

8. Termites

Whenever people sacrifice themselves for their loved ones, they get a news article written about them. But who’s writing a news article for termites who commit selfless acts every day? We’ll do our part.

A particular species of termites in French Guiana rainforests should get a pat on the back for its brave efforts. Throughout the lifetime of a worker termite, it will grow blue crystals within a pair of glands on its back. The older it gets, the more toxic and larger that backpack gets.

When the oldest termites of the group discover enemies getting too close to the worker termites, it will blow up that backpack of blue crystals directly into the enemies to protect the rest. This ultimate act of self-sacrifice is an amazing discovery.

But it also makes sense. As termites age, they are less useful as workers. Their mandibles are worn down, and molting doesn’t sharpen them. As a result, they can’t work at the same speeds as the younger members of the colony.

While not entirely useless to the colony, they feel less useful. They move their job toward protection, and exploding themselves to take down their enemies shows how dedicated they are to their role in the colony until the very end.

7. Parasite that Causes Mice to Lose Fear

It’s a dangerous and crazy world we live in when there is a parasite that can alter your fear senses. That’s the current reality with toxoplasma and rodents. Around a third of people globally have had this parasite at one time or another, which makes the findings even spookier.

The microbe causes a disease known as toxoplasmosis, and it’s common in a range of different animals. But how it affects mice is altogether unique. Mice without the parasite smell a cat and flee. One that has been affected – even if it no longer shows signs of having the disease – will almost be attracted to the cat.

Even a slight brush with the disease can have permanent effects. Once the parasite enters their system, they will no longer be scared of cats. Some scientists believe the reasoning behind it is almost evolutionary. The parasite has to complete its life cycle, so it wants to get back into the stomach of the cat to reproduce. To do so, the mouse must be eaten.

Whatever the reason, this new research could have significant implications in infectious disease medicine in the future.

6. Pacific Salmon

Parents make sacrifices every day for their kids, but in the pacific salmon world, they sacrifice themselves to become parents.

Upon reaching maturity, Pacific salmon will return to the location in which they were spawned to reproduce. This journey is an upriver one and involves migration over hundreds of miles. Five species are part of this upstream run, including the sockeye, pink, chum, coho, and chinook salmon.

The race against the clock sees them back to their roots to perform one first and last mating ritual. It seals their fate, and they ultimately die within moments of doing the deed.

Pacific salmon, like many insects, haven’t yet worked out their energy balance. They don’t know how much energy to give to this one task, and how much to save for future jobs – such as reproduction and general survival.

After an arduous mile with rocky, uphill rivers, they have hardly any energy left in the tank. They will use the little they do have to carry on their line. But after their passing, they continue to benefit the fish population. The bodies, as they rot, fertilize the stream in which their young are forming. This brings more insects, AKA fish food, and provides a far more diverse environment for future salmon populations to survive. Therefore, their death was certainly not in vain.

5. Praying Mantis

We’re going to come right out and say it. Female praying mantis bite the heads off of their male lovers when they reproduce. For a long time, we were not okay with this. How unfair is that? But believe it or not, this self-destruction in the name of reproduction is actually a good thing, or so recent research says.

For many years, scientists had no idea why around 25 percent of female praying mantis would eat their male friends. It seemed uncalled for, but there might be a reason for it.

After much research, they found that females who did engage in this horrible process would produce around 25 percent more eggs in her clutch than those who decided against it. What’s more, the eggs of the female who did eat the males contained more of the male’s DNA, biological material, and male-derived amino acids. So, after all that, there was a method to her madness.

4. Male Dark Fishing Spiders

In the spider world, it’s pretty standard for the male, who usually is smaller than the female, to die after mating. Often, the female makes sure he doesn’t get out alive anyway.

But in the case of the dark fishing spider, the male dies all on his own without any help from the female. University of Nebraska behavioral biologists found that once he does what he has to do, he curls his legs up in a ball and becomes immobile. He will die within a couple of hours of doing so unless the female decides to eat him beforehand.

Scientists believe it’s a form of genital mutilation that could be to blame. The male will choose a virgin spider and mount her. He ejaculates his sperm into a web, which he pulls up into his front-end appendages. These inflate, and he uses them to deposit the goods into the female. It’s during this stage that something happens to make scientists believe it’s game over. As a result, the male dark fishing spider falls into the monogyny category, which means it can only mate once.

3. Honeybee

A refreshing change from all the mating fatalities is the honeybee. This insect will only lose its life when it attacks you. If the bee sees you as a threat to its family and hive, it will sting you. The problem for the bee is, once it stings, it dies.  

There are prongs on the stinger that stop it from being able to pull it back out. Instead, it has to pull away and leave behind muscles, nerves, and even part of its digestive tract. The rupture in its abdomen is what leads to the bee’s demise.

However, because it also leaves behind nerves in its stinger, the stinger continues to dig deeper into your skin long after the bee has gone. That’s why it’s imperative to pull the stinger out (in any fashion) within a few seconds of being stung. Any longer, and toxins are pumped into the wound site.

Even though the honeybee loses its life after this traumatic process (for both us and the bees), it makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. Worker honeybees can’t reproduce, so their role is to protect those in the hive which can. It makes sense for them to lose their lives protecting the very members of their species that can carry on the family tree.

2. Exploding Ant of Borneo

Ants are selfless creatures, even if you don’t see it by looking at them. It’s not until you’re researching them at a scientific level do you realize that they will go to the ends of the earth for their own kind.

Colobopsis explodens ants, also known as exploding ants, were discovered in the treetops of Borneo in 1935. They had a unique ability to explode in a self-sacrificial move and take down any threats to their colony.

They did this by latching onto an intruding insect, biting down, aiming their rears at the intruder, then flexing their stomachs until they exploded. What came out of them is a curry-like yellow substance that would cover and kill the threat.

These ants are so willing to protect their colony that even when researchers approached, they carried out this same process.

However, not all ants within that species were capable of exploding. Sterile females and the minor worker ants would sacrifice themselves for those that could reproduce in the colony and carry on the line. This is seen time and time again in colony insects.

1. Madagascar Chameleons

The Madagascar chameleon doesn’t live the most gratifying or satisfying of lives. It will spend two-thirds of its existence inside an egg, mate in the most horrific fashion, then weaken and die before its babies are born.

A researcher by the name of Kris Karsen from Oklahoma State University found it curious that he had only seen mature Madagascar chameleons. He and his team decided to mark 400 chameleons then track their movements. What they discovered was astonishing.

All the young hatch in early November, mature within seven weeks, mate, then pass on by April. They lose their strength and even fall out of trees for no apparent reason. Before this happens, the female will hatch around 12 eggs, which will incubate in the ground for up to eight months.

Researchers believe it’s the mating ritual that sees the lizards’ demise. The males will fight for extended periods to get the women of their dreams. This process is quite violent, which is likely why they pass on. What’s more, if they didn’t die at this point, they would have to hibernate.

Most other chameleons in Madagascar hibernate their way through the hospitable dry season until the wet weather arrives once more. Instead of sleeping, this species chooses to die instead. If that’s not self-destructive behavior, we don’t know what is!  

Outro

Um, well, that was interesting. Did any stand out to you as particularly disturbing? Do you know of any other creatures that self-destruct? Also, check out our other cool stuff showing up on the screen now. See you next time.

The post 15 Creatures That Can Actually Self-Destruct! appeared first on Blind Side.

We are here on the Blind Side, The world is a pretty dangerous place. There are wars, precarious places to visit, not to mention violent people. And then there are the animals that were probably here first, and wouldn’t mind letting us know it. From a snake we like to call a nope rope, to a frog that can take down ten grown men, here are 15 of the most dangerous creatures in the world.

15. Giant Centipede

The fear point of this creature is in the name: giant centipede. It’s massive when you compare it to other centipedes, and its legs don’t make it look any less terrifying, either. But it’s not so much its size that makes this critter one of the most dangerous animals in the world: it’s the toxins it has within.

Giant centipedes use their fangs near their mouths to inject toxins into their prey. They can also use their legs, which make tiny incisions into skin or bodies. Any lizard, cockroach, insect, or arachnid that the centipede targets as lunch will be injected with a type of venom that paralyzes it and deems it unable to move before it’s eaten.

If a human gets bit, the venom can cause pain, swelling, skin necrosis, headaches, nausea, dizziness, muscle damage, kidney failure, and heart attacks. Of course, the latter is at the rarer end of the scale.

Up until recently, scientists didn’t know what was in the venom, or how it made it capable of taking down rodents, toads, snakes, lizards, and most creatures around 15 times their size. They purified the toxins from the golden head centipede that lives in eastern Asia, then tested them one by one.

They managed to identify one called Ssm Spooky Toxin, which shuts down the channels in the body that push potassium through your cells. These channels are vital for bodily functions such as your heart rate and brain waves. Now that they know the likely problem toxin, they can work on an antidote. Until then, notice the bright colors of the centipede and stay well away from it!

14. Pufferfish

You don’t have to be a marine expert to have heard of the pufferfish. Most people learn from a young age what this fish is, how to identify it, and why you should stay away from it. There are over 120 different species, and they all boast different characteristics. They can live in saltwater, freshwater, or brackish water, which is a mixture of both. They can be as small as a few inches or as large as several feet.

When pufferfish feel under threat, they puff up – hence the name. Some have spines to ward off other fish, but many other marine species know that this fish doesn’t provide the best dinner. Not only do they taste dreadful, but they are toxic and can kill whoever dines on them. Humans included. Even though pufferfish is a delicacy in Japan, it is only prepared and served by licensed and trained chefs who know how to remove the toxins before serving.

The pufferfish have enough venom to end the lives of around 30 humans, and there is no known antidote. Even though this fish is intriguing, it’s one you are going to want to observe from afar.

13. Black Mamba Snake

Around 20,000 people lose their lives to snake bites in Africa every year, and you can nearly guarantee that the Black Mamba snake is to blame for many of them. This brown, olive, and gray snake, which grows to around 14 feet long, is one of the world’s deadliest snakes.

It’s aggressive, fierce, and fast. It’s known as the fastest land snake in the world, the longest venomous snake in Africa, and the second-longest in the world. And best for last, it takes no prisoners.

If you threaten a Black Mamba snake, which gets its name from its black mouth, you’re bound to be in serious trouble. This snake will strike repeatedly and injects venom with every attack launch. It will give you a warning first as a common courtesy by opening its mouth, but then it’s time to run.

Unfortunately, this nope rope can slither faster than most people can sprint at 12 miles per hour, so you’re going to want to put on your best Usain Bolt speed when you come across this snake in Africa.

12. Tse Tse Fly

A fly. Harmless, right? After all, flies buzz around you every day, and you live to tell the tale. That might be the case with most flies, but not the Tse Tse variety.

The Tse Tse fly’s bite is not so much dangerous as uncomfortable. Instead of inserting its mouth into your skin as a mosquito would do, it uses its tiny serrated teeth to saw into your skin and suck out your blood. This process can hurt and sting, but even then, it’s not the bite that makes it dangerous, but the diseases it can carry.

One of the most common diseases for this insect to carry is human African trypanosomiasis, more commonly known as the sleeping sickness. It’s a neglected disease that has not had a lot of research and funds thrown into it but has been responsible for thousands of cases and a myriad of deaths.

It causes fever, headaches, and tired muscles, and then it spreads to your brain. While it can be treated, it can be fatal once it reaches the brain – and treatment at this stage is more detrimental than beneficial.

Hundreds of thousands of people came down with the sleeping disease in the 20^th century, but it was under control by the 1960s. However, there have been plenty of outbreaks since. Fortunately, better screening and management see a few thousand cases every year, rather than a few hundred thousand, and there are hopes that it will be eradicated by 2020.

11. Blue-Ringed Octopus

The blue-ringed octopus looks like an innocent creature of the ocean. It’s brightly-colored, small, and just relaxes on coral reefs and in shallow tide pools. But it’s only a matter of time before this octopus shows its true colors, and it’s in the form of a blue ring.

When a blue-ringed octopus feels threatened, vibrant blue rings will form on its body to warn you off. At this point, you need to back away! Its venom is around 1,000 times more potent than cyanide and can take down around 26 humans with it.

If you are bitten, you may not feel it, for its bite is generally painless. But it’s the symptoms that follow that will let you know that you have been. You may feel nauseous before you experience vision loss, muscle numbness, and a loss of your motor skills and senses. Muscle paralysis then leads to respiratory arrest, with the only known cure to begin artificial respiration immediately.

While there’s a chance that humans will survive a blue-ringed octopus attack, its prey isn’t so lucky. Creatures it sees as food, such as crabs, small fish, and shrimp, don’t stand a chance. The octopus will peck through its exoskeleton and insert its venom to begin the muscle paralysis process. While the creature is paralyzed, the octopus will pull off all its meat until only the shell remains.

There hasn’t been a human fatality since the 1960s, so let’s keep it that way. The blue-ringed octopus is a marine creature you should observe from a safe distance.

10. Cassowary

Who would have thought that a simple bird could cause so much chaos and destruction? In the case of a cassowary, it’s not unexpected. This violent emu-like bird is one that takes no prisoners and has been responsible for human fatalities. It has also taken down dogs, cats, other birds, and virtually any other animal that gets in its way or territory.

The cassowary can peck, head-butt, kick, and barge. They are even more dangerous if you are on the ground, lying down, have your back to them, or are bending over. Even casually walking past them and looking at them the wrong way can see them unleash a barrage of Jackie Chan moves. This bird is not one you’ll want to cross – even if it’s in a good move.

If it sees its own reflection in the glass, it will smash its way through it to end the threat, and the injuries you can sustain are quite fierce. Puncture wounds, bone fractures, and severe lacerations go hand in hand with a cassowary attack.

Dogs and cats are frequent victims of a cassowary, but there have also been cases of attacks on cows and horses as well. Essentially, nothing is safe if a cassowary has woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Anyone who keeps this bird captive also learns quickly not to house it with other species. The safest thing you can do is not to keep them at all. Or even look at them the wrong way.

9. Rhinoceros

Most people who have the rewarding experience of seeing a rhinoceros will remark at how docile they seem. They keep to themselves and are primarily solitary creatures that don’t interact with others of their kind – or any other animals. But if you place them in a potentially dangerous situation, then don’t expect the rhino to take it lying down.

Because they have poor eyesight, they have unpredictable behavior. If they sense a threat, they move into self-defense mode. They protect themselves, their young, and other rhinos around them. During the two years that their calves stay with them, they are hyper-vigilant and will even ward off lions who try to indulge in a rhino baby entrée.

Fortunately, this animal is peaceful for the most part, but they are endangered. Out of all potential predators, the human is the worst – with rhino horns seen as valuable enough to end this beautiful creature’s life for.

8. Great White Shark

The Great White Shark forms the plot of many horror marine movies. They are seen as ferocious, terrifying, and vicious sea creatures that will maim without any prewarning. Even though there are up to ten shark attacks every year, researchers believe it’s curiosity that sees them take a bite of humans, rather than malicious intent.

Great White Sharks prefer to dine on fish and rays when they are young but move up to whales, seals, and lions once they reach maturity. They often get their prey by positioning themselves underneath them, then attacking from below with their seven rows of 300 triangular-shaped teeth.

Along with their bite, their sense of smell is quite powerful too. One drop of blood is enough for them to sense dinner from a long way off. They can even smell seals around two miles from the colony.

The Great White Shark lives in cool, coastal waters and can swim at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour. They also grow to around 15 feet long and are thus considered the largest predatory fish. Even though these sharks don’t always attack humans when they see them, there’s no reason to take the risk. Shark-infested waters are most certainly not where you want to spend your free time.  

7. Saltwater Crocodiles

Saltwater crocs are the largest living reptiles, measuring in at an average of 16 feet and around 1,100 pounds. They are adaptable to all environments and can live in most bodies of water – including the ocean, where they can swim hundreds of miles to get to their destination.

Their adaptability and ferociousness are what make the saltwater croc one of the most dangerous creatures in the world. They live in bodies of water from northern Australia through to Asia, and they can take down any animal that stands in their way. Sharks, humans, fish, birds, and mammals are all on the menu.

The saltwater crocodile is even a threat when it’s asleep. It sleeps with one eye open, with half its brain awake and alert to danger, and the other side getting some much-needed rest. There’s no way you’d be able to sneak up on this restless reptile.

They also live for several years, so there is plenty of time for them to finetune their preying tactics. Most live to more than 65 years old, and some are well over a century old. Fast on water and land, many a human has been gobbled up by this critter. It’s best to stay away from any body of water where these creatures could be hiding.

6. Hippopotamus

If you see a hippopotamus in a children’s book, they are rotund, gentle-looking creatures that wallow in water all day without a care in the world. The reality is really quite different. Hippos are aggressive, fast, and unpredictable. They have no qualms about taking down everything from cattle to children. Nothing is out of reach.

Hippos live in pods or bloats and have large teeth and even more giant mouths to hold them. When you see them yawn, it’s not fatigue that’s causing it. Their yawn is a way to show their aggression, and they battle it out with other hippos regularly.

Anything they perceive as a threat is not safe when a hippo is around. They have been known to charge at happily grazing cows, and about 3,000 people lose their lives to these unpredictable and rotund creatures annually. They can run at speeds of around 14 miles per hour, and even took down an entire school boat of children in Niger. A villager and 12 children lost their lives. The hippo might look like a picture of peace, but it’s far from it.

5. Deathstalker Scorpion

Something that only measures up to three inches long and 2.5 grams in weight doesn’t seem like it will be all that much of a threat. It’s no hippo, that’s for sure. But the deathstalker scorpion, also known as the Palestinian Yellow Scorpion, is an equal a fear as a Great White Shark or a charging rhinoceros.

They live in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and tend to prefer an area with high temperatures, such as arid and semi-arid deserts. They also feed on most other insects of the same or smaller size and carry out their grocery shopping at night.

While they tend to stick with small creatures for dinner, that doesn’t mean this frightful little scorpion isn’t capable of taking on you or me. A sting from the deathstalker scorpion is not only painful but potentially fatal. It can see the death of older adults and children and causes both heart issues and pulmonary edemas. This fluid build-up in the lungs can be fatal.  

This animal might not be the largest in the animal kingdom, but there’s no denying it’s one of the most dangerous.

4. Box Jellyfish

Getting stung by a box jellyfish is like playing a game of Russian roulette. Even though they are one of the most dangerous creatures in the world, not all species carry the venom that can see you swimming with the fishes. But you are not going to want to take any risks.

The largest box jellyfish of the venomous variety can grow up to one-foot long and thick, with tentacles as long as ten feet. These tentacles are covered with poison-loaded darts that take no prisoners. One attack by a box jellyfish can and will cause your heart to stop, and there are very few cases of survival.

A ten-year-old Australian girl did survive an attack, but marine biologists and doctors are baffled as to how.

Those who are attacked by box jellyfish experience a range of symptoms before they eventually succumb to their injuries. Paralysis, cardiac arrest, and death are all standard. It is thought that more than 100 people are fatally injured every year, but the lack of detailed death certificates in places with the largest box jellyfish population could see this figure dramatically underestimated.

Most of the lethal varieties are found in northern Australia and Indo-Pacific regions, so maybe steer clear of these areas if you want to reduce your risk of coming into close contact with them!

3. Golden Poison Dart Frog

The golden poison dart frog from Northern South America looks innocent, but don’t be fooled. This angelic amphibian is anything but innocent. Even at no more than 2.5 inches long, they can take down ten grown men with their venom and are thought to be one of the most poisonous animals in the world.

The golden poison dart frog has poison glands within its skin, and the poison is called batrachotoxin. When it enters your bloodstream, it causes paralysis, followed by death. Smaller animals that end up as victims suffer from respiratory paralysis, seizures, skyrocketing blood pressure, followed by death. Both young and old golden poison dart frogs are dangerous and should not be approached. This is one frog you are not going to want to kiss, for you won’t meet a prince, but your maker instead.

2. Inland Taipan

You may have picked up a common theme here, that several dangerous animals live in Australia. We’re about to add another one – the inland Taipan.

The Inland Taipan is a venomous snake in central east Australia. It lives in semi-arid areas and is the most toxic of any sea or land snake. One bite with 110 milligrams of venom is enough to end the lives of 250,000 mice or around 100 human adults. Left untreated, survival time is about 45 minutes for an adult.

Fortunately, even though the inland Taipan is not a snake you would want to mess with, it’s not about to attack unprovoked. It’s a shy snake and prefers to slither away from trouble rather than face it head-on. If it does sense trouble, it will fire a warning shot first. It arcs up in the shape of an S. If that warning is ignored, it unleashes a barrage of accurate and fierce lunges that can take down almost any animal.

The Inland Taipan will grow up to around six feet long, but there have been some found that are even as long as eight feet. If you see a dark tan or brown and green snake slithering around near you, there’s every reason to believe it’s a Taipan, and that you should stay well away!

1. Cone Snail

Nickelodeon’s Spongebob Square Pants taught us that snails are harmless creatures that you can keep as pets and give human names, such as Gary. But the cone snail derails that story entirely.

The cone snail, which lives in bodies of water around Indonesia, Hawaii, and the Caribbean, is a slow-moving but fast-attacking sea creature that lounges around coral reefs and sea beds. It feeds on marine worms, other snails, and fish, and uses a needle-like proboscis to inject venom into its prey. This venom has pain-killing analgesic properties, which means that if you’re stung, you’re unlikely to feel it.

Cone snails don’t seek out humans, but they will attack when provoked. Divers are the more frequent victims, for they may accidentally stand on them while diving. Even the strongest diving gloves are no match for the injection of a cone snail, for they are adept at breaking through the hard shells of sea creatures.

Even days after the attack, you may still not know you have been attacked by a cone snail. You might only feel numbness and tingling. There is no anti-venom, but you can prevent the spread of the toxins by trying to remove them from the injection site.

Even a few microliters of this venom is enough to end the lives of up to ten people. Fortunately, there have only been a few dozen deaths. Scientists are currently studying the poison to see if it can isolate its painkilling properties for future use. Hopefully, in this process, they stumble across an antidote.

Outro

So, there you have it, folks. Here are 15 of the many dangerous animals out there that you are best to avoid! Can you think of any others? Have you come across any of these on your travels and adventures? Also, check out our other cool stuff showing up on the screen now. See you next time.

The post 15 Most Dangerous Creatures in the World! appeared first on Blind Side.

We are here on the Blind Side, We’re often told that the world is our oyster. That we can explore it at will, and learn all there is to know about it. But what if we can’t? What if there are places we’re just not allowed to go? From a secret, hidden doomsday vault, to an island with thousands of snakes, here are 15 forbidden places you’re not allowed to visit.

15. The Buzludzha Monument

On Mount Buzludzha, at the site of a battle between the Ottoman Empire and the Bulgarian Rebels in 1868, sits a building that’s both unique and hypnotic. The building is known as the Buzludzha Monument and is the former Bulgarian Communist Party Headquarters.

It might have been a former headquarters, but it looks more like a UFO. Therefore, it goes by the name of Bulgaria’s UFO and is a popular destination for urban explorers.

It sits on a bald hill nestled between forested gorges and rolling mountains and now lies abandoned. The monument was built in 1981 to both house the Bulgarian Communist Party and serve as a monument to historical events.

However, after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, it was abandoned and left to fall into a state of disrepair. Vandalism and time have made the monument dangerous, which is why it’s now forbidden.

You can visit and look from the outside, but there are security guards to prevent people from entering. Not that you can anyway, for it’s now packed with stones and has welding and metal plates to prevent entry.

This unique monument is permanently closed, and time will tell whether it’s demolished or returned to its former glory as a kind of museum and memorial to past events.

14. North Sentinel Island, India

Traveling somewhere new can be quite nerve-wracking, especially if you don’t understand the culture. But what if visiting somewhere new could also be dangerous? All travel to the North Sentinel Island in India is prohibited, and it’s not worth breaking the rules to find out why.

North Sentinel Island forms part of the archipelago in the Bay of Bengal and is one of the Andaman Islands. South Sentinel Island is also included.

A tribe of Sentinelese people lives on the island, which, for as long as anyone knows, has rejected contact with the outside world. But they don’t just say “no thank you” and send your boat away. They fire bows at you, with every chance you won’t get away.

The Sentinelese people are one of the few groups left in the world who have not been influenced or impacted by modern society.

Such is the danger associated with travel to the island that the Andaman and Nicobar Island Protection of Aboriginal Tries Act of 1956 prohibits anyone from getting within five nautical miles of the island. But the dangers are not only for violence from the tribes but their wellbeing. They are not immune to outside diseases, which means any outsiders can pose a significant risk. The Indian navy patrols the area to ensure no one flouts the rules.

But people do, anyway. Indian authorities do not prosecute the Sentinelese people for murder, but they also don’t want to give them any reason to carry it out, either. An American adventurer by the name of John Chau paid fishermen to tow his kayak to the island so that he could bring Christianity to the remote group.

He brought with him food and a football but was taken down with bows and arrows after speaking to the tribespeople. Seven fishermen were arrested for helping the 26-year-old missionary reach the island.

13. North Border Island, USA

Between Rikers Island, Manhattan, and Queens in the United States sits an island with a sad and spooky past. It’s not open to the public, but that doesn’t stop urban explorers and thrill-seekers from making their way there, anyway.

The North Border Island could have been an island paradise, but it’s not, and likely never will be. It was once where patients with diseases went to be quarantined, and where they spent their sad existence peering longingly out the windows toward the city they had to leave.

The island had a morgue for taking care of those who never recovered, as well as a lab for the analysis of phlegm. If those early days were not enough to convince you of this island’s sadness, then the considerable loss of life there will be. In 1904, over 1,000 people died when a charter boat caught fire off the island. Only the 9-11 attacks have eclipsed that number in recent years.

When medication advancements no longer saw the need for such extreme isolation protocols, the island was turned into housing for returning soldiers. It then became a treatment center for young drug addicts. The costs outweighed the benefits, and it is now an overgrown parkland controlled by the Parks Department.

Ideas have been thrown around to use it as a dump or jail. But for now, it sits empty and abandoned, with no concrete plans for its future.

12. Dulce Base, USA

If you’re an X-files fan and want to believe, then we’ve got a story and a half for you! Finding out all there is to know about Dulce Base in the United States will lead you down a rabbit warren from which you may not be able to escape.

It all started in 1979 when a businessman from Albuquerque, Paul Bennewitz, said he was intercepting electronic messages from UFOs outside of Albuquerque. He then said he had found a secret underground base near Dulce in New Mexico, which housed gray aliens and humans.

The story spread like wildfire, mainly through the UFO community, and UFOlogist John Lear said he had received validation about the existence of the base. Subsequently, a story ran in a tabloid under the headline “UFO base found in New Mexico,” which opened a whole new can of worms.

Apparently, the secret underground base, which is not accessible due to its mountain location in northern New Mexico, is used for human and alien experiments. The story also used quotes from UFOlogist Leonard Stringfield, who was blown away by the distortion of facts.

The rumors about an underground base may not be without truth, however. There were plenty of underground missile installations during the Cold War. So, a base might exist, but possibly not without aliens.

You might be convinced, now, that this supposed base is prohibited because it houses secrets of war, but then Philip Schneider comes to the party. Philip said he was a geological engineer that worked with the government on deep underground military bases. He said a technical problem meant he had to go in and fix something, only to come across gray aliens.

Philip said there was a battle, and he was one of only three men from a group of sixty to come out alive. He then spent the rest of his life sharing his story to get the truth out there. Philip also said that if he were to ever lose his life supposedly by his own hand, that it would most likely be murder. He was found with a catheter wrapped around his neck in 1996, so it’s up to you to form your own opinion.

11. Doomsday Vault in Norway

When you hear about a Doomsday vault hidden in some far away, secluded mountainside, you might think it houses some pretty cool stuff. There might be weapons, oil, fuel, maybe some food supplies, but what about seeds? Not as cool, but pretty important all the same.

There is a hidden vault in the mountainside between the North Pole and Norway, sitting peacefully above the Arctic Circle. Within it are millions upon millions of seeds from countries all around the world. In fact, this vault, known as the Global Seed Vault in Spitsbergen, has 930,000 seed types for various food crops.

While zombie apocalypses might be one reason why you would need nearly one million food types, the real reason is a little more realistic. They are there to protect against gene destruction and the loss of genetic material for various food crops. The vault is home to 13,000 years of history, and no one is allowed to visit it.

The steel door juts out from the mountainside in a neutral part of the world, far from political challenges and war. Its location was chosen for this very reason. All countries can send their seeds to this location without fear of them being destroyed by other countries or groups that don’t like your country or what it stands for. In essence, the vault is future-proofing the loss of vital crops, and we would say this is a pretty good reason why it’s forbidden for people to visit.

10. Snake Island in Brazil

Snakes on a plane are pretty scary, but imagine an entire island of them? That’s why Ilha da Queimada Grande in Brazil, aptly nicknamed Snake Island, is off-limits to everyone. It’s overrun with them.

Up to 4,000 snakes are thought to call this island home, 25 miles from Brazil’s coast. But they aren’t just any snakes. They are deadly golden lanceheads, a type of pit viper considered one of the most dangerous in the world. They grow to nearly two feet long, and their bite can see a human lose their life within an hour.

People used to avoid the island anyway, but when a fisherman was found lifeless and covered in blood in his boat, Brazil decided to act. They made it illegal for anyone to set foot on the island, and the navy visits to maintain the lighthouse and make sure explorers don’t venture too close.

Believe it or not, people did once live there. The lighthouse was manned by a family but were thought to have met a terrible end when the snakes slithered through their windows. You won’t have too much of a problem keeping adventure seekers away from this forbidden place, that’s for sure.

9. China’s Tomb of Qin Shi Huang

Both the Chinese government and science are holding people back from exploring and learning more about the tomb of Qin Shi Huang under a hill in central China.

Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China and died in 210 BC. He was responsible for the first unified nation of China and conquering six states to make it so.

He is buried inside a tomb under a hill, and no one knows what lies within it. The Chinese government doesn’t provide access, and archaeologists won’t excavate it out of respect and a lack of the right tools to do so.

What lies within the tomb could shed some light on what has been discovered around it. Farmers digging a well near Xi’an in 1974 found a life-sized Terracotta soldier, which turned out to be one of the thousands. Each clay soldier had clothing, hair, and facial features. Since excavation surrounding the tomb began 40 years ago, archaeologists have found around 2,000 soldiers. They believe there could be more than 8,000 in total.

8. Niihau Island, USA

It doesn’t get much more apparent that you can’t visit somewhere when its name is Forbidden Island. Niihau Island, 17 miles from Kauai, Hawaii, is a privately-owned island that has been called the Forbidden Island for as long as anyone can remember.

It’s a family-owned preservation project, and one with owners that work tirelessly to preserve the cultural history and natural environment of the island.

A wealthy Scottish widow purchased the island in 1864 from the Hawaiian Monarch, King Kamehameha IV, for ranching. Since then, it has been unchanged. The family has always worked hard to keep it as it has always been, allowing the Niihauans to work the land and live a traditional lifestyle. They work equally as hard to keep away outside threats, such as the Hawaiian Government.

Governors in the past have tried to evict the owners and turn the island into a state park, but the owners remain dedicated to maintaining Niihauan traditions for the good of the people and the natural environment.

7. Lascaux Cave, France

In 1940, a young boy called Marcel Ravidat from Montignac discovered a small cavity on Lascaux Hill in France. He returned with three of his friends – Jacques Marsal, Gerorges Agniel, and Simon Coencas, to explore the hill and find out what was hidden within.

They made the cavity in the hill larger and slipped into the cave with a lamp so that they could see. In the cave, they found prehistoric paintings that dated back to the Cro Magnon man. The caves were an instant attraction, and people came from all over to see the paintings.

However, they were then closed – and forbidden for people to enter – due to damage. Much of the damage was caused by the carbon dioxide in human breath, as well as algae and fungi. The fungi has spread throughout the cave, and efforts are ongoing to retain the paintings.

Even though the cave is forbidden, you can enter a replica of it within 200 yards of the actual cave.

6. Heard Island, Australia

While not strictly forbidden for people to visit, Heard Island is so challenging to access that there’s little desire for people to do so anyway.

Heard Island is a remote island around 2,500 miles southwest of Perth in the southern Indian Ocean. It’s around 230 square miles and consists of a glacier-covered active volcano known as Big Ben. Big Ben has erupted several times, and the island is one of the most remote in the world.

This windy island is perfect for seals, sea birds, and penguins, but not so great for people to inhabit. Because of its World Heritage listing, it’s protected and requires a permit from the Australian Antarctic Division to visit.

5. Poveglia, Italy

There are many beautiful places to visit in Italy if you’re looking for a European holiday, but Poveglia isn’t one of them. It’s that undesirable as a vacation destination that the Italian tourism board prohibits it. Approval through a lengthy application process is the only way you will ever set foot on this island. So, why is it forbidden?

Poveglia is a secluded island or landmass situated between Lido and Venice. When the bubonic plague had the whole of Europe in its grasp, the Romans moved the sick and ailing to the island to protect the healthy people on the main island. When they passed on, they were buried in mass graves. There are thought to be over 100,000 people cremated and buried on the island of Poveglia.

Even after the world began its post-plague recovery, Poveglia was thriving. A mental hospital was built there in the 1920s, and people with both physical and mental illnesses were sent there. It was also home to a doctor who would carry out awful experiments. Supposedly, he fell off the Bell Tower, or was pushed, and lost his life surrounded by an unusual mist.

The mist is thought to be one of many signs that Poveglia is haunted. Ghost Adventures visited the island to film a documentary and noted many strange and spooky abnormalities. Even Italians know better than to visit this island, so it’s best that tourists do as well.

4. Vatican Secret Archives

The Vatican Secret Archives are very misunderstood. We’ve been told to believe that the pope is hiding secret evidence of aliens, demons, and more, within the deep, dark depths of the catacombs. The reality is a little less interesting, but that doesn’t make what is in the archives any less protected.

What exists within the archives is, more or less, documents, letters, and communications between four centuries of popes, and other papal correspondence. Up until 1881, all records within the archives were kept a secret. It wasn’t that they were juicy gossip, but the 17^th century was a time when exchanges between popes and kings were not something the general public needed to be privy to.

However, in 1881, that all changed. Pope Leo XIII decided that it would be okay for researchers to see some of those documents. Given that there are around 50 miles of shelving and records back to the 8^th century, those researchers are unlikely to view them all.

What’s more, there are many rules surrounding entry into the Vatican Secret Archives. You must be a scholar, and no student, amateur historian, or journalist is given access. You must also have credentials that are valid for six months, and you must request specific documents – and up to three per day. If the materials you are looking for don’t happen to be within the section you asked for, then tough luck.

You’re walked into the archives with Swiss guards. While computers are allowed, you must type out everything you need then and there, as photos are not allowed. It’s a lot of hard work to see what lies in the famous archives, so very few have ever been given the privilege.

3. Mezhgorye, Russia

Around the world, there are islands and past tourist attractions that you can no longer visit, but what about entire towns? Mezhgorye is a closed town in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan. It’s 120 miles southeast of the republic’s capital, Ufa, and near Mount Yamantau in the southern Ural Mountains.

The town, which used to be known as Ufa-105 and Beloretsk-16, was founded in 1979 and gained its status, and new name, as a town in 1995. No one knows for sure what goes on in this mysterious town. However, some sources say the city is a construction project that begun in the 70s when the United States directed their nuclear firepower at the Communist Party’s leadership complex.

The soviets sent thousands of workers to sites as remote as this one, and US satellites saw workers there right up until the late 1990s. Rumor has it that the town is, or was, a repository for food, Russian treasures, and as a nuclear bunker for Russian military officials.

But, given the town is closed and subordinated to the Russian federal government, we may never know for sure.

2. The Queen of England’s Bedroom

Buckingham Palace is a tourist attraction. It’s open to the public for tours, and anyone can get their fix of royalty. However, the Queen’s bedroom and private quarters have always been forbidden. So, the queen was not amused when she awoke in early July 1982, to find a man sitting on her bed. He was dressed in a dirty t-shirt, jeans, and was holding a broken ashtray, dripping with blood.

When the queen awoke, she asked the palace switchboard operator on the phone to call the police. The police never responded. She then pressed a button to summon the chambermaid, but no one responded to that call either. She also called the switchboard a second time but had no luck.

In the meantime, the Queen talked to the man, who was 31-year-old Michael Fagan. He had planned to commit suicide in her bedroom but decided not to go through with it. The Queen spoke with him about family matters, but it was clearly an uncomfortable situation.

Ten minutes after she awoke to the man in her room, a chambermaid entered, then ran and got the footman who seized the man. The police arrived 12 minutes after the Queen’s initial call.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher apologized for the security lapse, and security measures were strengthened. Fortunately, nothing as extreme as this has happened since.

1. Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center, USA

The government has gotten reasonably good over the years at keeping important information to themselves. Often, it’s in the interest of public safety, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we’re all desperate to know. Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center is one of them.

No one knows exactly where the operations center is, other than that it’s around 48 miles from Washington, D.C in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It consists of a 600,000square-foot underground facility and a FEMA complex above ground.

The center was built during the Cold War in case of a national disaster. It was to be a relocation site for high-level officials and has been used by Dick Cheney on September 11, and Robert F. Kennedy’s top aide during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

But it’s not just any ordinary bunker. It has a police and fire department, sleeping quarters for 2,000 people, a security system, mainframe computers, and a TV and radio studio. The center is accessible via Virginia State Route 601, but you won’t be able to get close due to heavy security. This potential center of salvation is strictly for the elite in a crisis, and there’s no chance of seeking shelter there unless you’re a government official or right-hand man.

Outro

It’s natural for us to want to explore somewhere we’re not allowed to be, so which is the place you are most tempted by? Do you think you could ever go to one of these places? Also, check out our other cool stuff showing up on the screen now. See you next time.

The post 15 Forbidden Places You’re Not Allowed to Visit appeared first on Blind Side.

We are here on the Blind Side, Most adults will admit that another life force could exist that we don’t know about. Our first thought is aliens, but have you considered that fairies and pixies might exist alongside us? Is it possible? From a skeleton in a falcon’s nest, to a fairy caught on a trail cam, here are 15 real pieces of evidence that fairies actually exist!

15. Slow Motion Fairy

It’s all well and good to believe in fairies, but where’s the proof? Here it is. A YouTuber by the name of Coco Puff uploaded footage from her home security camera that was picked up at night.

The footage, which ran for a little over one minute, showed a small creature flying in front of the camera. It was too large to be a moth, too small to be a bird, but still had wings. It was also dragonfly-like in appearance.

Coco Puff first showed the video at its natural speed, but slowed it down so viewers could get a better look. While it’s hard to see the fairy clearly due to night vision, it does have distinctive, fairy-like features. This is the type of video that requires you to be the judge. Is it a fairy, or some kind of insect? Watch the video and form your own opinion.

Time for the Star Topic!

We are yet to explore every inch of this planet, and so we will never know if fairies truly exist. But it’s hard to deny what’s in this photo. There are two carved faces in stone with ivy and tussocks forming the hair. They are in an isolated wooded area with no one around, but showing signs that some form of life might exist here. What are these stones? Are they proof that fairies live in isolated parts of the world?

Comment down below with the hashtag #StarTopic, and let us know your opinion in relation to what we just showed on screen. With that said, let’s keep things moving!

14. Fairy Caught on Security Camera

Fairies are supposedly mythical or legendary creatures that come from various origins and belief systems around the world. Oddly enough, there is no single story from which they originate, which means that more than one group of people in different parts of the world must have, at some point, had close contact with them. This YouTuber might have too.

The YouTube channel, Custom Electronics, uploaded 19-second footage of a strange creature flying in front of the camera. Look closely, and don’t be distracted by the cat slinking past in the background.

The creature, with a gray aura, flies in front of the security camera and hovers momentarily before taking off. According to the YouTuber, it was a bitterly cold night, and there were no other bugs in sight. He went on to say that he had never seen a bug pause mid-flight before.

Of course, this unidentified creature could have been a moth or another bug species, but why is it the only one? Why does it pause? Why does it not look like any other bug, and more fairy-like than anything? Form your own opinion, but keep your mind open to the possibility that it may have, in fact, been a fairy caught on tape.

13. The Green Children of Woolpit

For over nine centuries, people young and old throughout the world have been mesmerized by a story that could have proved the existence of fairies – or fairy-like creatures – many hundreds of years ago.

No one knows whether it’s true or not, but the fact that it’s a story told in many parts in the world means it might just have some truth.

As outlined in a 12^th century book by William of Newburgh, History of English Affairs, two children, supposedly siblings, turned up in Woolpit, an English village that gets its name from pits dug to protect towns from wild beasts.

Having two children enter the town is not strange, but it is when they don’t speak a language anyone knows, have green skin the color of leaves, and wear clothing htat no one had ever seen before.

When the children were offered food, they were confused, and preferred to eat raw beans for months. Slowly but surely, the fairy-like children started to blend into the village’s way of life. After being baptized, the boy died, but his sister thrived.

She learned how to speak English, and even started eating different. She lost her green coloring soon after.

Once she knew enough English, the townspeople were to hear her story. According to the girl, her brother and herself were from a place known as St. Martin’s Land. In this place, everything was green – even the people. When they were herding cattle, they got lost and followed the sound of a bell to end up in this new, English world.

The girl, who was given the name Agnes, supposedly came to be known as impudent and aloof, but she settled down and married in the village.

While some people might think this story relates to civil strife, green coloring from malnutrition, and orphanied or kidnapped kids, others are not so sure. There are plenty of people out there who thing Agnes’ story, and her brother’s, are proof that fairies did and possibly do exist.

12. The Cottingley Fairies

In today’s technologically advanced world, it’s hard to know whether photos are photoshopped or real. But you wouldn’t think that would be the case in the early 1900s! The Cottingley Fairies have stumped people around the world for years, and it’s only recently we have learned the truth. Or have we?

The Cottingley Fairies are little fairy creatures that appear in five photographs with two young cousins, Frances and Elsie. The photos of the young girls, age 16 and nine, were taken by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffin, who lived in the early 1900s until the late 1980s.

In four of the photos, the girls appear to be posing with fairies around them. The fifth photo is purely of the fairies.

Writer Sit Arthur Conan Doyle came across the photos and used them in an article he wrote about fairies. As a spiritualist, he was adamant the photos were proof of the existence of fairies.

Many others thought they were real as well, but some people were skeptical. By the 1920s, most people had forgotten about the photos, including their views on whether or not they were real. However, the possibilities of their existence still lingered at the backs of people’s minds.

A Daily Express newspaper tracked down one of the photographers, Elsie, in 1966, and she admitted the photos were fake. They had used cardboard cutouts from a children’s book. However, both admitted that the fifth photo was genuine. To this day, the cameras and photos sit in the Natural Science and Media Museum in Bradford, England.

While Elsie and Frances were happy to admit the photos were fake, with the use of a darkroom to play with the background and foreground, they weren’t so sure about the final photo. The girls went off on their own with the camera, and the father who owned the camer had never tampered with that final photo as he had with the others.

So, we can say without a doubt that four of the five photos are fake, but we may never know if the fifth and final one is.

11. Trail Cam Footage

People have desperately been trying to prove the existence of fairies for centuries, but it could have been as simple as putting out a trail cam.

A YouTuber by the name of My Slice of Heaven Outdoors uploaded trail cam footage to YouTube after spotting something a little bit odd in 2019. The man said he had been checking the cameras on his property in Missouri when he noticed wings to the side of the camera. At that point, you couldn’t see what the creature was, if anything at all.

Near the end of the footage, however, the critter comes into view. Because it’s at night, it’s hard to tell with certainty what it is. It also moves at great speed, which makes it increasingly difficult.

However, some YouTubers have their own opinions. Some say it looks 100 percent real, while others believe it’s an insect of some kind. Whatever it is, it looks every bit like a fairy, and very little like anything else!

10. Tinkerbell in the Garden

When hairdresser and photographer Lisa Wildgoose from Towcester, Northampton, saw how beautiful the Bluebell Woods were during a family photoshoot, she knew she had to go back. She wanted to use her DSLR camera to capture some lovely wildflower shots. Little did she know, she would get more than just wildflowers in her photos.

Lisa, who used to work as a motorsport photographer at Silverstone Motorsport Park, is no stranger to camera trickery, but she’s adamant this photo is raw. When she returned home from Bluebell Woods and uploaded the photos to her computer, she spotted what looked like a fairy in the bottom left-hand corner.

She immediately showed her daughters Mia and Madison, age 5, who said it was most definitely a fairy and not a fly.

Friends and family have also said what’s in the photo is no ordinary insect. While there is no way to verify the image, it’s something that Lisa, Mia, and Madison will cherish forever.

9. Professor Photographed a Fairy Swarm

Proof of something can mean many things to many people, but there’s no denying these photos taken by a university lecturer are strange. It’s up to you to decide whether they are real evidence that fairies exist.

John Hyatt, the Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design director at Manchester Metropolitan University said he took the photos in the British countryside in Rossendale Valley, Lancashire. To prove their worth, he took the photos over a two-year period and said they have not been altered in any way.

Many people who have seen the photos believe they are ether flies or gnats. But when he shows them photos of flies and gnats he has taken; they can’t believe their eyes. If they are open to the idea that fairies are real, John said, the photos take that proof to the next level.

John posted his photos on social media to allow people to make up their minds for themselves. He also put the photos into an exhibition called Rossendale Fairies at the Whitaker Museum in Rossendale.

8. Possible Fairy Sighting in England

They say that things appear when you’re not looking for them, and what British woman Phyllis Bacon discovered may be proof of that. In 2009, a British newspaper ran a story about Phullis who said she had photographed a fairy in 2007.

The photo was taken in her New Addington backyard, and that she wasn’t even looking when she took the photo. Phyllis had been chatting with relatives when she held the camera out into her backyard and snapped a photo. She only noticed the small figure afterward.

For the next few months, Phyllis scoured the internet looking for photos of insects, such as beetles, moths, and butterflies that could pass as what she had captured on camera. She didn’t want to be called “nutty” but she just couldn’t find an explanation for her photo.

Until anyone tells her otherwise, Phyllis is going to continue believing that she has proof that fairies exist.

7. Fairy Skeleton

Is it the remains of a marmoset? Is it a falcon’s prey? Or, is it what a North Carolina man says it is: a real-life fairy?

In 2017, a Wilmington, North Carolina man, James Cornan, man stumbled across a tiny skeleton in a falcon nest in the Rocky Mountains. The photos show what look to be a tiny human-like skeleton, and were posted by Beyond the Science and Historical Pictures online.

The photos have stirred up some hot debate, with thousands of shares and comments arguing whether or not the photo does indeed show a pixie, or some other creature that looks eerily similar in body structure.

According to the post, the supposed pixie bones are now located in a German facility where other convention-defying biological specimens are stored. We may never know whether the remains are that of a pixie or fairy, but it’s hard to deny that there are few other creatures it could be!

6. Fairy Keys and Fairy Doors

This next one is either proof that fairies exist, or that technology has come a long way, and you can make the impossible show on camera. In 2017, a YouTuber with the username FKV posted a time lapse video over a period of several hours with what was supposed to be real evidence of fairies’ existence.

According to the user, the camera is set up in his daughter’s bedroom and records what happens over the next six hours by a little fairy door. A fairy is seen collecting a door key for the fairy door, flying off, then returning with the key. A soft toy dog is also seen falling over as the fairy makes her grand reappearance.

The footage is then replayed in slow motion so that you can get a second chance at viewing the video and forming an opinion for yourself. Whether or not the fairy is a hoax or not remains a mystery, but it’s an intriguing video all the same.

5. Flower Fairies of Thailand

Is it a plant? Is it a fairie? Could it be both? National Geographic’s Brett Madden captured photos of what looked like the mummified remains of fairies in Thailand. What are they, and what could they represent?

Legend states that these little creatures are Naree Pon, or Thai flower pod women fairies, that are both animal and plant. Their existence has supposedly been verified through x-raying skeletal remains through fruit.

There have been sightings of Naree Pon in person within three hours of Bangkok in Thailand. They supposedly have female bodies, a three-foot height, and a camoflage complexion to blend them into their environment. No one knows for sure whether they are a fairy or just a fantasy.

What most people believe is that Naree Pon are beautiful little creatures that would try and distract Buddha during their daytime meditation. The Buddhist God, Indra, planted the trees from which they came in the Himapan Forest for the protection of Prince Vessandara.

This legend came from the idea that Naree Pon are fruit that grow on trees, but that come alive once they fall from the trees. They then wither and die within a week, creating a carcass like the one captured in the photo by Brett.

You can view the Naree Pon for yourself in a Bangkok temple. They look very much like a mummified fetus, but have long arms and a plant-like structure. Fairy? Strange plant? We may never know.

4. Orbs and Fairies

Whether you believe in fairies or not, it’s hard to deny that there’s something not quite right about this footage uploaded by New Zealand YouTuber Cdbfort. In the video, the woman outlines what appears to be a glowing winged creature, followed by glowing orbs.

According to the YouTuber, the “little character” has shown itself many times in the garden in different angles and views. It appears to get closer and closer as time goes on, and possesses reflective qualities

Youtuber cdbfort uploaded an image of orbs and a glowing winged creature she believes is a fairy, or pixie, caught on film, along with pretty little glowing orbs. People were quick to comment that the orbs were dust, but no one had any idea what that glowing little creature was. There’s every reason to believe this is prove that fairies actually exist.

3. Fairy in a Parking Garage

This video leaves more questions than answers, but even if you don’t think it’s real, you will be unlikely to find any other answer for what this strange creature in the footage actually is.

The YouTuber, Jessica Fisher, is the mere uploader of the footage. She didn’t take the footage, nor does she know, herself, whether it’s real or fake. But in it is a person walking around a parking garage filming.

They then stumble across a gnome-like creature scuttling across the concrete floor. It quickly disappears between vehicles, and the video ends not long after.

You may be wondering two things. Firstly, why you would randomly film inside a parking garage if you weren’t expecting anything to show up. Secondly, what on earth is it? It appears to walk on two legs, which rules out many likely creatures such as squirrels, raccoons, and rodents.

There is a small likelihood that it’s a bird, but their usual preferred mode of transport is their wings. Once you get past the random garage footage, it’s worth questioning whether the creature in that footage really is something we may never have seen before. Could this be proof that fairies exist?

2. Fairy or Insect?

Perhaps one of the more damning pieces of evidence to hit the internet on the existence of fairies is from YouTuber Hamishmcn in 2008. Hamish is seen filming his kids as they take him on a tour around the property. They show him tadpoles, apples, and other cool natural attractions. They are kids being kids, and it’s quite endearing.

But the video takes a creepy turn when one of the kids notices a strange insect in the trees. The YouTuber leans in for a closer look. At first, it looks like a dragonfly. Nothing inconspicuous or odd about that. But as it goes to take off, its form changes. Instead of a dragonfly, it looks like a human-looking skeleton with wings. It promptly takes off, leaving more questions than answers for the man behind the camera.

In the video, the man asks if there are any insect experts out there who could identify what it is. But we think he knows full well what it’s likely to be, and it’s no insect…

1. Popstar Captures Fairy Evidence

Musician John Rutledge from the noughties comedy rap group Goldie Lookin Chain got the fright of his life when he “stumbled” across a family of fairies. John had been out walking the countryside in Newbridge, Wales, when he snapped a summer photo of nature with his dog in the foreground. He thought nothing of it, but then noticed something in the photo later.

Among the grass and flowers, he saw at least seven flying creatures in a small group. They all appeared to have arms, legs, and wings, and were around one inch in height. They were also translucent in appearance.

John said later that when he looked at the photo, he was in shock. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and zoomed in to see if it were real or a trick of the camera.

Ever since he was a child, John had wanted to witness something paranormal, but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined it would be a family of pixie-like creatures in a wooded lot of South Wales.

John said it was “solid evidence” that fairies exist, and that he may have just put one of the world’s largest mysteries to bed. John believes many things in life go without answers, but this photo was possible proof that fairies exist.

“There are definitely fairies at the bottom of the garden” he told the The Sun newspaper.

Coincidentally, or not at all, John was on the lookout for a new location for his podcast series at the time. The topic? Common myths and mysteries. You be the judge.

Outro

Some of this evidence is seemingly undeniable, or at least unexplainable without further investigation. Did any of these seem to be real evidence of fairies existing? Also, check out our other cool stuff showing up on the screen now. See you next time.

The post 15 Real Pieces of Evidence FAIRIES Actually Exist! appeared first on Blind Side.

We are here on the Blind Side, There has to be the smallest and largest of any breed. For example, your friends might consider you the shortest in your social group, but someone else might be the tallest. But what about the animal world? From an enormous rooster that could take on a toddler, to a gentle giant of the horse world, here are 15 of the biggest land creatures found on earth.

15. World’s Largest Spider  

As if the world’s smallest spider wasn’t terrifying enough, they had to go and create the world’s largest. And it’s kind of freaky. The world’s largest spider, or at least the one we know about so far, is a goliath bird-eating spider. Contrary to what the name suggests though, birds are not at the top of the list of their favorite things to eat.  

Out of all spiders that fall within this enormous spider’s breed, the largest one ever found was in Venezuela in 1965. It was discovered by Pablo San Martin Expedition members in Rio Cavro and had an 11-inch leg span! That’s more than enough to cover a dinner plate.  

In 1998, another giant goliath bird-eating spider came into the picture. This time, it was a pet. The two-year-old spider was reared by Brian Burnett in Perthshire and was bred by Robert Bustard. It weighed a whopping six ounces.  

If you were to ever come across this spider, and most people will try not to, you would find them in coastal rainforests in French Guiana, Guyana, and Surinam. They have even been found as far away as Brazil and Venezuela. The average lifespan for this eight-legged nope-creature is ten years.  

Time for the Star Topic!

Any bat of any size can be terrifying. They make awful noises, carry diseases, and terrify you in the night. But imagine if they were much larger than what we see? Imagine no more. We received this photo of what looks like a giant bat spread out on poles with two hunters holding a side each.

It has long, leathery wings, a monstrous hairy body, and a small head that looks exactly like that of a bat. The photo author didn’t give too much away with regards to the location, but it looks to be from somewhere tropical. Do you think this is a real-live bat, or is it something else?

Comment down below with the hashtag #StarTopic, and let us know your opinion in relation to what we just showed on screen. With that said, let’s keep things moving!

14. World’s Largest Raccoon 

The average raccoon weighs between 14 and 23 pounds, and even at that weight, they look cute, chubby, and cuddly. At that weight, raccoons are by no means underweight, so you can only imagine what one above that weight looks like. 

Bandit, the raccoon, who was born in 1994 and died in 2004, weighed nearly 75 pounds. At that weight you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s spent too much time dumpster diving, but that’s not the case at all.  

Bandit was born with a thyroid issue that caused considerable weight gain. When he was born, he was raised by a dog as one of her puppies and was then cared for by a Pennsylvanian woman by the name of Debra Klitsch. Given his considerable size and speedy weight gain, Bandit was named the world’s fattest raccoon in The Guinness Book of World Records.  

Without the thyroid problem, Bandit would likely have been within a healthy weight range. Their diets consist of invertebrates, plant materials, walnuts, fish, bird eggs, nuts, and similar.  

13. Largest Bird in the World  

The ostrich has many things to be proud of when it comes to points of difference. It’s the only bird with two toes on its feet instead of three or four, and it has the most enormous eyes of any bird at up to two inches in diameter.  

It would scoop up a few awards in a running race, too, for it can sprint at speeds of up to 44 miles per hour with strides of about 16 feet. They’re not dawdlers, that’s for sure.  

But perhaps one of their most significant accolades is their size and heft. Ostriches are the world’s largest bird, and they know how to throw their weight around – pardon the pun.  

They use their giant wings, which have a span of around 6.5 feet, for a myriad of different tasks. They shade their chicks, cover the naked skin of their upper legs to conserve heat, and also prove quite useful in displays of mating as well. When they run, the wings also act as rudders for direction-changing. They don’t fly, but we’re sure if they did, their wings would carry them a fair distance.  

They also weigh up to 320 pounds and nine feet long and have both long necks and legs with round bodies. Females are brown, but the males are a fascinating mixture of black and white.  

You now know that ostriches are the largest bird found on earth, but did you know people have been spreading lies about them? Contrary to popular belief, they don’t bury their heads in the sand. Instead, they press their necks to the ground to blend them into their environment. This, from a distance, can make it look like their heads are buried.  

What isn’t up for debate, however, is that these birds are massive and are probably not animals you’d want to cross.  

12. World’s Tallest Horse 

Farm manager Jerry Gilbert purchased three-year-old Big Jake the draft horse when he was three years old. He wasn’t all that unique or remarkable, even though he weighed 240 pounds when he was born and was quite a bit taller than other foals.  

But Jake didn’t stop growing at three years old and went on to claim the title of the world’s tallest horse.  

Big Jake is a Belgian Gelding and stands at 20 hands without shoes or 82.75 inches. He was officially given the title of the tallest living horse in January 2010. Since he skyrocketed to fame, hundreds of people have visited Smokey Hollow Farm in Poynette, Wisconsin, to catch a glimpse of this majestic creature. Jerry admits that life has been a bit busier since that coveted title.  

Believe it or not, Big Jake’s parents were of average size, but Jake is anything but. And to cater to that great bulk, he eats a bucket of grain twice per day and at least one bale of hay daily too. Alongside food, Jerry had to make sure his accommodation was tall enough for Jake as well.  

While Jake used to compete in draft horse showing competitions, he’s now living a quiet life. He greets fans at events and hangs out on the farm with his horse friends. He also loves being the center of attention, making sure there is plenty of people around to scratch his neck and belly.  

11. World’s Tallest Recorded Giraffe  

A tall giraffe, duh, they’re all tall. But surely there is one (or more) that are just a bit taller than the rest? You’d be right. While it’s hard to know if Zulu, a giraffe at Folly Farm Zoo in Pembrokeshire, is the tallest ever giraffe, he is at least the tallest ever recorded. And he’s pretty tall.  

While there is no 100 percent accurate way to measure the extra-stubborn Zulo, he just manages to tuck under his 20-foot-tall enclosure. That means he is at least 19 feet tall – some four feet taller than the average giraffe. He also towers above the other three giraffes with which he shares his enclosure.  

To be that tall, Zulu also has to have the loft to go with it – and he does. He weighs 1.3 tons, which means if he doesn’t want to do something, such as have someone measure him, then you can’t make him. There’s no coercing or shifting this mammoth creature.  

The crew at Folly Farm are impressed with Zulu’s height, but they aren’t the only ones. Even giraffe transportation specialists from the Netherlands had never seen a giraffe as tall, and they likely never will again. Zulu is truly one of a kind, and if he were in the wild, he’d have the ladies fighting for his attention.  

10. Largest Polar Bear Ever Recorded  

The unfortunate reality of climate change is that polar bears are possibly smaller now than ever before. As the mercury goes up, the Arctic sea ice melts, and polar bears starve for months every year. The primary prey are seals, but even the polar bear struggles to hunt them. As a result, polar bears are not only smaller than they’ve ever been but are also not living as long. 

However, that’s not to say there haven’t been polar bears at the larger end of the scale. Most of them weigh up to 900-ish pounds and stand at about four feet, four inches tall. The Beaufort Sea polar bear can weigh nearly 1,000 pounds.  

But in 1960, a huge polar bear was killed in Kotzebue Sound, northwestern Alaska, that made scientists at the time wonder if there were massive polar bears out there.  

This particular bear weighed over 2,200 pounds – around twice that of male polar bears in the world today. It was also measured at 4-5 feet in shoulder height. This polar bear towered above its smaller counterparts.  

While we’re unlikely to see polar bears of that size today, that find was proof that at one stage, one of the largest polar bears ever to exist was found.  

9. The Largest Rooster

Roosters can be pretty feisty and giant creatures, but they possibly pale in comparison to this enormous rooster in Kosovo. At 2.79 feet tall from head to toe, he’s about as tall as the average toddler. He also weighs 16.5 pounds, which is about four pounds heavier than the ordinary rooster.

This rooster towers above the other chickens and roosters around him, and everyone who sees the rooster is intrigued. He first shot to fame after Kosovo poultry enthusiast group member, Fitim Sejfijaj, posted a video of him on Facebook, which was subsequently reposted on Twitter.

The internet went crazy. People wanted to know why he was so big, and the video racked up over 50,000 likes and 40,000 retweets.

According to poultry health educator Emily Lhamon, the giant rooster’s breed plays a part in its size. The rooster is a Brahma chicken, which does grow larger than other kinds. Emily says that most males average around 2.5-3-feet heights. However, they are a fluffy chicken and look far heavier and more robust than they actually are.

Brahma chickens used to be the primary meat breed of chicken in America from 1950 until 1930. They are decent winter layers and originate from Shanghai.  

8. Medusa the Longest Snake

Reticulated pythons aren’t known to be small snakes. They often average around 10 to 20 feet and are known as the world’s largest snakes. But within that giant snake species, there’s one in captivity that makes all the other pythons look tiny.

Medusa, the reticulated python, is 25 feet, two inches long, and weighs a whopping 350 pounds. She holds the current longest snake living in captivity title, and it takes 15 men to hold her at full length for measurement.

Medusa is owned by Full Moon Productions Incorporated in Kansas City, Missouri. She has beautiful grid-like skin, a showstopper appearance, and a big appetite. Her diet consists of deer, rabbits, and hogs that she gets twice per week, and she can eat a 40-pound deer in a single sitting.

When Medusa isn’t busy eating, she’s a star. She lives at The Edge of Hell Haunted House in Kansas City, where people can watch her stretch out. According to her handlers, Medusa knows when it’s showtime and makes sure she’s on her best behavior (and most extended length) for everyone to see.

Medusa may be the longest living snake in captivity, but she isn’t the longest ever found. In 1912, a python was shot in Sulawesi that measured 32 feet, ten inches. However, it wasn’t kept alive in captivity.

7. Blosom the World’s Tallest Cow

Blosom might look like any other Holstein cow at a distance. She was white with black patches, or black with white patches, and lived the good life in a paddock like many other cows. But Blosom had something that many other cows don’t: a Guinness World Record. This cow, from Orangeville, Illinois, was the tallest in the world.

Blosom stood at six feet, four inches tall, and weighed 2,000 pounds. She wasn’t the most attractive cow by World Dairy Expo standards, but that didn’t stop her from getting all the attention. Most people had never seen a cow as tall as Blosom. And they likely never will again.

Blosom belonged to Patty Meads-Hansen and had been raised by her father before her, from eight weeks old. She lived on the family farm in Orangeville ever since. Before she died at age 13 due to an irreparable leg injury, she was officially measured and entered in the Guinness World Book of Records.

Her height may have set her apart from most cows, but Blosom enjoyed the simple things in life. Ear scratches, oats, and chin rubs were at the top of her wishlist every day.

6. Jeff the World’s Largest Rabbit

Continental giant rabbits have that name for a reason; they are giant. But there is one rabbit that sits at the top of the food chain as being the largest of all Continental giant rabbits.

Jeff, who is the size of a seven-year-old child at four feet, five inches, has overtaken his dad, Darius, as the largest rabbit in the Guinness World Book of Records. Jeff is 18 months old and weighs 42 pounds.

His daily diet consists of around 2.2 pounds of organic hay, sunflower seeds, two dog bowl-sized containers of barley, and broccoli stems. His owners, Annette and Rob Edwards, who breed the giant rabbits, credits broccoli stalks for their size and health.

The Edwards’ have been breeding large bunnies for over a decade and love how bright and full of character they are. They say that their bunnies get plenty of good food, exercise, and are even house-trained to sit on the couch with them and watch TV.

When Jeff and the other rabbits aren’t hopping around the house, they are hanging out in their $5,100 double-glazed log cabin.

Jeff may hold the title of the world’s largest rabbit but watch this space. Annette and Rob say Jeff’s sister, five-month-old Enya, already stands at three feet, three inches, and could break the five feet mark.  

5. World’s Largest Recorded Rodent

If the sight of any rodent sends shivers up your spine, then it’s time to turn away. A small one could send you running for cover, but a large one could have you screaming in fear!

Gary is the world’s largest recorded capybara from the world’s largest rodent species. He’s a South American rodent that weighs 112 pounds and lives in Texas, with Melanie Typaldos and Richard Loveman.

Melanie and Richard fell in love with capybaras while on holiday in Venezuela. Upon returning home, they discovered a breeder in Arkansas and immediately decided to purchase one.

While this giant rodent may not be for everyone, Melanie and Richard believe they would surprise you. They say Gary is intelligent, affectionate, and not all that much different from a cat and dog. They have taught him to shake, turn in a circle, jump, and stand on his hind legs.

Gary is also quick to socialize with the other animals that the pair own. They have tortoises, rabbits, a dog, a cat, and a horse. While Gary chases the rabbits and can get annoyed with the tortoises, he is generally easy-going.

However, Melanie and Richard say that’s not the case with all capybaras. They say they can be aggressive animals, even if Gary isn’t, and their teeth are sharp and can cause severe damage.

For fun, Gary likes to educate children at the local schools and hang out in the above-ground pool they have for him at home.   

4. Biggest Domestic Cat

What do you do when your significant other wants a cat, but you want a dog? You compromise and get a cat the size of the dog. Introducing the longest cat in the world – a Maine Coon from Italy called Barivel! Barivel became the longest cat in the world in 2018, at three feet, 11 inches long.

Barivel lives with his owners Edgar Scandurra and Cinzia Tinnirello of Italy. When he’s not lounging around the home living in cat paradise, he’s out and about with his owners in his buggy.

You might think it’s unusual for a cat to be this large, but it certainly helps that Barivel is a Maine Coon. A Maine Coon originally from Maine, is the largest cat in the world and is often known as a gentle giant. They have extra-thick fur for insulation and usually stand at around 40 inches long and up to 16 inches high. Most moggies are about 9-10 inches tall in comparison.

It is thought that Barivel and his relatives get their size from living in cold climates. They grow bigger to reduce heat loss, which would be true when you compare them to their equally large counterparts, such as the Norwegian forest cat. Some breeders also purposefully breed two large cats together to increase the likelihood of large offspring.

3. Biggest Dog in the World  

A regular-sized dog can be a lot of hard work. But imagine a giant one? Freddy the Great Dane is the tallest dog alive, standing at three feet, 4.17 inches.

Freddy lives in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, with Claire Stoneman, his owner. She has had Freddy since he was a puppy and said he showed no signs of growing larger than the breed can normally expect.

Given his great size, Claire has to spend around $13,000 per year on food. He eats around half a pound of casserole stick, 0.7 pounds of liver, and 2.2 pounds of raw mince daily. If that’s not enough, he has also chewed his way through 26 sofas and counting, with the help of his dog friend Fleur. Regardless of his naughty habits and expensive diet, Claire wouldn’t have Freddy the Great Dane any other way.

2. Hercules the Largest Liger

What do you get when you cross a male lion and a female tiger? There’s no punchline to this joke, you get a liger and a pretty big one too! Hercules is the largest liger in existence, and he lives at the Myrtle Beach Safari wildlife reserve in South Carolina. He’s 131 inches long, 49 inches tall, and weighs a whopping 922 pounds.

To sustain that heft, you’d need a fairly expansive menu, and Hercules gets it. He eats as much meat as the average two-year-old weighs, around 30 pounds. He also drinks several liters of water every day.

Ligers are not animals you will find in the wild. They are the hybrid children of a tigress and a male lion and normally grow much, much larger than their parents. To put it into relative terms, they are about 100 times larger than a house cat! You wouldn’t want Hercules sleeping at the end of your bed, that’s for sure.

1. Brutus the Largest Living Crocodile  

Most crocodiles will have you in awe. They are as close as you are going to get to see a dinosaur, and they’re terrifyingly large. But you haven’t seen a really large dinosaur until you’ve seen Brutus.

Brutus is a famous crocodile in the Adelaide River of the Northern Territory of Australia. He’s around 80 years old, weighs two tonnes, and is about 18 feet long. Brutus is a common sight on river cruise tours, and cruise hosts will throw meat out to him so tourists can see him up close and personal.

Brutus is not only a massive croc, but he’s missing a foreleg too. Most believe it’s from a run-in with a shark, which could be true considering he dines on bull sharks from time to time.

This giant croc the highlight of many traveler’s trips, and the companies that run river cruises constantly field calls from people asking if they will likely see Brutus on their journey. Very rarely does this massive river monster miss a chance to dine on free kangaroo meat!

Outro 

If you thought animals had to stick within the “averages” of their species, then you’d be wrong! These animals are huge! Which one surprised you the most? Do you have an extra-large pet? Also, check out our other cool stuff showing up on the screen now. See you next time.

The post 15 Biggest Land Creatures Found on Earth  appeared first on Blind Side.

We are here on the Blind Side, The animal kingdom is full of weird and wonderful creatures that either look like nothing you have ever seen before, or are just downright odd! But have you ever seen one that seems so unusual it’s hard to believe it’s real? From a leaf-like lizard to a bumble bee-colored critter, here are 15 strange animals that are hard to believe are real.

15. Saiga Antelope

To describe the Saiga Antelope, you would think it’s a made-up animal from a children’s fairytale. From its big and bulbous nose and wool-like hair and fringe to its amber-colored horns and goat sizing, it’s not the most uniform of creatures. But it’s real, and used to be a common sight across Europe and Asia.

In the 19^th century, this absurd-looking animal would roam the land, especially around Russia, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. Their fast maturity meant they could breed fast, and the frequency of twins meant they could sustain hunting by those looking for their beautiful horns and something for dinner.

However, when the Soviet Union fell in the 1990s, poverty and unemployment led to more hunting to make up for the shortfall in food. The Saiga antelope population suffered as a result. There are now thought to be around 50,000 of this unique animal in existence, with them living in herds of about 1,000.

Time for the Star Topic!

It’s time for the star topic! At a public crocodile viewing area in the United States, a tourist stumbled across what is definitely no ordinary croc. Most people know that both alligators and crocodiles are either green, olive, brown, or a mixture of all three. You might even find the odd albino croc or two. But this one? It’s none of those things! Is it a hybrid crocodile? Does it have a skin pigment problem? Or has someone painted it to look like a panda?

Comment down below with the hashtag #StarTopic, and let us know your opinion in relation to what we just showed on screen. With that said, let’s keep things moving!

14. Earthquake-Predicting Giant Oarfish

Most of us have had an inkling for some time that animals know when an earthquake is about to hit. They can start to act strange, hide under furniture, or generally act out of character. Even though the Giant Oarfish is an unusual animal we don’t know much about, there’s evidence that in its family, there are members who can predict earthquakes.

The slender oarfish, which is related to the Giant Oarfish, is often discovered stranded on beaches after a sizeable earthquake. Such an instance of this was after the 2011 earthquake and Tsunami around the beaches of Tohoku. Around 20 oarfish were found dead on the beach. Fishermen also found dozens after the 2010 earthquake in Chile.

But it’s not just their earthquake-predicting ways that make the oarfish unusual. They are mysterious, and that makes us want to know more. They grow upwards of 13 feet, and the largest giant oarfish ever found was 110 feet. They also live at depths of between 650 to 3,300 feet below sea level.

The giant oarfish is the longest bony fish by far, and they are not the best swimmers as a result. They also feed vertically and can get caught up in currents that take them far from their homes. These long, skinny, and mysterious sea creatures are so unusual that it’s hard to believe they are real.

13. Panda Ant

Most people will agree that insects usually are not cute. In fact, around a quarter of respondents in a survey by Chapman University said they were afraid of them. The panda ant may change your mind, but only for its looks.

Look at it. It’s cute, fluffy, black and white, and looks every bit like a panda you would expect. It even has black and white markings in all the right places. The panda ant is possibly one of the cutest insects around, but it’s a trap. Don’t let its cuteness fool you!

The panda ant is neither panda nor ant; it’s from the wasp family. It also goes by the name of cow killer ant because the female carries a somewhat painful sting when you annoy her! Unlike ants, they also don’t have queens, workers, or drones, and they do not live in colonies.

Everything about this insect is absurd. The male looks nothing like the female panda ant and is normally larger. The male also has wings, but no stinger, while the female has a stinger, but no wings. When the two meet for reproduction, he will carry her while mating, before delivering her into the burrow of another bee or wasp family.

The female will lay her eggs around that bee or wasp family’s larva, which acts as a host. The panda ant larva will then eat the host larva from the inside out. Once they are mature, they eat nectar.

Fortunately, the panda ant is not an insect you will come across often. They live in Chile, in the dry coastal regions, and often hang around the Andes mountains.

12. Peacock Mantis Shrimp

You usually have beauty or brawn in the animal kingdom, but rarely both. The peacock mantis shrimp is proving that having both is undoubtedly an advantage. To look at, the peacock mantis shrimp doesn’t seem real.

It boasts a kaleidoscope of colors from its hard-shelled body, and its forearms are spotty. It looks like a child has been let loose with a fresh packet of crayons and has used every single one of them. But the peacock mantis shrimp is as real as you and me.

It lives in the warmer parts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and has some of the most complicated eyes out of all living creatures. If you thought your 20/20 vision was pretty good, then think again. This shrimp has 16 color-receptive cones, whereas humans only have three. They also have millions of light-sensitive cells that allow it to see ten times as many colors as us – including UV light.

The shrimp will use its eyesight to its advantage in warding off prey, but its feistiness helps too. Its club-like appendages can throw a punch as fast as a .22 caliber bullet, which is more than enough to break through a crab’s shell. As a result, it has no trouble taking down prey larger than itself. The peacock mantis shrimp may be beautiful to look at, but you still don’t want to get on the wrong side of it!  

11. Mexican Walking Fish

The axolotl, or Mexican Walking Fish, has been the butt of many jokes. Given its prevalence in social media memes, it’s easy for people to think it’s a made-up character. The truth is, it’s a real creature and is both a salamander species and amphibian.

The Mexican Walking Fish lives in the Xochimilco lake complex not far from Mexico City. It lives permanently in water and retains its larval features. Few other creatures like it do, but you will not see an axolotl without its dorsal fin from its tadpole stage, and external gills that look like feathers.

Of course, the most standout feature is the fact it has legs. It looks like a fish, grows to between 6-18 inches, but walks around on the bottom of the lake.

Even though these weird amphibians are a bit quirky and funny, they are quite valuable. They were named after an ancient Aztec god, and scientists are intrigued by them because they can regrow their limbs. It’s easy to think these creatures are made up, but you might be surprised to learn they are not!

10. Aye-Aye

With a magical finger, wide staring eyes, and traits from various animals, you would be forgiven for thinking we’re making this next animal up. The truth is, the Aye-Aye might be really weird, but it exists.

It’s a member of the lemur family and lives in Madagascar’s north-eastern deciduous and tropical rainforests. More often than not, you will find it 700 meters high in the air and in trees.

This scary-eyed critter has sloth-like claws, a weasel-like face, a body not that dissimilar from that of a monkey, and incisors like a rodent. The kicker is they make nests like birds to live in, out of leaves and twigs. It’s like someone took all those animals and patched them together into one.

Such is their strangeness that people in Madagascar think they predict death. They hunt them out of fear and because they believe they wreak havoc on their crops. As a result, they are under protection and are classed as nearly-threatened.

How the Aye-Aye feeds is another one of the reasons why people don’t think they exist. They have a long, thin finger they use for scooping insects and larvae out of trees, and they use this same extended finger to “knock” on trees to find out if any prey is home. They live on seeds, fruit, larva, nectar, and fungi. In captivity, the Aye-Aye will live for around two decades, but their lifespan in the wild is unclear.

9. Yeti Crab

The Kiwa is less often known by its scientific name, and more commonly called by what it looks like: a yeti. The furry lobster, yeti crab, or yeti lobster is a unique decapod that lives around hydrothermal vents and cold seeps at the bottom of the ocean.

It’s white, has no color pigments, and is virtually blind. It also has a hairy and bristly white body that makes it well and truly deserving of its name.

The yeti crab is a carnivore, but you would be surprised at what it prefers to eat. It often relies on bacteria that grow on its furry legs and actively seeks it out as a delicious treat.

That’s not all that will surprise you about this authentic sea creature. There are around four different species, and they all live on the seafloor where they can access hydrothermal vents to stay warm.

8. Lowland Streaked Tenrec

This bumble bee-colored critter, the Lowland streaked tenrec, looks like something a child dreamed up while idly coloring one day. It’s an insectivore, looks like a hedgehog, and has a long, black-colored nose. It also has a black coat, yellow stripes, and yellow spine crests. The word you are looking for to describe the Lowland streaked tenrec is unusual. It’s hard to believe they are real!

The Lowland streaked tenrec lives in eastern Madagascar in rainforests, lowlands, and scrublands. They live in family units of around 20 and develop a complex series of burrows linked together and covered in leaves.

Each member of the family communicates through their quills, and when they feel threatened, they raise them. Their last line of defense is bucking their heads and moving their quills in the direction of those who try to threaten them.

When a predator approaches them, you will hear the Lowland streaked tenrec make a putt-putt and crunching sound. They then puff their spikes up and wait for the predator to retreat. At that moment, they run for dear life!

Their main threat, however, is humans. Deforestation is of great concern, and they are also hunted for their meat. This unique creature may not be one we know much about, but we will surely miss it if it becomes extinct!

7. The Pink Fairy Armadillo

The pink fairy armadillo sounds made up. Then you see it, and you’ll believe it’s made up. After all, what kind of real-life animal is white with pink feet and a pink shell? Not a real one! Believe it or not, the pink fairy armadillo is real; it just doesn’t want us to think so.

It spends its entire life, except for a few moments from time to time, underground. It’s an exceptional burrower and will tunnel six inches below the surface its whole life, on the hunt for food. It lives on plant matter and invertebrates, and it’s so well-adapted to underground life that it struggles to use its overgrown claws on hard surfaces.

This five-inch critter, which weighs around a quarter-pound, has silky, white fur, a pink shell, and a membrane that attaches that shell to its body. While many armadillos have shells for armor, this one doesn’t. Its primary purpose is as a radiator, regulating its core temperature to keep it comfortable.

The pink fairy armadillo has a club tail to act as a fifth limb while it digs, and it’s one of the most elusive land creatures. A conservation biologist from the National Scientific and Technical Research Council in Argentina, Mariella Superina, has never seen one in the wild in her 13 years of research. If it’s not its looks that make you think this creature isn’t real, then it’s undoubtedly the fact that no one sees them that gives you that impression!

6. Leafy Seadragon

The dark depths of the ocean hide some pretty incredible marine critters, and the leafy seadragon is one of them. The only difference is, it’s in shallow waters so that anyone can stumble across it, but it’s just extremely good at hiding itself!

The leafy seadragon looks like a seahorse, acts like a seahorse, but isn’t a seahorse. It’s a fish in southern and western Australia, and Tasmania, and features fins with what look like leaves on them to act as a form of protection against predators. In Australia, the leafy seadragon is also protected and has the status of near-threatened.

To look at them, they just look like any seaweed floating in the ocean, and that’s what they want you to think. They can’t grip onto any objects, so they drift clumsily in the water, propel with their fins, and hope nothing larger than them spots them as their next meal.

Aside from their strange movements and looks, even how they procreate is a bit odd. The leafy seadragon will be ready for a male to court it by the time it’s 1-2 years old and will produce around 250 pink eggs.

She puts them on the male leafy seadragon’s tail to be fertilized, and the brood patch upon which they sit offers oxygen until they hatch in around nine weeks. The male also lends a helping hand by shaking them when they’re ready to be born. You can’t do that with a human baby. Once they hatch, the baby seadragons are immediately independent.

5. Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko

If you thought you were good at the game of Hide and Seek, then you haven’t seen the Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko play! This critter, found in the forests of Madagascar, is a pro!

The Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko, contrary to its name, is a gentle, mild reptile that spends much time napping. It will sleep all day while looking like a dead leaf, then goes out once the sun sets in search of a meal. Its preferred cuisine is anything it can fit in its mouth, such as spiders and other small insects.

But it’s not its diet that makes this reptile unbelievable, but its looks. It looks in every way, shape, and form, like a dead leaf.

It’s one of 13 species of lizard that mimic vegetation and can either be brown, tan, orange, or gray. It will take on the same shade of dying leaves in its environment.

Not only do they share the same coloring as leaves, but detailing as well. From the curved leaf-like edges of its body to the leaf vein lines, broad tail with notches to resemble a stem, and its flat appearance, it’s basically a real-life leaf.

If it does happen to be caught out by a predator, which is unlikely, it has a few other cards to play. It can flick its tail up as a warning, and even let out a loud sound to frighten the predator. This impressive reptile is that unique that many people will question its legitimacy!

4. Long-Wattled Umbrellabird

Birds can have some pretty unusual names, but few accurately describe the bird as well as this name: long-wattled umbrellabird.

As the name suggests, this bird has a long wattle and a crest of feathers that hang pasts its bill in an umbrella fashion. It’s a unique bird, rarely seen, and it is pretty hard to believe it’s real just by looking at how strange it is!

This bird lives in lowland forests and humid foothills from the Andes through to southwestern Ecuador. Females and young males have no wattles, but the male’s wattle is a thing of beauty. The male can make it long or short, depending on what it’s doing at the time. It will retract it for flight, but expand it to its full length to attract the ladies.

When they call for females, they sound like a foghorn, and all the males will gather in one established site for women to pick the “best” long-wattled umbrellabird to father her children. She will then make a loose nest and mother them alone.

These amazing birds are decreasing in numbers at a rapid rate due to habitat loss and human capture for food, pets, and third-party sales. It’s hard to believe they are real now, but in the future, they really might not be.

3. Greater Sage Grouse

If you’re asking yourself what one of the most unique birds in the world is, then you may find the Greater Sage Grouse near the top of the list. From the strange mating ritual to this bird’s general looks, the best word to describe this animal is weird.

You will find these birds in western North America on the sagebrush steppe. They live in various sagebrush habitats within this area, depending on the time of year and materials available for their needs. The female requires dense materials for nesting, and she will then lead her chicks to irrigated pastures, fields, and wet meadows where foraging opportunities are excellent.

But even to get to the point of rearing chicks is unusual. The female will meet male Greater Sage Grouses in an area known as a lek. Here, the men will perform a kind of dance routine where they gulp air, step forward, release that air, then inflate their chest while swishing their wings. The balloon pouches on their chest create a popping sound with each movement.

When the female likes one she sees, she will make him her mate then raise the babies on her own. The male never sees her once that process is over.

Greater Sage Grouses are unbelievably fast fliers and can travel around 50 miles per hour. However, endurance is not a strong point. They travel around one mile per day on foot.

2. Red-Lipped Batfish

When you see a red-lipped batfish for the first time, you might think someone has taken to it with bright red lipstick. It’s a type of anglerfish that is brown all over, but then has bright red lips almost to give it a slight attractiveness!

This fish lives around Galapagos in the Pacific Ocean. It’s a bottom dweller and spends its life eating fish, shrimp, and mollusks. It’s light brown and gray, has a white stomach, and features a few stripes and dots along its body. Like other anglerfish, it also has a dangly bit on its head to lure in prey.

What’s also quite interesting about the red-lipped batfish, aside from its lippy, is how it moves around. It’s not the strongest swimmer, so it uses its fins as a makeshift pair of legs. It will then perch and wander around on these leg fins to check out its surroundings. It doesn’t get much more unusual than a lipstick-wearing fish with fins for legs!

1. Star-Nosed Mole

Scientists didn’t get too creative when they came up with a name for this critter. The star-nosed mole, as the name suggests, is an animal with a nose like a star. It lives in Canada and the United States, spends most of its life in tunnels and muddy burrows, and is a talented swimmer.

The star-nosed mole is as absurd as they come. The 22 fleshy parts of its nose form its snout, and these have 100,000 nerve endings to make up for its poor sight. With these rays, it can touch around ten objects in one second and can determine its prey and find out if it’s edible in around two-tenths of a second. It can also use its nose to smell while swimming!

Out of all animals you would struggle to believe exist, the star-nosed mole would have to be near the top of the list. It looks, acts, and behaves like no other mole, and can even stay underwater for half a minute at a time. We’re as shocked as you are!

Outro

Most domestic pets have something weird and wonderful that sets them apart from others, but aren’t these creatures unbelievable? Which one looked the most impossible? Also, check out our other cool stuff showing up on the screen now. See you next time.

The post 15 Unusual Animals That Are Hard to Believe Are Real appeared first on Blind Side.

We are here on the Blind Side, The Amazon Rainforest covers millions of kilometers of land from Brazil to Peru and everywhere in between. Therefore, it’s not hard to believe there is plenty left to be discovered within. From an amphibian that can kill you with a single touch, to an ant that could bring a man to his knees, here are 15 unidentified river monsters caught in the Amazon.  

15. Vampire Fish, or Payara

While not entirely unknown, the payara, also known as the vampire fish, is not a fish with which all that many people are familiar. This fish thrives in the waters of South America and is as feisty and evil as its name suggests. So much so, that people also call it a water wolf or saber-toothed tiger fish.

They grow up to three feet long, weigh around 35 pounds, and only eat meat. That means that humans aren’t entirely off the menu – although there’s no evidence to suggest they’ve ever dined on our kind.

But that’s not to say they couldn’t. Spiky dagger-like teeth line their gums, and they have two long fangs that extend from their lower jaws. At up to six inches long, these fangs have to fit within perfectly sized slots in their upper jaw as there is nowhere else for them to go!

They’re fast thanks to their fan-like fins that cut through rapids, and they are ferocious hunters. It’s not uncommon to find them bullying other fish that stand in the way of them finding something they want to eat. They spend their entire lives searching for food, and nothing stands in their way. If you are going to give these fish any name, then a river monster is a suitable fit.

Time for the Star Topic!

When we saw this photo, we recoiled in horror a little bit. So you know it’s got to be a terrifying river monster! The photo was taken in a body of water by a fishermen who didn’t expect to catch anything other than fish that day. When this beast hooked onto his line, he knew he needed to get a picture. The man isn’t sure whether it’s a giant eel, a snake, or the Loch Ness’s cousin. What do you think? What is this unidentified river monster?

Comment down below with the hashtag #StarTopic, and let us know your opinion in relation to what we just showed on screen. With that said, let’s keep things moving!

14. Peanut Head Bug

If you thought river monsters in the Amazon had to be large, ugly fish and beasts that devour man, then you’d be wrong. They can also be small, discrete insects that are monsters in an entirely different way.

Take the peanut head bug, for example. At three inches long, it’s not going to be in any hurry to take down a jaguar, but it’s wily and has some incredible defenses to keep itself safe. It gets its title from the shape of its head. You guessed it; it looks like a peanut.

Scientists believe the head grows like that to make its enemies think it’s a lizard. As many animals don’t eat lizards, it’s one of the few defense mechanisms it has.

The others are the red and black spots on its wings to look like eyes, and a skunk-like spray as the final straw.

Speaking of straws, the peanut head bug has a mouth like one. It can’t bite, so it gets its nutrients from plants by sucking all of the juices out of them.

The peanut head bug is not the most ferocious river monster of the Amazon, but it’s pretty weird all the same.

13. Pink Dolphin

Just when you thought dolphins couldn’t get any cooler, they go and turn pink! One of the many unidentified river monsters found in the Amazon is the Amazon River Dolphin, which goes by the name of Boto. It gets its coloring most likely from its blood capillaries, and it can grow even bigger than a human! It weighs up to 400 pounds and around nine feet long. What’s more, it can comfortably live in the Amazon for about 30 years.

The pink dolphin has around 40 percent more brain capacity than a human, which makes them a reasonably intelligent species. They live in groups of up to four at food-rich river mouths, and they are inquisitive by nature. If they see a human in the Amazon, they have no problem getting up close and having a look.

Even more unique still is their body. These dolphins do not have fused vertebrae, which means they can turn their heads up to 180 degrees. While you might think that’s to give you nightmares, it’s really just to help it navigate obstacles in the rivers.

Perhaps what gives them the title of a river monster, however, is the legend surrounding them. As the story goes, river dolphins turn into men at night to seduce young women. Monster or friendly dolphin? Wait until night falls to find out…

12. Capybara

We class the capybara as a river monster of the Amazon not because it’s some great, ugly beast, but because it eats its own feces! The capybara is up there in terms of being one of the largest rodents and weighs up to 200 pounds. They hang out in groups of between 10 and 100, and feast on their feces in the morning to gain extra nutrients.

When they aren’t devouring digestive delights, they’re trying to protect themselves from anacondas, pumas, caimans, and ocelots – all who want to devour this herbivorous creature that poses no risk to humans.

Capybaras are unique. They have a body shape of a pig, partially webbed feet, and dark brown to red fur. Their eyes, nose, and ears are also small while being located near the tops of their heads, so they remain on high alert when swimming.

Swimming is one of their best skills. They thrive in flooded savannahs, wetlands, and bodies of water in forests. They eat water plants and grass, constantly chew to keep their teeth short and can stay underwater for around five minutes. There’s no denying the capybara is a genuinely remarkable animal – albeit, a bit strange!

11. Fishing Bat

The fishing bat has us stumped. Not only is it the only species of bat to be able to fish for food, but it was only discovered in Central and South America in 1953. Why does that have us stumped? Because you can smell these creatures before you see them, which makes us wonder why it took so long to notice them!

The fishing bat is the world’s largest bat species and is often called the bulldog bat. It has a dog-like snout, small eyes, and cheek bags that are oddly similar to those of a bulldog. The odor comes from the feces and uneaten fish in their resting spots, which are often in trees overhanging cliffs.

This unique bat is a little bit foul and a little bit interesting. Once night falls, it uses its sonar to detect ripples in the water, before swooping down on fish to take back to its resting place. It resides in forest regions and by the ocean and grows to around five inches long.

Even though their bodies are small, their wings are not. Their wingspan is around 12 inches, which is longer than other bat species. Because they face fewer obstacles, but have to fly longer distances, their massive wings help them to glide. Their legs are longer than bats outside of the Amazon, too, for they use these and their large claws to catch fish.

10. Arapaima

If you wanted to give the term river monster an actual name, it would be Arapaima. The arapaima is a carnivorous fish that, given the opportunity, would become the fish of your nightmares. It lives in lakes and dark waters around the Amazon and feeds on fish and birds. It’s a very skilled predator, and that shows in its 200-pound bulk and nine-foot length.  

The arapaima is not only large but isn’t about to appear on any Miss America beauty pageants any time soon, either. It has a gray, scaly body, tapered head, and a full body.

Perhaps the more interesting point of this fish is that it tends to prefer air to water. It will stay underwater for 10-20 minutes at a time but likes to loiter around the surface of the water. When they breach the surface, they make a distinct coughing sound.

Their affinity for air makes them an easy target for humans. They can quickly be taken down with harpoons and turned into that evening’s dinner. The arapaima is as much a river monster today as it was when its fossils were found over 23 million years ago.

9. Decoy Building Spider

Most people have seen videos of cute kittens and puppies viewing themselves in mirrors for the first time. They either try and play with themselves, are spooked, or go into attack mode. A mirror or glass is the only opportunity any of us get to know what we look like. But there are no mirrors or glass in the Amazon, so how does the decoy building spider do what it does?

This unique spider, which was discovered in 2012, manages to build larger versions of itself with dead insects, leaves, and debris. The replica is in every way anatomically correct, with a head, body, and eight legs. They are so accurate that predators on the hunt for dinner will attack the fake spider, rather than the real one.

And scientists are intrigued. The decoy building spider, which is part of the genus Cyclosa, is a small spider that doesn’t have too many defense mechanisms. So it has flexed its creative muscles and thought outside the box.

Biologist and science educator Phill Torres said this defense mechanism is supposed to serve as a way to confuse or distract predators. He said the spider seems well-evolved and capable of specialized behavior.

While other members of the Cyclosa family have attempted decoys in the past, none have been as detailed and precise as these. So, it begs the question: how do they know what they look like? This arachnid of the Amazon is as mysterious as they come.

8. Poison Dart Frog

Any monster in the Amazon will allow your imagination to run wild. Will it be a giant, hairy beast? What about an ugly, slimy fish? You’d be surprised that it can also be a beautiful little frog. A frog that can kill 20,000 mice and a human in just three minutes.

The poison dart frog, or poison frog, is thought to be one of the deadliest animals on the planet. They may look beautiful with their vibrant kaleidoscope of colors, but don’t let that fool you.

They feed on specific insects, such as ants and beetles, to top up their toxin supplies, all the while being so poisonous that even touching the frog can bring you to your knees.

Poison frogs live in rainforests around Central America and South America. They grow up to two inches long and can be quite hard to see. They use their vibrant colors as a warning to would-be predators to back off.

They are commonly red, yellow, orange, green, and blue, and gold frogs are thought to contain enough poison to bring down up to 20 people! The blue poison frog is the most endangered due to habitat loss.

If this monster happens to poison you, you better hope your Will is up to date, because heart failure is imminent. There are no antidotes or cures, and death can occur within three minutes. Fortunately, there are no published reports of human death by poison frogs.

7. Jesus Lizard

The name of this lizard won’t make sense immediately. While its legitimate name is green basilisk or double-crested basilisk, most people call it Jesus lizard. Why? Because it can walk on water – and Jesus supposedly could too.

The green basilisk lizard is found in tropical rainforests across Panama, southern Mexico, and Central America. They spend most of their time hanging out in trees, but they do so around bodies of water. If they feel threatened, they will drop in the water and run for dear life! But how?

The green basilisk lizard isn’t magic. Nor does it have any spiritual abilities. Instead, it speeds at about five feet per second with its long toes and fringes of skin. Once it hits the water, the skin will spread out and offer more surface area. As long as the lizard keeps moving, the skin creates air pockets to allow it to stay afloat.

Eventually, the lizard will sink into the water, but it’s the Michael Phelps of the Amazon world. It will swim with great speed and precision to get away from its predators.

Green basilisk lizards are part of the iguana family and can grow as long as two feet. They have high crests on their backs and heads for impressing the ladies, and they have a long, whip-like tail. While not a monster in its looks, being able to walk on water is pretty out there!

6. Assassin Bug

After hearing about this Amazon monster known as the assassin bug, you will be pleased they are 0.04 inches big, and not four feet! In every way, shape, and form, these insects are monstrosities.

They are brown or black, or can be brightly marked, and don’t get their prey in the most traditional fashion. Instead of working hard by taking chase, they prefer to wait until their prey comes to them. They then ambush them and leave next to no chance for them to get away.

The way the assassin bugs feed is quite disturbing. They don’t munch and chomp as you would expect. Instead, they pierce the skin of their victims and suck the juices from their bodies. They will also deliver poisonous saliva into their victims to make their insides a liquid for a quick and easy meal. Essentially, they turn their prey into a juice box.

Cockroaches, which can even survive nuclear fallout, die within four seconds of an assassin bug attack. Caterpillars take a little longer, but they, too, only have around 10 seconds until their end comes.

When they aren’t using disturbing methods to feed, they are using wily ways of luring in their victims. They are intelligent enough to use dead termites to attract the live ones and have sticky feet to grip to their prey to ensure they don’t escape. We don’t know about you, but we’re pleased these guys aren’t huge!

5. Bullet Ant

It may surprise you to learn how this ant got its name. It could refer to its 1.2-inch length being similar to that of a bullet, but what if we were to tell you that it’s because a sting from this insect feels like being shot? And that, folks, is why this critter is a pure monster.

The bullet ant is a rainforest-dwelling red and black insect with a visible stinger and pincers. They live throughout the Amazon and build colonies around the bases of trees. They eat anthropods and nectar and, while not ordinarily aggressive, can sting when provoked.

And if you’re going to get ants in your pants, you will certainly not want them to be this kind. As soon as one bullet ant stings you, it releases a chemical that tells the rest to join in and help. Repeatedly. According to the Shmidt Pain Index, the sting feels electric, blinding, and almost like being shot with a gun – hence the name.

But it’s not just the pain that gets you, but the toxin as well. Poneratoxin in the venom causes temporary paralysis, shaking, fever, cardiac arrhythmia, vomiting, and nausea. Believe it or not, some people choose to experience this on purpose. The Brazilian Satere-Mawe people use the stinging as a rite of passage.

They sedate the ants with a herbal concoction, put them into gloves with outward-facing stingers, then make boys wear the mitts 20 times. Once he battles through the pain, he becomes a warrior. We don’t think the ants will have too much of a problem with the pain they inflict, but the boys might!

4. Bull Shark

In general, sharks get a bad rap. They are made out to be far more vicious than they really are. But that’s until you mention the bull shark, then you start to wonder whether the title is thoroughly deserved.  

Bull sharks are apex predators that generally live in saltwater but can also survive in freshwater environments. They have even been found as far away from the sea as 2,400 miles in the Amazon! Female bull sharks grow around 11 feet long, and they aren’t too far short of weighing 700 pounds. Already, they are a river monster you won’t want to cross.

But its not so much their mass that should scare you, but their attitude. They are aggressive, unpredictable, and head-butt their prey before they attack. Bull sharks are also quite miserable monsters in the respect that they don’t like colors. They tend to attack colorful nets more so than neutral ones.

The bull shark boasts razor-sharp teeth (and lots of them), and it’s for this reason (and their disrespectful disposition) that they are considered one of the most dangerous sharks in the world. Their bite force is thought to be around 1,300 pounds!

They prey on anything they can get, including their own kind, and have a “take no prisoners” approach to victims. Out of all river monsters in the Amazon, the bull shark is one you’ll be hoping you won’t come across on your Amazon adventures!

3. Green Anaconda

Imagine being an animal in desperate need of a drink. You lean into a slow-moving stream or swamp, and a 29-foot, 550-pound green anaconda quickly wraps itself around you and strangles you to death. This very reality is why the green anaconda is one of the most feared species of the Amazon.

It lies in wait, submerging itself in water, for something to come along and make its day. Whether it’s a deer, pig, caiman, or something else, the green anaconda doesn’t discriminate. Given its 12-inch diameter and sheer strength, it’s also not out of the question for it to take down a human, although there haven’t been any recorded cases of this in the Amazon.

These snakes are stealthy and agile in the water, but a little bit more clumsy on land. They also aren’t venomous and use their bodies to suffocate their prey. They might not be as vicious as some other monsters of the Amazon, but you won’t find all too many humans willing to cross them!

2. Wandering Spiders

Spiders of any kind can be terrifying if you have enough fear, but do you know what’s even scarier than spiders? Ones that wander. Wandering spiders from Brazil are the most venomous in the world. So much so that their scientific name of Phoneutria is Greek for murderous.

Unlike regular spiders that build webs and lie in wait for food to come to them, wandering spiders go out looking. They crawl along the ground and even hide in houses, cars, and banana plants. Accidentally stumbling across one can be fatal.

Wandering spiders only grow up to around five inches, which makes them even harder to detect. Often until it’s too late. Thankfully, an antidote was found in 1996, but not before 14 people had lost their lives to bites.

Aside from pain and inflammation, people who have been bitten by a wandering spider can also lose control of their muscles, experience respiratory paralysis, then eventually lose their life. The wandering spider with strong, spiny legs, eight eyes, and a lot of hair, may not be giant, but there’s no denying it’s a monster.

1. Amazonian Giant Centipede

Looking at the Amazonian Giant Centipede, you may be wondering two things: how on earth people keep them as pets, and how challenging it would be to craft trousers for them. This critter is one of the largest centipedes in the world. It can grow up to around 12 inches and has a diet consisting of invertebrates, lizards, snakes, frogs, and many creatures much, much larger than itself.

But it’s not so much its size that makes this critter a monster, but its killing ability. It has forcipules, which look like legs, and it uses these to inject a toxic venom into its prey’s bloodstream. It can also climb, hang from ceilings, and make some pretty crazy acrobat moves all in the name of dinner. Its venom is not the nicest to be injected with either, and it has killed a four-year-old child in the past.

The venom affects the nervous system, which impacts heart rate, respiration, and muscles. Humans are an unlikely target, but if an Amazonian giant centipede is feeling threatened, it won’t hesitate in biting. For some reason, people still keep them as pets. How absurd!

Outro

Does the Amazon sound like a place you’d like to visit? What if you were to come across any of these monsters? Also, check out our other cool stuff showing up on the screen now. See you next time.

The post 15 Unidentified River Monsters Caught in the Amazon appeared first on Blind Side.

15. Dangerous Crocodile

There are many crocodile-infested bodies of water in Jamaica, but there are also a lot of people who want to go swimming and bridge jumping. The two generally don’t bode well together. So when a dangerous crocodile was spotted underneath Hellshire Bridge in Portmore of St. Catherine in Jamaica, locals were quick to act.

People turned up in their dozens with ropes and bait to lure the crocodile out of the water, but were not having much luck. Onlookers were blocking the road, and people were having trouble getting over the bridge due to all the commotion. Police were quick to arrive and get people moving, and we can only hope they were able to move the crocodile on to somewhere safer for both it and swimmers.

This is not the first discovery of a crocodile in the area. Just a few months before this incident, defense soldiers had to rescue a woman on the Hellshire main road after she drove her car into the crocodile-infested waters below. Fortunately, she only sustained minor injuries from the accident, not bite marks from the crocs.

14. A Baby Boy’s Body

An Oklahoma family had been vacationing in New York City when they stopped to get dinner after a ferry trip to the Statue of Liberty. They were sitting on a bench when they saw what looked like a doll in the East River by the Brooklyn Bridge. It turned out to be an infant in a diaper, thought to be around eight months old.

Monte Campbell dialed 911 and went to retrieve the baby from the water’s edge. He was face-up near debris and was not showing any signs of life. A pedestrian flagged down a patrol car and an officer retrieved the baby from over a safety railing. Both Monte Campbell and Police tried to revive the infant using CPR, and it was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, the baby couldn’t be revived.

The baby showed no signs of trauma, and its parents couldn’t immediately be found. Well into the early evening, police were at the scene marking it off and running police boats in the water. The Campbell family described the experience as “very emotional,” and it remains one of the strangest discoveries found under a bridge.

13. An 1894 Time Capsule

In 2015, construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall had been replacing a portion of the Ruthven Road bridge in the Cairngorms under a contract with Highland Council. During this process, construction workers uncovered a small, metal box that had been sitting within the bridge’s structure since the 1890s.

In the box was a folded newspaper from 1894, a bottle of whiskey, a scroll, and other similar items. According to a Morgan Sindall employee, Robert Ogg, the find was extraordinary. He said it’s fascinating to think they had been there for over 100 years, at a time when horses crossed the bridge, rather than cars.

The time capsule was gifted to the Highland Folk Museum to study, and Morgan Sindall has begun working with a local primary school to create their own time capsule.

12. A Creepy Face

Bridges have been quite creepy places since time began. In children’s storybooks, trolls have lived under them – trolls that try and stop anyone from walking over or under the bridge. So it’s probably not out of the question for them to not only be scary in tales but in real life too.

In this disturbing footage uploaded to Freddie Harrison’s YouTube channel in 2019, the creepiness continues. The video shows Google Street view footage that begins in Ithaca, New York. The person taking the video starts at street level then moves the video down to under a bridge.

Next thing you know, it has focused on what appears to be a white face with creepy, haunting, and black eyes that stare out blankly. The video comes to an abrupt halt, so it’s unclear what it could actually be. Is it a real person? Is it a mask? Is it the trick of the light? We bet no one will be in too much of a hurry to find out for sure.

11. A Mysterious Hanging Creature

There are bound to be animals and creatures we’ve yet to discover in this big, wide world, but in the center of the busy city of Kyiv, Ukraine? It seems unlikely. That is until this footage was uploaded to Last Leaf Studio’s YouTube channel in 2016.

The footage is taken from someone standing near a bridge, which shows an unidentifiable creature hanging from it, climbing underneath it upside down. At first glance, it looks like it could be an ape or a large human, but others aren’t so sure.

It’s more beast-like than human and appears to be quite large. It also moves its rear legs at the same time while pulling itself along the bridge’s railing. More noticeably, is that it doesn’t appear to be scared. In fact, the creature looks to be quite at home scaling the bridge.

Many people thought it could be a bear that had escaped from the local zoo, but it doesn’t fit in with a bear’s size or behavior. We may never know for sure, but it’s certainly one of the strangest things people have found under a bridge.

10. Brooklyn Bridge Creature

You’d be amazed at what can wash up on the coast and shorelines around bodies of water. Everything from furniture to plastic, driftwood to seaweed can end up stranded on the outer edges of the water. But Denise Ginley wasn’t expecting this on her walk under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

Denise found a strange-looking creature washed up on the sands on the Manhattan side of East River. She believes the tide had washed it up.

It had a hairless body, a beak, claws, and an overall strange body shape. It also didn’t look like any animal that she had seen before. Denise speculated that it looked like a large rat, but others aren’t so sure. Other theories include a small, bloated dog, a pig, or a raccoon.

Cornell University professor Paul Curtis said the animal was likely a small dog that had been in the river for quite some time. While International Cryptozoology Museum director Loren Coleman says it’s more likely to be a bloated raccoon, going by its tail, human-like fingers, and teeth.

Unfortunately, no one will ever know for sure, for the Parks Department disposed of the animal before any analysis could be carried out.

9. The Fremont Troll

In the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, there had been a problem with drug dealers using the underside of a bridge as a dumping ground. To solve the problem, the Fremont Arts Council created an art competition to rehabilitate the area and give it a new lease on life.

Four local artists, Will Martin, Donna Walter, Ross Whitehead, and Steve Badanes came up with the idea of a troll living under the bridge, representative of the one from Norwegian folklore. That idea won the competition, and the troll was built in 1990.

The troll became an instant attraction. In 2005, the Aurora Avenue North section of the bridge was named Troll Avenue, and commercial products using the troll’s image were produced. A Chia Pet called the Fremont Troll was even sold in a drug store chain.

The fame didn’t end there. Chicago rock band Majungas released a song called the Fremont Troll, and TV show Once Upon a Time referenced it in their seventh season in 2017. The colossal statue, which clutches a Volkswagen Beetle, is 18 feet high, weighs 13,000 pounds, and is undoubtedly one of the more unusual discoveries to stumble across under a bridge!   

8. Crocodile Bridge

On an unremarkable stretch of highway from San Jose to Jaco is a relatively new tourist attraction that brings tourists in their droves. At the main bridge of Tarcoles River, which now goes by the name of Crocodile Bridge, there are around a dozen American crocodiles up to 13 feet long that hang out under the bridge to sun themselves.

These crocs are usually found as far north as southern Florida but are also attracted to salty water, such as that in the Tarcoles River. Given how popular the bridge has now become, vendors have taken the opportunity to earn a quick dollar by selling crocodile-themed merchandise nearby. You can also stop for photos, or jump aboard a crocodile safari boat if you’re a bit of a thrill-seeker.

Most people know they should look and not touch, but that hasn’t stopped a few fatalities since the crocodiles started visiting. A man was eaten in 2014, but some people believe he had jumped over the bridge intentionally.

If you want to see crocs up close and personal, then pay a visit to Crocodile Bridge. Just remember to stay on the road side of the bridge.

7. Texas Bridge Torso

One of the last things you want to discover under a bridge when you’re out fishing with friends is a body, but that was the reality for one group of men near the Brazos River in Waller County, Texas.

The men found a black garbage bag around 50 feet from the river’s edge. They opened it and discovered a body. While, unfortunately, finding bodies under bridges is not rare, finding this type is. It had no arms, legs, or head.

Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith said his team had been working hard to identify the victim, find out their gender, and look for evidence. There were a lot of tire tracks in the area which could point them in the direction of the person who dumped the body. It also wasn’t ruled out that it could be drug or gang-related.

6. A Witch Doctor

The Kamukuywa Bridge in Kenya has seen a lot of sorrow in recent years. In one month, there were nearly 160 traffic fatalities on it, including 19 in one crash with 12 family members, and 12 and seven in two others.

A medicine man, or witch doctor, decided that something had to be done, and he visited the area underneath the bridge to see what he could find. In holes under the bridge, he discovered “strange” creatures that he believes are responsible for the automotive accidents that claimed so many lives on the bridge. He said the bridge was cursed with a black spot.

However, others were not so quick to agree with the witch doctor. They thought the creatures were likely dogs, sheep, or cows, and were unlikely to result in a curse upon Kamukuywa Bridge. Instead, the fatalities are more likely to be a combination of poorly maintained roads, a lack of traffic law enforcement, vehicle overloading, and driving under the influence.

5. Coffins

A Tlalnepantla de Baz, Mexico, resident by the name of Angel Porter, had been walking under a bridge in Northern Mexico when he came across an unusual find: 19 coffins. That’s not your everyday discovery when out for a leisurely stroll, that’s for sure!

Angel had noticed people milling around the bridge with a hole in it in 2017. He waited his turn for a look and discovered 19 coffins stuffed into a small space under the bridge. He took photos, posted them online, and they went viral – with 20 million views.

When the FRANCE 24 Observers team found the pictures, they contacted the city of Tlalnepantla de Baz to find out what on earth they were all about. In the meantime, police had turned up to the scene to put a security cordon in place and cover up the hole. It was now no longer possible to look inside the gap in the bridge, and police dogs were present too.

Questions were being asked almost immediately. Were there people in those coffins? Why were they there? Who put them there? Representatives of the city were quick to offer answers, but not everyone was convinced.

A city spokesperson said the coffins were gifted to the city from funeral homes for burying people without the means to pay for their casket or unidentified people. There were 16 adult coffins and three for children. The spokesperson also said the coffins were empty and that the bridge had been used as a storage facility, as there was a door to get them into the gap.

However, there was no proof that the coffins were, in fact, empty at the time they were found. It also seems like an awfully strange place to store coffins, as most bystanders thought.

4. Ancient Native American Remains

In 2018, a bridge inspector with the Texas Department of Transportation came across remains under a bridge while carrying out an inspection. The bones were protruding from the ground, and the inspector immediately phoned law enforcement and the Frio County Sheriff’s Office. His belief was that the bones might relate to a cold case.

However, once experts from the highway department arrived, they dated the bones to around 1,000 years ago to a Native American man. The body was flat on his back with his knees in the air, as was the tradition at the time, with a spear buried next to him. The body is thought to be a one-off, rather than part of a larger burial ground. At the time, nothing was known about the man’s cause of death, any tribal connections, or his age.

Given the cultural significance, the Texas Department of Transportation contacted Indian tribes to find out what to do with the remains. They would not remove it until they had permission from Native American groups.

Finding remains of that age after the construction of a bridge is rare. Normally, if remains are to be found, they are done so during the initial building phase. Therefore, this is definitely one of the more unusual discoveries under a bridge!

3. Secret Fallout Bunker

During the era of the Cold War, fallout shelters and emergency survival bunkers were not uncommon. If you had to evacuate your home at a moment’s notice, it was helpful if you had somewhere safe and secure to hide with supplies already in place to accommodate you.

Mostly, these were in various public points throughout the city. Some people also had them in their backyards or built hidden bunkers in wooded lots or off the beaten track. But to find one inside the Brooklyn Bridge? Simply unheard of! Until now.

In 2005, inspectors for the New York City Department of Transportation were carrying out bridge and tunnel inspections – as they would on any other occasion. But this time, they stumbled across something they had never seen before.

In the Manhattan anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge, they found a hidden room with supplies dating back to 1957 and 1962. In the room were blankets, a shock prevention drug known as Dextran, and around 350,000 high-calorie survival crackers.

The supplies had origins to the Office of Civil Defense, which now goes by the name of FEMA, and no one knows who put them there or for what reason. The average member of the public will also never know, for all the rooms and tunnels within the bridge’s anchorages are off-limits. The NYC Department of Transportation will also not release where the supplies were found to limit people trying to find them.

2. 100-Year-Old Hobo Graffiti

When you see graffiti in Los Angeles, you won’t blink an eye. It’s everywhere – from full murals through to the scrawls of teens who have snuck out of their parents’ homes after dark. But what is possibly less common and more intriguing is the discovery of graffiti left behind by freight train-hopping tramps and hobos from the early 20^th century.

Graffiti-studying anthropologist Susan Philips discovered the markings under a century-old bridge. Because tramps usually used grease pencils or chalk, it was rare to find markings that had survived the test of time.

It didn’t take long for Susan to learn who left the markings and what they signified. They belonged to well-known hobos The Tucson Kid, A-No.1, and Oakland Red. A.No.1, also known as Leon Ray Livingston, had written several books about the hobo life. Leon had always said that he had started out of necessity, carried on because he loved the life of travel, but continued because he knows nothing else.

The books Leon wrote about life as a tramp or hobo, hopping aboard freight trains, was both a description of the lifestyle, but also practical tips on how to make it work. He was responsible for universal graffiti signs underneath bridges that all hobos would learn to understand on their travels.

An upside-down triangle would mean “road spoiled, full of other hobos,” while an arc with a black dot in the center said that authorities here are alert. Other symbols could tell hobos about the need to keep quiet, or that there are thieves around. Some were more practical, such as informing new tramps to nearby trains and trolley stops, or about a particular road being pleasurable to travel.

A.No.1 was possibly one of the most well-known tramps of his time, and was laid to rest in Pennsylvania with a gravestone that read: A-No.1 at rest at last.”

1. Old Tombs

Most children will know the song “London Bridge is Falling Down,” and will happily sing it without knowing its meaning. But did you know it refers to the idea that London Bridge would fall down unless human sacrifices were buried in its foundations?

It’s ideas like this, and real-life examples that may have perhaps spooked bridge crews to the point that they didn’t want to work on the London Bridge by themselves.

In 2007, builders were working hard to prepare the opening of the London Bridge Experience, a tourist attraction in London. Part of this involved excavating old tombs underneath the London Bridge, including a sealed vault in the basement containing skeletons.

Builders who worked on the site were part of a crew managed by two brothers. The stories they were hearing from their men were terrifying.

Bulbs would go out when the electrics were completely fine, and tools were going missing in minutes. Hammers, screwdrivers, and even a power drill would mysteriously vanish when the builders left for a cup of tea.

Even the toughest men on the crew were not keen to work down in the tombs, and they quickly decided they at least wouldn’t work alone.

One man even said that if anything creepier happens, he wouldn’t be coming back. The brothers had planned to enlist the services of a medium to find out what on earth was going on under London Bridge.

Originally, the area that is now a tourist attraction was a plague pit. It may have also been a cemetery for the Southwark Cathedral. On the bridge, several people were executed, and their heads were placed at the Traitor’s Gate. No wonder this place is creepy, and some strange things were happening!

Outro

So, as it turns out, there are more than just trolls lurking under your local bridge. Which discovery freaked you out the most? What have you found under a bridge? Also, check out our other cool stuff showing up on the screen now. See you next time.

The post 15 Strangest Discoveries People Found Under Bridges appeared first on Blind Side.

15. Tongue Patch Diet

The very thought of this procedure should be enough to send people flying from the dinner table and into the gym in no time.

The tongue patch is an idea introduced by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Nikolas Chugay in 2009. The patch is stitched to the tongue, making it both difficult and painful to eat.

In fact, most have resorted to a liquid-only diet.

Labelled the ‘miracle’ patch, it’s hardly a miracle that people can lose up to 30 pounds a month, when they can’t tolerate food anywhere near their mouth!

Dr Chugay’s website outlines other side effects. Yes, aside from not being able to eat, there are more!

Patients may experience swelling of the tongue, difficulty with speech, and have trouble sleeping! The patch can only be worn for a month at a time, otherwise there is a danger of the tongue’s tissue growing over it, effectively making it a permanent fixture!

There’s little wonder the patch hasn’t yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The procedure costs $2,000 at Dr Chugay’s Los Angeles clinic, where he said he has performed it on 81 women since 2009.

However, a clinic in Venezuela that is charging just $150 for the patch, has applied one to more than 800 tongues.

A plastic surgeon who operates in nearby Torrance, labeled the procedure ridiculous, barbaric and ill-advised.

Studies have also shown that the most extreme dieters who lose weight rapidly eventually gain it all back — and more.

14. Dining with a mirror

This one seems simple enough, but whether it works is another story.

Researchers have found that if you place a mirror in front of you whilst eating, you are less likely to eat as much. In fact, studies show eating can be reduced by nearly one-third if you’re looking yourself in the eye while enjoying your dinner.

Perhaps watching yourself eat makes you feel uncomfortable, but it’s hard to say which aspect would be worse. Are you uncomfortable watching yourself eat? Or with the appearance reflected in the mirror?

Does looking in the mirror remind you of why you’re trying to lose weight in the first place, or does it just make you feel worse about yourself? It seems like a relatively torturous process.

The method is said to enhance self-awareness and encourage a change in behavior.

13. Bulimia Weight Loss Strategies

Described as a vicious cycle of binging and purging, the eating disorder bulimia nervosa, is an unhealthy pattern that can cause irreversible damage to your digestive system, create chemical imbalances in the body and harm major organs, including the heart.

People who suffer from the disease have a compulsion to overeat or binge. These episodes are followed by extreme efforts to either avoid eating altogether, exercising to excess or purging the food by vomiting or using laxatives.

Bulimia has been found to be more common among young women, however it can affect women and men of all ages and requires both treatment and support to help break the cycle and promote a healthier way of eating.

The disease also gives sufferers a sense of control. Whilst the rest of their lives are spiraling out of control, for one reason or another, this is the one thing they can take charge of.

Another difficulty with this disease, is that initially binge eating and then purging or over exercising, does allow the sufferer to lose weight, and therefore validates the behavior.

This is where the danger lies.

When the scales stop spiraling downwards, the sufferer starts to feel fat and their happiness at losing weight is replaced by confusion, frustration and fear.

The only way to stop the cycle is to seek help, before it’s too late.

12. Tube feeding

It’s two weeks out from your wedding day, and you still have a few pounds to lose, how far do you go to lose weight?

Well some women are opting to have a feeding tube inserted.

This tube runs down the back of the nose, into and through the esophagus and down to the stomach.

And at a cost of $1,500, you would have to hope it was worth it.

The feeding tube, normally used to nourish people who cannot eat due to illness, is said to remain in place for 24 hours a day for a total of 10 days.

Eating is completely avoided, with the diet consisting of roughly 800 daily calories of a high protein, low carb formula only.

An unusual and slightly inconvenient method, the feeding-tube or K-E diet, is the latest fad among brides to be, and is said to thrust the body into the first stages of starvation, burning stored fat to keep normal functions going.

Taken to the extreme, the process can start to eat away at muscle, something doctors prescribing the feeding tube, try to avoid.

As with any diet, there are certain side effects, such as constipation, dizziness and bad breath and in extreme cases, medical complications can occur.

Patients are monitored for any signs of lung infection, kidney failure and erosion of tissue in the nose.

If you can handle these side effects and the possibility of dangerous complications, you may be able to lose up to 20 pound in 10 days. Unfortunately, experts say, that when the tube comes out, the weight piles on again. Hence the diet will do nothing for you in the long-term

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11. Cleansing Diets

A popular choice when it comes to dieting, a cleansing diet is often the first phase of any long-term diet, with the body cleansed in preparation for the weeks and months to come.

Some cleansing diets simply restrict certain food groups, others restrict food altogether, like the lemon detox diet. Essentially an expensive starvation diet, the lemon detox offers several versions, including relaxed, 50/50 or Full Body Cleanse. The full body cleanse has users drinking a lemon concoction three times a day for 10 days, and that’s it. Relatively simple, but research shows that you are essentially leaching nourishment from stores in other areas of the body.

Women especially need these additional stores, particularly as their hormones wax and wane depending on their monthly cycle.

Putting your body directly into starvation mode is dangerous, however, the modern dieting scene has made it look like it’s a great idea, with starvation now considered the ‘in thing’, a method to help you look great in no time.

Cleansing diets can help some people lose a lot of weight quickly, however this is normally due to a loss of fluid and carb stores rather than fat, so once the cleanse is completed, the weight is usually gained.

10. Beer diet

This sounds like a legitimate weight loss method. Who wouldn’t want a diet that consists entirely of beer?

No doubt a popular choice for the keen beer drinkers amongst us, it’s been proven that restricting your diet to the brown beverage only, results in weight loss. Surprising, we know, but it’s true.

While others are giving up sweets and cutting down on alcohol, J. Wilson, a 38-year-old editor from Iowa decided to abstain from food and consume beer only for 46 days straight.

Aside from what we can only imagine was a bit of hangover, the experiment resulted in him losing a total of 11 kilograms in just under seven weeks.

Doctors, however, don’t recommend this unique weight loss method, with Wilson said to have experienced headaches, energy loss and a swollen tongue throughout the diet.

These side effects paled in comparison to the fact he developed hyperkalemia, elevated potassium levels, a dangerous condition that effects the heart. His creatine levels were also found to be elevated, indicating his body was burning protein.

So, four beers a day on weekdays and five on weekends, totaling a massive 4,288 calories per day, is not considered a realistic way of dieting, nor a very healthy one.

Doctors recommend you skip the beer and opt for a healthy diet and regular exercise instead.

Party poopers!

9. Cabbage soup diet

Considered a classic example of a fad diet, the cabbage soup diet is relatively simple, but extremely boring. More of a crash diet than anything else, this diet isn’t advisable as a long-term solution, with cabbage soup eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for seven days in a row.

Perhaps a great kick-start to a more suitable low-calorie eating plan, the diet can help you lose up to 10 pounds in a week.

Although labelled cabbage soup, it is also stocked with other goodies, including green onions, green peppers, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms and celery, along with half a head of cabbage. It works because it is primarily water-based, making the dieter feel full.

The soup can be eaten alongside certain fruits, vegetables, meats and brown rice, and is eaten according to a set schedule.

Again, although advocates of the cabbage soup diet say it’s a good way to quickly lose a few pounds, you are likely losing a combination of water, fat and even muscle.

It is also low in complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals, that your body needs, therefore it is not advised that you follow it for more than a week at a time.

Other disadvantages include, a high salt content and increased flatulence. You may also feel weak or tired.

8. Aqualyx

Imagine getting an injection that dissolves your fat cells, allowing them to pass through your body and released when you urinate. Sounds absurd doesn’t it?

The injection is part of a new weight loss treatment, available in the United Kingdom.

Dubbed Aqualyx, the treatment is being promoted as an effective and safe alternative to liposuction, with 39-year-old Liverpool-based Sharon Donaldson, one of the first women to try it.

The injection contains plant polymers and is said to work by breaking down stored body fat, before rupturing and releasing it to be dissolved.

The liquified fat cell is then eliminated from the body through the urine over a three-week period.

Donaldson paid £900 for the treatment, that required a series of three injections to be administered over a timeframe of three months.

Dr Arun Ghosh from Spire Hospital, Liverpool said people should be wary of the promises these treatments made and the possibly dangerous repercussions from undertaking them.

The dangers of reabsorbing fatty acids into the blood stream are well known and may result in extremely elevated cholesterol and raised glucose levels that can lead to diabetes.

Not surprisingly, Aqualyx is not yet approved by the FDA for use in the U.S., however it is widely used in Europe for simple treatments like a double chin.

7. Illegal drugs

If you have seen pictures of people who have been addicted to illicit drugs of years on end, you will understand where we are going here.

Illegal drugs are known to reduce hunger pangs to the point, you no longer have an appetite, and the stubborn pounds simply drop away.

It sounds fantastic, until you realize the repercussions involved. Not only are these drugs illegal, they are also known to have a long list of dangerous side effects, that simply aren’t worth the hassle.

As well as being highly addictive, the physical and mental consequences of taking these types of drugs can affect the rest of your life, perhaps limiting it entirely!

You might lose the weight you were hoping too, but your body won’t thank you for it. You will be left craving your next fix and look 20 years older in no time.

Other potential risks associated with drug abuse include attention deficit disorder, thyroid problems, diabetes, severe headaches, stroke, heart, lung and kidney problems, not to mention the seedy individuals you might have to associate with on occasion. It is also likely to impact your financial status and relationships, so is therefore a strongly discouraged method of losing weight.

6. Urine injections

Some people will resort to absolutely anything in their quest for the perfect body, but injecting yourself with urine from pregnant women, seems more than a little extreme.

Aside from the obvious disgust most would feel for this regimen, this weight-loss diet requires a restricted diet of 500 calories a day in addition to daily injections.

Adding to the hype, is the fact people are losing up to a pound a day.

A relatively costly procedure, the urine injections can cost upwards of $300 for a six-week supply.

The urine contains the hormone, HCG, that is made by the placenta during pregnancy and is said to promote weight loss, however sceptics are linking the rapid weight loss to the heavily restricted 500-calorie per day dietary intake instead.

Many feel the HCG injections are simply a placebo, making the user believe they are not hungry.

So, in addition to a worthless injection of someone else’s urine, you are also putting unnecessary strain on your body by not eating enough calories. Any diet below 1,200 calories a day should be closely monitored as it can result in an irregular heartbeat, severe bone and muscle loss, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and an imbalance of the electrolytes that keep muscles and nerves functioning as they should.

If injecting yourself with the pee of a pregnant women lacks appeal, perhaps a low-calorie diet and regular exercise might.

5. Drunkorexia

Take bulimia and mix in a little alcohol and you’ve got yourself a recipe for drunkorexia, a colloquialism for self-imposed starvation or binge eating/purging combined with alcohol abuse.

An extreme weight control method, people starve or purge in order to compensate for their binge drinking.

Research shows that this type of self-imposed malnutrition is more common amongst college-aged women, who want to stay thin, but continue to be the life of the party.

Studies undertaken by the University of Missouri found that 30 per cent of female college students aged between 18 and 23, admitted they had restricted food in order to consume greater quantities of alcohol. The same study found that men are more likely to engage in a similar behavior to save money to purchase said alcohol.

Curtailing food calories in favor of drink calories carries several risks, including an unexpected degree of intoxication and an increased risk for nutrient deficiencies.

4. Tapeworms

If you thought you had heard it all, you were wrong. There is a diet that involves the egg of a tapeworm! Get me a bucket, right now! No need for a tapeworm egg here.

The egg is located inside a pill that is swallowed. Once inside the stomach, the egg hatches, with the resulting tapeworm baby growing inside you.

Think of the tapeworm as a human baby, to help it grow it needs nutrients, so will eat whatever you’re eating, including all your extra calories. Sounds fantastic, if you can get over the fact there is a worm living inside you.

Unfortunately, however, there is one major drawback. The tapeworm is virtually an infection, an incredibly dangerous one at that. Once you’ve swallowed the pill and your little tapeworm friend has hatched, you have no control over where it ends up. It could attach itself to organs or tissues outside your digestive tract, where it was supposed to go, and cause serious damage.

This damage results in a range of unpleasant symptoms, like diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue and fever.

Considered an easy way to lose weight, this method is still used today by people who choose to ignore the dangerous side effects.

3. Air diet

This diet needs very little explanation, and it would seem, very little food.

A bizarre diet, that is certain to be just as light on your wallet as it is on your stomach, the air diet, is just that, ingesting nothing but air.

Inspired and based on the concept of Breatharianism, which is the belief that one can live on air and sunlight alone, this method is difficult to comprehend.

Also known as the virtual eating diet, the air diet promotes the theory that we can survive on air alone. That air can keep our bodies physically active.

Don’t despair, however, as the diet does include a water and salt soup concoction as well, so that’s something to look forward to at least.

Modifications of the diet seem even more torturous, with the preparation of a delicious meal that you sit in front of and literally ‘eat’ the air above it, all to trick the brain into thinking you have eaten it. If you think this sounds ridiculous, then you’d be right.

Claims that people have survived for years on little more than air and sunlight are considered bogus, with a dietitian saying it’s possible to survive up to 21 days on the fat reserves in your body, but that is it.

And you can only live without water for 7 days, even less in extremely hot circumstances, so the claim is believed to be preposterous at best.

2. The Cotton Ball Diet

If you’ve reached your limit when it comes to crazy diet fads, we have one more that is certain to pique your interest – the cotton ball diet.

Described in chat rooms, splashed across YouTube videos and simply everywhere on the web, this diet is grabbing the attention of dieters around the globe, but for all the wrong reasons.

Imagine if you will, devouring a handful of cotton balls dipped in your liquid of choice. It doesn’t sound appealing, and it surely can’t be good for you, but people are chowing down on the fluffy fillers in the thousands.

Some are eating them prior to a meal to limit their food intake, others are existing on the cotton balls alone, however, according to managing editor of the website ‘Diets in Review’, nothing good can come of this diet.

The trend is said to have appeared in the modeling industry, with models encouraged to stay dangerously thin all in the name of fashion.

As always, any type of extreme dieting, has its risks and the cotton ball diet is no exception. Not surprising, given its main ingredient.

Swallowing cotton balls every day is considered a risky habit with a heightened danger of intestinal obstruction, anorexia, toxicity and malnutrition.

1. The Coffee Diet

Think caffeine high, with a little starvation thrown in the mix, and you have the coffee diet.

Made popular by Dr. Bob Arnot’s book ‘The Coffee Lover’s Diet’, the coffee diet claims that an increased consumption of the liquid gold can help boost metabolism, burn more fat, block the absorption of calories and decrease your appetite.

It sounds like a miracle! Get me a coffee pot, stat!

Dr. Arnot was inspired to write the book after studying a large population of healthy elderly people living on the small Greek island of Ikaria. The secret to their health and longevity, he believed, was due to their high intake of antioxidant-rich coffee.

The diet calls for a minimum of 3 cups of light-roasted, whole bean coffee a day, however cream and sugar should be avoided.

Chock full of antioxidants, black coffee – caffeinated or decaffeinated – can enhance awareness, prevent kidney stones, improve memory, increase your energy levels and balance and boost your moods! What’s not to like?

Although the recommended daily consumption of approximately 400 milligrams appears to be safe for healthy adults, you may want to cut back if you’re drinking more than that. Too much coffee can cause migraine headaches, insomnia, nervousness, irritability, restlessness, frequent urination, a fast heartbeat and muscle tremors.

OUTRO:

If you are needing to lose a few pounds, check out this list of crazy dieting methods, and put a red cross beside them all! Most are insane, and all have dangerous, long term side effects. Sticking to the tried and true is clearly the best way to go. Boring, but true. Also, check out our other cool stuff showing up on screen right now. See you next time!

The post 15 Craziest Methods People Use to Lose Weight! appeared first on Blind Side.