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Post by Spooky on Jun 7, 2007 15:03:02 GMT -5
Michael Stevenson from Canberra, Australia, took this photograph in Mongolia in 1995 “Not only did it look like a turtle, complete with carapace and flippers, from the road but it looked like a turtle from all sides,” he writes. “As you can see, it is on a slight rise, well above the surrounding countryside. To give some sense of scale, I am the person in the photograph and I stand 194cm (6ft 5in) tall. Terelj is Mongolia’s main tourist area and I cannot understand why no mention of this bizarre rock formation has ever appeared in a travel guide.” I want to go see that!!
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Post by Spooky on Aug 9, 2007 13:51:15 GMT -5
I think this picture is neato. ;D Emailed image shows a very large snake (evidently a python) pulling its prey (evidently a wallaby, though some have labeled it a 'cow') out of a body of water in Western Australia.
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Post by SwampFire on Aug 9, 2007 14:39:04 GMT -5
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Post by Spooky on Aug 9, 2007 14:56:21 GMT -5
That's a cool picture. Look at the teeth on that thing.
I think I don't like snakes anymore. ;D
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Post by Spooky on Aug 14, 2007 9:46:45 GMT -5
I don't have a date for this. I think it's been in the past year.
Whale fossil is found in vineyard
The biggest whale fossil ever discovered in Italy has been found in one of the country's finest vineyards.
The five-million-year-old skeleton, 33ft (10m) in length, was dug up in the northern grape-growing area of Tuscany.
The vineyards of Castello Banfi, where the bones were uncovered, produce the famed Brunello de Montalcino wine, one of Italy's most prized.
The whale remains were discovered by a fossil hunter who was given special permission to poke around the vines.
Rich soil
The skeleton appears to be complete and, for the last month, palaeontologists from the University of Florence have been carefully digging around the terraces to extract it in one piece.
Millions of years ago, Tuscany was under water and Castello Banfi was the sea bed.
The vineyard owner, Cristina Mariani, is delighted.
"It reminds us "that this rich soil is composed of nutrients and minerals deposited millions of years ago," she says.
"It's that special earth that gives complexity to our wines."
So, if you are lucky enough to ever taste a Brunello, just savour it for that extra moment, and remember that beneath the old vines that produced it - there was an even bigger old whale.
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Post by Spooky on Aug 14, 2007 14:37:58 GMT -5
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Post by Spooky on Sept 4, 2007 10:21:55 GMT -5
An enormous spider web has been found at Lake Tawakoni State Park, Texas, US. It is not the work of one giant spider - rather, millions of small ones have been spinning away and now it is twice the size of a football field. Park rangers are not sure why the spiders have joined forces - they describe it as a rare occurrence. Texas A&M University entomologist Professor John Jackman told Associated Press that there were reports of similar webs every couple of years. The web covers a 180m (590ft) stretch of trees and shrubs in the park. Although it was initially described as "fairy-tale" white, it has turned brown from all the mosquitoes caught in its trap. Experts say the web is either the work of social cobweb spiders that work together, or it has been created by spiders spreading out from a central point. The park superintendent, Donna Garde, has invited arachnid and insect specialists to the park to study it first-hand. Rangers said they expected the web to last until the autumn, when the spiders will start dying off. Ewwwwww, I want to check that out!
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Post by Millergirl4 on Sept 4, 2007 10:39:21 GMT -5
You can check that one out on your own! YUCK! I hate spiders. I saw that pic on the weekend and it gave me a whole body shiver.
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Post by Spooky on Sept 4, 2007 10:45:38 GMT -5
I'm not too fond of spiders either but that would be awesome to see. Come on, come with me. We'll go see Carnie on the way and give him a high five and then go see SPIDERS!!
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Post by greenjelloshots on Sept 4, 2007 19:53:21 GMT -5
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Post by Spooky on Sept 4, 2007 23:14:34 GMT -5
Alright, spiders don't usually bother me much unless their on me but now I might have to change my mind. That thing is HUGE!!!
Can you imagine the mess once you splat that thing? Angie is going to freak out when she sees that. Good one GJS!! ;D
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Post by Millergirl4 on Sept 5, 2007 7:36:43 GMT -5
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Post by Spooky on Sept 5, 2007 9:03:28 GMT -5
LOLOLOLOL
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Post by SwampFire on Sept 5, 2007 9:24:58 GMT -5
I love that thing! I want one!
I have black widows in my backyard and that thing would decimate the population back there.
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Post by Spooky on Sept 5, 2007 12:25:31 GMT -5
You want one? That thing would probably eat one of your kids if you forget to feed it. The biggest nastiest spider that we have around here is the Wolf Spider. (at least that I am aware of) I found his brother in my bed once. I had a real hard time sleeping that night. My cat wouldn't even go near the thing.
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