Photographs of a giant spider eating a bird in an Australian garden have stunned wildlife experts.
The pictures show the spider with its long black legs wrapped around the body of a dead bird suspended in its web.
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The startling images were reportedly taken in Atheron, close to Queensland's tropical north.
Despite their unlikely subject matter, the pictures appear to be real.
Joel Shakespeare, head spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park, said the spider was a Golden Orb Weaver.
"Normally they prey on large insects… it's unusual to see one eating a bird," he told ninemsn.com.
Mr Shakepeare said he had seen Golden Orb Weaver spiders as big as a human hand but the northern species in tropical areas were known to grow larger.
Queensland Museum identified the bird as a native finch called the Chestnut-breasted Mannikin.
Mr Shakespeare told ninemsn the bird must have flown into the spider web and become stuck.
"It wouldn't eat the whole bird," he said.
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"It uses its venom to break down the bird for eating and what it leaves is a food parcel," he said.
Greg Czechura from Queensland Museum said cases of the Golden Orb Weaver eating small birds were "well known but rare".
"It builds a very strong web," he said.
But he said the spider would not have attacked until the bird weakened.
The Golden Orb Weaver spins a strong web high in protein because it depends on it to capture large insects for food.
Stephen King: There are only two hospitals in the world people can reach out to for help with concerns about radiation from cell phones affecting their health.
Stephen King: On Sep 9th , the Associated Press(AP) released an article stating that it had uncovered information pertaining to the Verichip Corp. test results of its implantable microchips that they tested on animals and saw several reports showing it “induced” tumors in the lab animals. The Verichip Corp., who leads the world market in implantable microchips with currently over 2,000 human’s subjects, has denied these reports and says there is no cause for alarm. The company is eyeing the entire world population as future consumers of its products and claims all its products are safe and that the microchip has been approved already by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Neither the company nor the FDA revealed the information to the public but a series of scientific studies conducted in the mid-1990’s report that the chip implants “induced” malignant tumors in some lab rats and mice. Keith Johnson, a retired toxicologic pathologist, stated he led the studies that occurred at the DOW Chemical Co. in Midland Michigan. His response to the findings was that, “the transponders/microchips were the cause of the tumors.” The Verichip Corp. was "not aware of any studies that have resulted in malignant tumors in laboratory rats, mice and certainly not dogs or cats," The FDA declined repeated attempts to find out what studies they looked at to approve the product onto the market.Stephen King: Is radiation from cell phones, power lines, cell towers, computer monitors, and normal everyday electronics really a cause of cancer, leukemia, birth defects, heart problems, and many more illnesses?Stephen King: There is scientific knowledge that cell phones can cause cancer and many other biological problems, but Wi-Fi networks? The United Kingdom has released to the media that there are major concerns of the wireless networks used by the students and teachers in their school systems.
In late 1944, the unlikely small town of Mattoon, Illinois was the setting for one of the most interesting unexplained crimes that the United States had ever seen.During the two weeks between August 31 and September 13 of that year, there were over 20 reports of citizens being temporarily paralyzed by a mysterious odor. The odor, or “gas”, was often accompanied by sightings of a tall, dark man believed to be the assailant. The press later identified this person as “The Mad Gasser of Mattoon”.
Founded less than 100 years previous to the attacks, Mattoon has a rich railroad history and has seen many famous civil war icons passing through on their way to shape modern America. Here is a map of Mattoon during this time period.
The reports told of a sweet smelling odor that was almost instantly followed by weakness of the knees or total paralysis. Even to this day, it is still not known what gas (if any) was being described.
The first Mad Gasser attack occurred on August 31, 1944 at the home of Urban Raef on Grant Ave. Mr Raef said that he was awakened in the early morning by a strange odor. The odor reportedly made him “nauseous and weak” and forced him into a fit of vomiting. Raef’s wife, thinking that her husband was suffering from domestic gas poisoning, attempted to see if there was a problem with the pilot light, but much to her horror, found that she was unable to leave her bed, temporarily paralyzed.
Interestingly enough, the very same night, a similar incident was reported by a neighbor unable to check on her coughing daughter in another room, also paralyzed and unable to leave her bed.
The next day, on September 1, a third incident occurred, from which we get our description of the Mad Gasser. A Marshall Avenue inhabitant, Mrs. Kearney, reported smelling a strong, sweet odor around 11:00 p.m. Believing the smell to be from her flowers just outside the window, she wasn’t alarmed. Soon, the odor became much stronger and Mrs. Kearney reported losing feeling in her legs. Mrs. Kearney’s sister, also present, noticed the odor and determined it was coming from the nearby open bedroom window. The pair contacted the police, but no evidence of a prowler or the smell was found.
Soon after the police left, Mrs. Kearney’s husband, Bert Kearney, returned home from his job as a taxi driver to find a strange man close to the bedroom window where the odor had reportedly come from. Mr. Kearney gave chase and the man escaped, but not before Mr. Kearney caught a good glimpse of him. Kearney’s description painted the gasser as a tall man dressed in dark clothing, wearing a tight fitting cap. After being reported in the local newspapers, this became the common description of The Mad Gasser.
The first of the physical evidence was found on September 5 at around 10:00 p.m. on North 21st street by homeowners Carl and Beulah Cordes. The pair noticed a small piece of white cloth, barely larger than a handkerchief, sitting on their porch by the door. Mrs. Cordes picked up the cloth and as soon as she smelled it, she became violently ill. Her face began to swell, her mouth and throat were overcome with an intense burning sensation and she began to vomit. Similar to the other victims, Mrs. Cordes reported partial paralysis of her legs. Strangely enough, authorities analyzed the cloth but had no explanation of the effects suffered by Mrs. Cordes.
After recovering from her temporary illness, Beulah Cordes is reported to have thought the cloth had been left on the porch to knock out the family dog, so the assailant could enter the home, unnoticed. No definitive motive for burglary was reported.
Here is a link with several other newspaper accounts worthy of a glance.
Many believe that mass hysteria was to blame for these rather paranormal events. Others say that the local industrial company Atlas-Imperial was to blame for it’s use of chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride or trichloroethylene, which were said to have been able to produce the same effect as those purportedly used by the Mad Gasser.
During World War II, many newspapers had been reporting that it was likely the Nazi’s were planning a poison gas attack against the United States civilians. Because of this, some still believe that the attacks carried out in Mattoon were Nazis testing their chemical weapons, but due to the town’s quiet history, we find this unlikely.
Another theory suspects an actual assailant as having committed some if not all of the attacks. This could have been a copycat opportunist taking advantage of recent reports or sheer coincidence.
In 2003, Scott Maruna, a former resident of the area affected by the 1944 Mattoon incident, published a book detailing his belief that the attacks were the work of a mentally disturbed local man named Farley Llewellyn.
Maruna writes that Llewellyn was an accomplished chemistry student studying at the University of Illinois, during the time of the attacks. He claims that Llewellyn, suspected by the townsfolk as being a homosexual, had both the knowledge and the motive to commit the attacks.
According to Wikipedia, Maruna goes on to state that many of the attacks were clustered around Llewellyn’s home and that the first victims had attended high school with him.
Llewellyn was indeed a suspect and was placed under surveillance, but was never charged with the gassing. Strangely, shortly after the gassing, his family had him committed to a mental institution.
So, did the events of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon really happen? Probably so. Were there really 20-something incidents that can be attributed to one individual? Probably not. The story of the humiliated Farley Llewellyn coupled with the theorization of copycat prowlers seems to be the most likely explanation, but due to the substantial lack of damning evidence, we believe that the mystery of The Mad Gasser of Mattoon lives on.Skeptics and believers alike, nothing gets people talking and debating like a good old urban legend or ghost story. What’s even better, is when there is no definitive answer as to whether the event happened or not, and why. Here at Paranormala, this is our modus operandi.. to bring to you, our beloved reader the most interesting and sometimes ridiculous unexplained phenomena.
So without further ado, here is the first half of our favorite unexplained, mysterious and just plain weird happenings:
10. The Klerksdorp Spheres
Much debate has arisen over the origin of these small, spherical or disc shaped objects found near Ottosdal, South Africa. Alternative researchers and reporters claim these are “anomalous, out of place artifacts” and had to have been developed by intelligent beings, either human, or of alien origin.
A Grooved Klerksdorp Sphere
Geologists rebut that these little nuggets of weirdness are a result of natural processes, coming from 3.0 billion year old pyrophyllite deposits.
Whatever the case may be, these grooved spheres are monumentally interesting artifacts.
9. Angel Hair
There are a number of accounts of this fiberous substance observed to have fallen from the sky, often believed to be a result of UFO phenomenon. An interesting account reported by USA Today and the AP details twenty UFOs seen over Quirindi, New South Wales, Australia, dropping down Angel Hair on the ground as they passed. It is said that any attempt at collecting it results in the material completely subliming and disappearing.
An Illustration Of Angel Hair From UFOs
It should be noted that Angel Hair has also, appropriately been associated with sightings of angels.
8. The Dropa Stones
The Dropa, according to legend, are a race of dwarf-like extraterrestrials that purportedly inhabited the Baian-Kara-Ula mountains of China. A 1938 archeological expedition led by Dr. Chi Pu Tei into this region led to the discovery of a series of artificially carved caves containing the Dropa Stones.
Each stone, or disc rather, is said to be around 12,000 years old, roughly 9 inches in diameter, has a small whole cut in the center and is etched with a spiral pattern of hieroglyphics. It gets weirder. The hieroglyphics apparently tell a tale of the Dropa coming from outer space and crash landing in the mountains. Allegedly, Dr. Chi Pu Tei’s team also found several neat rows of tombs with 4 ft 4 inch skeletons, big classic alien heads and all, buried inside them.
Photo of the Alleged Dropa Stone Discs
Historical evidence or hoax, the Dropa stones are of great interest to researchers and skeptics alike.
7. The Miracle of the Sun
The Miracle of the Sun is an alleged miraculous event witnessed by 30,000 to 100,000 people in 1917 near Fatima, Portugal. Many sources attempt to explain the event using known phenomena such as clouds, stratospheric dust, or a “sundog“, but it is most often associated with biblical “endtime” prophecies and UFO lore.
A Newspaper Scan Showing Fatima Viewers
Here is a summary of events from Wikipedia:
“According to many witness statements, after a downfall of rain, the dark clouds broke and the sun appeared as an opaque, spinning disk in the sky. It was said to be significantly less bright than normal, and cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the shadows on the landscape, the people, and the surrounding clouds. The sun was then reported to have careened towards the earth in a zigzag pattern, frightening some of those present who thought it meant the end of the world. Some witnesses reported that their previously wet clothes became “suddenly and completely dry.”
Estimates of the number of witnesses range from 30,000-40,000 by Avelino de Almeida, writing for the Portuguese newspaper O Século, to 100,000, estimated by Dr. Joseph Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra, both of whom were present that day.
The miracle was attributed by believers to Our Lady of Fátima, an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three young shepherd children in 1917, as having been predicted by the three children on 13 July, 19 August, and 13 September 1917. The children reported that the Lady had promised them that she would on 13 October reveal her identity to them and provide a miracle “so that all may believe.”
According to these reports, the miracle of the sun lasted approximately ten minutes. The three children also reported seeing a panorama of visions, including those of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of Saint Joseph blessing the people.”
6. Morgellons Disease
Morgellons Disease is an infectious condition where reported symptoms include crawling, biting, and stinging sensations; finding multi-colored fibers on or under the skin and persistent skin rashes or open sores.
The scientific community has all but shunned Morgellons sufferers, stating that Morgellons isn’t a new disorder, but instead a combination of known medical conditions, including delusional parasitosis.
Members of the Morgellons Research Foundation and several Morgellons patients have successfully gotten the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) to investigate their condition.
According to Wikipedia: The CDC states that while it is not known at present whether the condition represents a new disease entity, or whether persons who identify themselves as having Morgellons have a common cause for their symptoms, share common risk factors, or are contagious, it has begun an epidemiological investigation of the “Unexplained Dermopathy”.
5. The Taos Hum
The Taos Hum is a mysterious low-frequency humming noise of unknown origin that reportedly exists in Taos, New Mexico. Other occurrences of this phenomena have been reported all over the world and most have been attributed to industrial sounds. What makes the Taos Hum interesting is that the hum is often intensified inside of buildings and is only heard by around 2% of the local population.
Generally, the Taos Hum is thought to be one of the following:
It should be noted however, that the source of the hum has not been identified, even after exhaustive research by local universities and hobbyists.
You can listen to a recording of the Taos Hum here.
4. Near Death Experiences
Ascent of the Blessed by Hieronymus Bosch
Is there an afterlife? Many individuals who have had a near death experience (NDE) believe so. Their experiences often leave them with newfound spirituality and religious belief, changing their lives forever.
Interestingly enough, a near death experience isn’t the same for everyone. Far from it actually, in most cases, a NDE any particular person experiences will reflect whatever religious beliefs that the person held.
From Wikipedia:
“Children, who typically do not have enough time to develop strongly towards one faith, had very limited NDEs. Examples of this include a boy simply having talked to his brother in his NDE and a daughter having a conversation with her mother. The phenomenology of an NDE usually includes physiological, psychological and alleged transcendental aspects. Typically, the experience follows a distinct progression:
- A very unpleasant sound/noise is the first sensory impression to be noticed (R. Moody: Life after Life);
- A sense of being dead;
- Pleasant emotions; calmness and serenity;
- An out-of-body experience; a sensation of floating above one’s own body and seeing the surrounding area;
- Floating up a blue tunnel with a strong, bright light or garden at the end;
- Meeting deceased relatives or spiritual figures;
- Encountering a being of light, or a light (often interpreted as being the deity or deities they personally believe in);
- Being given a life review;
- Reaching a border or boundary;
- A feeling of being returned to the body, often accompanied by a reluctance.
- Feeling of warmth even though naked.
The sometimes fantastic claims of those who have reported NDEs have not gone unchallenged. Most of the scientific community regards such experiences as hallucinatory and even sometimes completely fabricated.
While the paranormal community is somewhat more accepting of the NDE phenomenon, there is constant objective research into the field.
In September 2008, it was announced that 25 UK and US hospitals will examine near-death studies in 1,500 heart attack patients-survivors. The study will attempt to determine if people without heartbeat or brain activity can have an out-of-body experience with visual perceptions.
3. Doppelgangers
While often the work of fiction, Doppelgangers (and evil twins) do have some pretty interesting tales.
Here are a few famous historical accounts of Doppelgangers, evil twins and harbingers:
Abe Lincoln
Abe Lincoln, of all people, claimed to have witnessed himself with two faces in his mirror. Abe was pretty superstitious and old mirrors can be kind of tricky, but here is Honest Abe’s recount of the incident:
“ It was just after my election in 1860, when the news had been coming in thick and fast all day and there had been a great “hurrah, boys,” so that I was well tired out, and went home to rest, throwing myself down on a lounge in my chamber. Opposite where I lay was a bureau with a swinging glass upon it and looking in that glass I saw myself reflected nearly at full length; but my face, I noticed had two separate and distinct images, the tip of the nose of one being about three inches from the tip of the other. I was a little bothered, perhaps startled, and got up and looked in the glass, but the illusion vanished. On lying down again, I saw it a second time, plainer, if possible, than before; and then I noticed that one of the faces was a little paler — say five shades — than the other. I got up, and the thing melted away, and I went off, and in the excitement of the hour forgot all about it — nearly, but not quite, for the thing would once in a while come up, and give me a little pang as if something uncomfortable had happened. When I went home again that night I told my wife about it, and a few days afterward I made the experiment again, when (with a laugh), sure enough! The thing came back again; but I never succeeded in bringing the ghost back after that, though I once tried very industriously to show it to my wife, who was somewhat worried about it. She thought it was a “sign” that I was to be elected to a second term of office, and that the paleness of one of the faces was an omen that I should not see life through the last term.”
Somewhat in tune with the Universal Tricker (sometimes Universal Prankster), Doppelgangers are believed to provide their “twins” with misleading or malicious advice and sometimes are even thought to implant ideas in their minds. Thus, it is considered gravely unwise to attempt to communicate with one’s doppelganger.
2. The Sudarium of Oviedo
The Sudarium of Oviedo is a bloodstained cloth purported to have covered the head of Jesus after his burial. The 34″ by 21″ Sudarium is currently housed in the Cathedral of San Salvador, Oviedo, Spain. The cloth is not mentioned in accounts of the actual burial of Christ, but is mentioned as having been present in the empty tomb. It is also described as a cloth physically separate from yet another popular relic, The Shroud of Turin (which consists of the same material as the Sudarium).
The Sudarium of Oviedo
In an attempt to verify the authenticity of the Sudarium, an investigation of the stains by Dr. Jose Villalain showed that the victim died in an upright position, and the stains are comprised mostly of fluid from the lungs. This finding is consistent with crucifixion, which tends to suffocate the victim instead of causing death by blood loss, as commonly believed. Pollen samples taken from the cloth by Dr. Max Frei are consistent with Jerusalem, North Africa and Spain, all of which the Sudarium has been kept.
1. Black Triangle UFOs
One of the most regularly sighted UFOs is the Black Triangle UFO. The black triangle ufo is characterized as being totally silent in its flight despite being a very large, triangular craft hovering or slowly cruising at very low altitudes over cities and highways. They are often described as having bright lights on the underneath at each corner of the triangle. Sometimes a red pulsating light in the center is reported as well.
Triangle shaped UFOs have been reported regularly since the early 1940s. They are one of the most “social” UFO types, often being seen at night time over major population centers, thus explaining their frequent sightings. Due to the enormous amount of sightings in the US, many believe the craft to be a secret aircraft of the US military.
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