Bright Blue Lobster saved from dinner table

A beautiful "electric blue" lobster saved from the boiling pot and given to an aquarium.
Bright Blue Lobster saved from dinner table

Phantoms and Monsters: Paranormal Phenomena, Bigfoot, Mothman, UFOs and Other Unexplained Anomalies

Bigfoot researcher Chester Moore is tonight's guest on Lon Stricklcer's and Eric Altman's podcast:Phantoms and Monsters: Paranormal Phenomena, Bigfoot, Mothman, UFOs and Other Unexplained Anomalies As I commented over at Phantoms and Monsters, I hope the issue of "No Kill" policy comes up, for Moore, when I last checked, fully supports killing Sasquatch to prove its existence. I hope this stance has changed but I'm pessimistic and doubt it.

Animal Blog Thing of the Day

Which mysterious sea monster are you? Your Result: Selkie   Selkies are shapeshifters that can change from a seal into a human by sheding their sealskins. They are said to be cursed because when they are at sea they long to be on land and when they are on land they long to be at sea. As a selkie, you are darkly beautiful with handsome features and love the sea.
Mermaid
Loch Ness Monster
Kraken
Which mysterious sea monster are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Animal Predators - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

Fortean named author and researcher Paul A. Trout will talk about Animal Predators on Coast to Coast tomorrow (Saturday) night.

piglipstick: Ah, The Northwest

piglipstick: Ah, The Northwest

Yes, lots of wind and rain, high water, trees down across roads... I don't want to say where I think this is, though I have an idea from the looks of it but no matter really. It's been crazy these past few days in some areas...

Inside the mind of the octopus | Orion Magazine

This is a beautiful, sometimes sad, piece on not just the intelligence of the octopus, but the awareness of such a mysterious and enchanted creature, in particular, one named Athena in an aquarium that moved the writer deeply: Inside the mind of the octopus | Orion Magazine

Frame 352: From Autumn Williams: "Am I the only one…" - Oregon Bigfoot Blog | Oregon Bigfoot Blog

Why the use of the term "Squatch" is . . . just not right. Frame 352: From Autumn Williams: "Am I the only one…" - Oregon Bigfoot Blog | Oregon Bigfoot Blog

Man catches 881-pound tuna, seized by feds | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News

Man catches 881-pound tuna, seized by feds | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News

Rafael and his crew were using nets to catch bottom-dwellers when they inadvertently snagged the giant tuna. However, federal fishery enforcement agents took control of the behemoth when the boat returned to port. The reason for the seizure was procedural: While Rafael had the appropriate permits, fishermen are only allowed to catch tuna with a rod and reel.

NOAA and the government take over. Proceeds go, well, somewhere, but not to the fisherman:

And while Rafael is denied the mother of all fish stories, the federal impoundment of his catch also means he's probably losing out on a giant payday. A 754-pound tuna recently sold for nearly $396,000. NOAA regulators do not share any of the proceeds from the fish's eventual sale with a fisherman found in violation of federal rules.

"They said it had to be caught with rod and reel," a frustrated Rafael said. "We didn't try to hide anything. We did everything by the book. Nobody ever told me we couldn't catch it with a net."

Rafael says he has meticulously prepared for a giant catch like this, purchasing 15 tuna permits over the past four years for his groundfish boats. He even immediately called a "bluefin tuna hot line" (yes, such things exist) to report his catch. "I wanted to sell the fish while it was fresh instead of letting it age on the boat," he said. "It was a beautiful fish."

(cross-posted at Octopus Confessional.)

H.R. 3432: And now they come for the cows � The PPJ Gazette

Chilling. And political, nothing to do with Forteana or esoterica. But it's important, and as I posted on my para-political/conspiracy blog Octopus Confessional, this is one more signal coming at us concerning the new fascism in America. From many seemingly unconnected points, the government-corporate entity in this country has been taking our property in a variety of ways. All these points converge. Like these horses and cows, we too are being herded: off rural properties, away from cash, into being plugged in. You're suspect if you don't have a cell phone, pay with cash, refuse to fly, protest against "smart" meters, live on undeveloped rural property in non-traditional dwellings, grow organic food (or in some cases, any food at all.) It's all about control:

H.R. 3432: And now they come for the cows  The PPJ Gazette: Wild horse advocates warned that cattle and cattle ranching would be next. This wasn’t about saving the environment, or water shortages or any of the other bogus fictional “scientific” reasons for eradicating to extinction the wild horse populations. The wild horses were just the first step in a systematic decimation of the agricultural sector, including cattle ranching, in the Western states.

According to the sponsor of this bill, Rep. Adam Smith [D-WA9], grazing is “impractible” on public lands. But apparently, gas and oil drilling, mining, water diversion and theft, is not. “And for other purposes”, that ubiquitous statement attached to every piece of legislative crapola that comes out of the District of Criminals which signals the insertion of non-related issues, is the red flag that while grazing will not be allowed in perpetuity, that does not mean that other more environmentally devastating activities won’t be taking place.

Overtoun Bridge's Curious 'Dog Suicides'

Lon at Phantoms and Monsters brings us a tale that is both sad and truly eerie:Overtoun Bridge's Curious 'Dog Suicides' Just what is it that is driving dogs in Scotland to jump to their deaths at a certain bridge?

Texas Cryptid Hunter: Rare Sighting of a Long-Eared Owl on Texas Coast

I share Crytid Hunter's views on animals. As he recently posted on his blog:

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time at all you know that I am interested in all manner of wildlife. While I have a unique interest in animals that would be thought of as cryptids, I am not one of those people obsessed only with animals that might exist.

I'm also intrigued by any owl sightings; while not cryptid, the owl does hold a place within that realm as a symbol, an icon, of high strangeness. From theories out of the skeptic world to debunk Mothman, aliens, and monsters (Flatwood Monster), to sightings of owls during some UFO and abduction events, the owl is mysterious, no matter if it appears in the esoteric realm or the "real" world.

But as Crytpid Hunter writes, the owl in question is of the real world, yet still out of place: Texas Cryptid Hunter: Rare Sighting of a Long-Eared Owl on Texas Coast:

This species of owl would not be considered uncommon in anyone’s book. What’s unusual about these photos is where they were taken. These images were captured in the Sabine Woods on the Texas Coast just outside of Sabine Pass. The Sabine Woods (formerly known as Grim’s Woods) is a bird sanctuary owned by the Texas Ornithological Society.

Adding to the Fortean vibe to this non-other worldly owl appearance are the names of the woods. The name "Sabine" has a mythological history. According to Wikipedia:

Legend says that the Romans abducted Sabine women to populate the newly built Rome. The resultant war ended only by the women throwing themselves and their children between the armies of their fathers and their husbands. The Rape of the Sabine Women ("rape" in this context meaning "kidnapping" rather than sexual violation, see raptio)

Then of course is the name Grim, which, while lacking the second "M" still evokes the tales of the Brothers Grimm!

Mexico to cull 50,000 wild boars from US invasion - Yahoo! News

Boars, coming primarily from Texas where they were kept as "pets" the article states (and canned hunts, they fail to note)that have escaped or set loose and become feral, are invading Mexico and damaging crops: Mexico to cull 50,000 wild boars from US invasion

"We must get rid of these European wild boars because they sleep overnight on US soil during the day and cross over to the Mexican side to feed," Ignacio Legarreta, a state official, told local media.

Food Porn: "Gastronauts feast on lamb eyeball, beaver tail "

Another food porn item, this one from New York, where the self-indulgent and gratuitous can have their fill of animal parts:Gastronauts feast on lamb eyeball, beaver tail | Reuters Exclusive you have to be a member, though it's open to anyone.

Cooked lamb eyeball, boiled fertilized duck egg and beaver tail are just a few of the more unusual dishes sampled by a club of adventurous eaters called the Gastronauts.

Started in March of 2006 by two friends who wanted to try some of the more exotic foods that could be found in New York, the first meeting of the club attracted only six people.

But it has now grown to more than 1,000 members in New York and Los Angeles and there are plans to expand to other U.S. cities.

Here's why it's called food porn:

At the October Gastronauts dinner at a Yemeni restaurant Bab Al Yemen in New York, Nicole Murray, an assistant editor at an education company, extracted a piece of eyeball from a cooked lamb skull and brought it toward her mouth as those seated around her cheered.

Cows and Magnets

I had no idea. Cows are fed magnets -- on purpose. I found this news by following this Wikipedia link - Cow magnet - which I found in this story on a study of supposed magnetic cows.

So what's a cow magnet, for those that don't know?

A rancher or dairy farmer feeds a magnet to each calf at branding time; the magnet settles in the rumen or reticulum and remains there for the life of the animal.

When the cow grazes, it often consumes and swallows what is called tramp iron: baling and barbed wire, staples, nails, and other metallic objects. These objects are indigestible and would lodge in the reticulum and cause inflammation resulting in lower milk production (for dairy cattle) or lower weight gain (for feeder stock). This condition is called hardware disease.

The cow magnet attracts such objects and prevents them from becoming lodged in the animal's tissue. While the resultant mass of iron remains in the cow's rumen as a pseudobezoar (an intentionally introduced bezoar), it does not cause the severe problems of hardware disease. Cow magnets cannot be passed through a cow's 4th bonivial meta-colon. (Wikipedia)

Since cows have magnets inside of them, this was offered as a theory as to why the cows, according to one group of scienitists, seem to align themselves so poetically, as noted in the above mentioned link:

...a group of guys with Biology and wildlife backgrounds were apparently sitting around looking at pictures taken by Google Earth, when they noticed that there seemed to be a pattern in the way some cows in a pasture aligned themselves. After looking at more pictures, a larger pattern began to emerge. Oddly enough, the cows seemed to be aligning themselves with the Earth’s magnetic field lines. The group, led by Hynek Burda wrote up a paper describing what they’d found and had it published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

And, as happens in these studies, another group came along and disputed the first study, which was disputed right back by the first group.

Albuquerque residents claim giant owls are eating their pets | Metro.co.uk

Albuquerque residents claim giant owls are eating their pets | Metro.co.uk

Pet owners living in the foothills are now concerned and are keeping a close eye on their beloved pooches and cats. 'We've seen him 3 or 4 times. He's huge. One day when we were walking, he swooped down over my husband's head. He's a huge owl,' said local resident, Cindy Hummel.

One dog owner said she found claw marks on the back of her pet and another said that an owl that lives next to her home killed her puppy.

Thanks to Professor Hex for link.

Werewolf Inspired Sexual Encounter Stabbing

Woman jailed in bizarre sex-related stabbing

A Milwaukee woman apparently interested in werewolf spirits having sex was in jail Wednesday after an 18-year-old man endured 300 puncture wounds when their sexual encounter "got out of hand," a police affidavit says.

Rebecca Chandler, 22, was being held in the incident, which may also have involved satanic or occult practices.
Once he got to the residence, he was bound and stabbed numerous times over a time frame of what he described as two days," an affidavit accompanying a search warrant states. The affidavit also says the apartment contained a book titled "Werewolf's Guide to Life," a necromantic ritual book, as well as a black folder called "Intro to Sigilborne Spirits." According to various websites, Sigilborne spirits include female werewolf spirits who engage in sexual acts.

Mutilated cow "creepy, suspicious" Teton Valley Idaho

This link at Mike Clelland's hidden experience blog where, as he comments, this mutilation took place "about two miles from my house" in Idaho. Mutilated cow creepy, suspicious - ValleyCitizen - Teton Valley's Local News Source

Zach Griggs leases pastureland for nearly 100 head of cattle near 3000 South in Teton County. Last Thursday, he arrived at this location to change the use of pastures and noticed his cows were scattered. He initially thought duck hunters had disturbed his cattle and then he noticed that one of his cows was dead.

He approached the animal and identified that its udders were removed, along with its anus, vagina and one eye. “Whoa, this is a mutilation,” Griggs determined before he called law enforcement to investigate. Nine years ago, his family had lost a bull the same way. Along with its genitalia, that bull was missing its tongue as well as an eye and an ear. With both the cow and the bull, all of the blood had been removed from the animal and there were no footprints or tire tracks in the vicinity of the dead animal.

Teton County Sheriff’s Deputy Blake Fullmer could confirm that the cuts removing the cow’s body parts were not made by another animal, but it has been difficult to find any additional clues in the case to help explain what happened. Between Satanic cults and extraterrestrial activity, Fullmer was not comfortable making a determination.

“It’s hard to throw those terms out there,” Fullmer said. “I don’t know a lot about that stuff.”

Cattle mutilation is a subject with which Don Griggs, Zach’s father, is very familiar. As a cattleman as well as a former sheriff’s deputy with Madison County for more than 20 years, Don worked on a number of different cases in which animals were mutilated in the exact same manner, with blood drained from the bodies and the same parts removed with a surgeon’s precision.

“It’s a cult thing, has to do with devil worship,” Griggs said. “These people are very professional, they’re slick and sophisticated. No one has ever been caught, but that doesn’t mean that it’s UFOs.”

Mountain lion killed on State Highway 81 studied by biologists | NewsOK.com

Mountain lion killed on State Highway 81 studied by biologists | NewsOK.com

Biologists from the state Wildlife Conservation Department are examining the body of a mountain lion that was struck and killed by a vehicle Tuesday.

Authorities examine a male mountain lion that was hit by a vehicle and killed near Minco at the Lake Arcadia Conservation Center Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011. Provided. ORG XMIT: KOD

The 130-pound male was hit somewhere along State Highway 81 near Minco and was turned in to the department by a passerby.

Wildlife Conservation Department biologist Erik Bartholomew said the animal was probably about 2 years old based on the condition of his teeth, though an exact age cannot be determined until a sample tooth has been fully analyzed.

(thanks to Strange State for link.)

Oregon Bigfoot Blog: Stand for Sasquatch

Join Autumn and others. Stand for Sasquatch. I do, do you?
Please Stand For Sasquatch - Oregon Bigfoot Blog | Oregon Bigfoot Blog

"Empathy" on What’s All This, Then?

On What’s All This, Then?, a nice post about rats. Yes, rats. I actullay like rats; as pets, they are very friendly and intelligent. I'm not saying I want rats running around my place, but I wouldn't mind the "domesticated" variety as a pet. My cats might have other ideas though. And the whole notion of "domesticated" animals as pets raises other questions and issues. Anyway... a very good post. Not surprising to me, as Iggy says, we often don't give animals enough credit or respect:

I thought this was rather fascinating. Animals are so much more substantial than your average person gives them credit for.

As you will see below, even the much-derided rat seems to have a high level of development.

Japanese Monsters & Open Lines - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

Japanese monsters! The subject on tonight's C2C:
Japanese Monsters & Open Lines - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

Two women encounter a flock of starlings...

Two Women Encounter a Flock of Starlings While Canoeing

Pretty amazing...

Three eyed fish found in Argentinian Lake

In a frightening life imitates art moment, a three eyed fish is found in a lake near a nuclear facility where water from that facility is routinely dumped. With photo: Three-Eyed Fish Discovered Near Argentinian Nuclear Facility