Arachnaphobes Take Cover!
A team of scientists found eight, count them, eight potentially new species of spiders in an Indian tiger preserve. Field studies at the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is difficult due the bears, bison, tigers of course, and venomous snakes that live in the region, so microfauna like spiders have been ignored. The researchers found new spiders that fling their webs like nets over their prey, others that resembled bird poop, and the cuddly fellow pictured that fishes for prey and can stay underwater for several minutes.
Source; http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-12/02/new-spider-species
Paging Max von Sydow
Fourteen teenage girls living on the island of Cebu in the Philippines recently came down with a bad case of the ghosts. The island is supposedly idyllic and beautiful but has a reputation for spiritual possession. In late November, a girl fainted when she claimed to see the ghost of a young girl. Thirteen other girls fainted along with her. The teens all attended the Toong Integrated School. The parish priest recommended the local exorcist, Friederick Kriekenbeek. The girls all recovered. Is this a case of mass hysteria or ghostly possession?
Again with the Spiders!
Abigail, a resident of the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn recently wrote to Gothamist after finding a creepy dead spider and egg sack in her luggage after a trip to Indonesia. Would this unleash Arachnophobia 2 in Brooklyn? Louis Sorkin, the friendly entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History says it’s a species known as a giant crab spider. Happily, the species is docile and even consumes roaches, so yay! I say if the spiders hatch, charge them rent and thank them for eating the roaches.
Source; http://gothamist.com/2014/12/02/scary_spider_brooklyn.php
Green with Envy
A mysterious, emerald-green cat has been photographed wandering in the Bulgarian city of Varna. Has Elphaba been experimenting on cats? Sadly, the possible explanation is a bit more mundane. The theory so far is that the cat has been sleeping on fabric dyes or some kind of synthetic food dye.
‘Tis the Season
UK’s Metro has compiled a list of fourteen creepy Santas so I don’t have to. Remember, you can’t spell Satan without Santa.
Source; https://metro.co.uk/2014/12/05/14-seriously-creepy-santas-ho-ho-argh-4975273/