VAMPIRE FISH - Amazon River Monsters

RENO, NV. March 19, 2015 – People think of elephants, tigers and sharks as a bellwether for how the environment is doing, but monster fish, two dozen species of large freshwater fish weighing more than 200 pounds, are an alarming indicator of the health of aquatic ecosystems around the world.

“These big fish are in a steep decline,” Zeb Hogan, conservation biologist and researcher in the University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Science, said. “The disappearance of aquatic animals is a freshwater extinction crisis.”

These fish have been silently disappearing at dozens of locations around the world. Approximately 70 percent of monster fish species are considered threatened. In North America, nearly 40 percent of freshwater fish are threatened and 61 species are presumed extinct.

Hogan, a National Geographic Fellow and a Scientific Councilor for Fish for the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species, has been investigating these megafish for more than a decade, traveling to remote regions of the world to find, study and protect them. The National Geographic Society has supported Hogan’s work since 2002, including the Monster Fish project for the past 10 years. His research is documented in the Nat Geo WILD show “Monster Fish” and in the new featured exhibition, Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants, at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., from March 26 to Oct. 14, 2015.

“Giant freshwater fish are every bit as important to the health of their ecosystems as the top predators of land and sea. These freshwater species deserve the same attention we give to tigers and whales,” he said.

While he sees firsthand the decline of the big fish, Hogan is also encouraged by conservation efforts he has helped communities put in place, such as on the Mekong River in Thailand where he captured and released his first large freshwater catfish, a 645-pound fish, in 2005. The river is known for its big stingrays and catfish.

“These are all incredibly rare animals that most people would never have a chance to see or appreciate,” Hogan said. “This exhibit is a window into an underwater world that few of us have ever experienced. They can grow to over 20 feet in length, some living over 100 years, and many are on the edge of extinction. The exhibition is the culmination of years of work by many people to better understand and protect them.”

As a Scientific Councilor for Fish, Hogan is part of a working group of scientists and interested parties from around the world who provide scientific guidance on decisions to list species as endangered. In November, at the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species Conference of Parties in Brazil, 20 new species of fish were added to the endangered list, including one freshwater megafish, the sawfish.

Determining which species are on the brink of extinction is the primary goal of Hogan's research. Hogan said dams, pollution, habitat degradation, invasive species and overfishing are the biggest threats. In the majority of cases, fish are subject to more than one stressor.

Hogan, who has a doctorate in ecology, has worked with nearly 100 scientists on the Monster Fish project, which spans six continents (North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia) and encompasses several of Earth's most diverse freshwater ecosystems – ecological treasures – including World Heritage Sites, Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance and United Nations Environment Program Biodiversity Hotspots.

Other sites include the Amazon River, Mekong River, Mississippi River, Nile, Lake Baikal watershed in Russia, Murray-Darling River in Australia, tributaries of the Danube and Yangtze River in China.

Hogan travels to the most endangered of these environments, striving to save critically endangered fish and the livelihood of people who share their habitats.

The Monster Fish exhibition, for which the University of Nevada, Reno is the Educational Partner, takes visitors on a journey to several river basins worldwide to learn about the awe-inspiring fish and the cultures and places that depend on them. The exhibition profiles the extraordinary biology and behaviors of giant freshwater fish. It also offers the opportunity to investigate how scientists learn about these fish and develop solutions to save them.

Found Things Inside Giant Snakes

Brace yourself, here are 12 of the most interesting things that have been found inside giant snakes. Number Eight: Other Snakes It’s a snake-eat-snake world out there. Recent video footage from the Sichuan Province of China shows a grueling battle between two snakes ending in one being eaten by the other. While neither snake was venomous, the smaller of the two snakes was able to overpower its much larger rival and then devour it completely. As crazy as it may sound, this isn’t that unusual of an event. That’ll put a bad taste in your mouth.

Number Seven: Set of Golf Clubs Golfers on a North Georgia golf course were shocked to find an enormous snake made off with a set of their clubs while they rested in the clubhouse between rounds. The golfers reported the incident to local police who were able to locate the snake, but unable to recover the stolen clubs. It’s unclear whether the golfers were able to complete their round, but rest assured they all had a great story to share afterwards. To this day, the snake has not been charged with a crime.

Number Six: Centipede While a centipede may not seem that interesting of a meal, back in 2013, a young nose-horned viper on ‘Snake Island’ in Macedonia was found dead with a centipede's head protruding out of its body. The snake had apparently consumed its prey while still alive, but the centipede ate its way back through the snake’s abdominal wall trying to escape. Dissection the snake showed that the centipede caused damage to the snake's internal organs either chemically or mechanically. When found, the centipede occupied the entire volume of the viper's body. Nose-horned vipers regularly feast on small mammals and even centipedes too. But in this instance, the unfortunate snake severely underestimated the size and strength of its prey.

Number Five: Full Igloo Cooler When snakes get hungry they usually attack on the first thing they find, regardless of what it is or how difficult it may be to swallow. Take for instance, a snake that snacked on a cooler full of beer at a camping site in Brazil. Initially presumed to be a hoax, the snake was later found and taken to a university medical center in the area. Though it was relatively easy for the snake to get the cooler down, digesting the meal would have been impossible. The cooler was ultimately recovered, but the beer was determined to be undrinkable since it was no longer cold.

Number Four: Alligator An unsuspecting group of hikers in Queensland Australia came across a massive fight to the death between a water python and full-grown crocodile—two of the most ferocious predators in the world. The battle lasted for five hours with the snake ultimately winning. The python eventually overtook the crocodile by coiling its body around its legs and suffocating it underwater. After the crocodile had died, the snake uncoiled itself and 10-foot snake then dragged the croc ashore and continued to swallow it whole in front of a group of curious onlookers. Definitely not a sight most people see everyday.

Number Three: Krispy Kreme Donuts A Florida Krispy Kreme employee was shocked to discover a 10-foot snake nesting in the dumpster behind the store. The snake had been gorging on the discarded donuts from the previous night. Estimates are the snake’s feast consisted of 4-5 dozen of the tasty treats. Experts assume the snake presumably thought the glazed donuts were eggs from another animal. As delicious as that may sound, the snake actually became quite ill and had to be treated as the local animal hospital.

Number Two: Set of Tires A giant snake in rural Louisiana helped itself to a set of car tires stacked behind a storage shed. The tires were originally reported stolen by the owner and neighbors in the area were initially suspected. Days after the disappearance, the partially digested tires were discovered near the scene of the crime. Although the snake was never found, local animal control agents were able to piece together the mystery. Unfortunately, no one was able to piece together the tires.

Number One: Hippo When you’re hungry, you’re hungry. And as unbelievable as it may sound, a ravenous snake in Africa was witnessed by fascinated groups of tourists swallowing an entire hippopotamus. The spectacle which lasted for over 8 hours made headlines around the globe. After swallowing the hippo, the snake was too bloated to move to a private spot to finish digesting its meal. Minutes after consuming the hippo, the whole animal was then regurgitated by the snake. Its eyes, in this case, were obviously bigger than its stomach.

Strange Sounds Being Heard Worldwide 2016

Strange Sounds are Being Heard Across The World...What are these strange apocalyptic noises people have been hearing???? Many people are still wondering where the noise is coming from.

The woman with the biggest hands in the world

Experts believe the 59-year-old is the only person in the world to suffer the rare condition macrodystrophia lipomastosa from shoulder to fingers on both arms.
It causes vast build-up of fat deposits to be distributed across her arms and hands. Embarrassed by her condition throughout her childhood, she spent the first 20 years of her life as a recluse ashamed of the way she looked, meaning she never went to school. But she was forced to come out of hiding at the age of 20 to earn a living in order to care for her elderly parents, and take over running the family grocery shop.

She says, ‘Some doctors said the only solution was to cut off my hands if I wished to walk around freely. But I don’t want to do that.

Real Giants Video (JAPAN)

Found this part of old clip ,This showing a real giant in japan.

This one is an actual real skeleton found in the Peru forest by Renato Davila Riquelme who works at Privado Ritos Andinos museum, in Peru. You can still find this skeleton on display there today. The body measured 20 inches, while the head is also about 20 inches. That’s a big head. Scientists around the world have done DNA tests on the skeleton with no firm results if whether this is a human or a mysterious being? Maybe an alien. The eye sockets are very large also. Giant?, Alien?, some other creature? We will never know for sure.

Monster Arapaima is Your 'Mermaid' of Lore | River Monsters

What lured a man to his murky, underwater demise? Jeremy Wade's investigation leads to the monstrous Arapaima, a massive and powerful beast of the Amazon.

8 Incredible Archaeological Discoveries!

Incredible archaeological discoveries! These are some of the most intense ancient archaeological discoveries ever in human history. Today we look at 8 incredible archaeological discoveries. See what unexpected things scientists have found underground. In a dry prehistoric lake bed located near the shore of Lake Vättern in Motala, Sweden lies the Tomb of Sunken Skulls. Discovered in 2009 while excavating in preparation for a new railway to be built, a collection of skulls from 11 individuals were found. Two of these were mounted on stakes. The skulls are 8000 years old. Scientists speculate that the skulls may have been displayed in a kind of burial ritual or alternatively may have been the skulls of enemies that had been killed. Amazingly archaeologists were able to tell that fish was a big part of their diet by analyzing their bone composition. Just think in another 8000 years somebody will be saying wow they ate a lot of big macs. The Grauballe Man, so named because he was found near the village of Grauballe in Denmark, is what’s called a bog body. Bog bodies are human bodies that have been preserved in a peat bog and Peat is dead plant material. Discovered in 1952 the Grauballe Man is one of the most well preserved bog bodies ever with his skin and even his hair and fingernails still intact. Through Radiocarbon dating we know he is over 2000 years old and lived around 300 B.C. Researches believe he may have been the victim of a human sacrifice as his throat looks like it was slit This is the Terracotta Army The army was discovered in 1974 east of the city Xian (shee-ann) China and consists of more than 8000 life-sized Terracotta soldiers. In case you’re wondering what Terracotta is, it’s clay-based and is used for stuff like those brownish orange plant pots. The soldiers were created to protect the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang (Chin shee whuang), in the afterlife.

In the 1920s two human skull cups were found and then another in 1987 in Gough’s Cave in Cheddar UK which interestingly is the village that Cheddar cheese is named after, which may permanently change your view of cheddar bowls. The skulls are 14,700 years old. Researchers believe they are skull cups based on what they describe as careful percussional banging with stones all around the edges of the skull. The practice of creating Skull cups is a worldwide phenomenon with accounts of skulls cups used in China, Japan, India, and by Vikings. Is this a new backscratcher from Bed Bath & Beyond finally living up to the last part of their name? In 1986 a team exploring caves at Mount Owen, New Zealand found a mysterious claw while excavating. The claw belonged to a 3000 year old Upland Moa which was a flightless bird. There were 9 known species of Moa birds and unfortunately all Moa’s are now extinct. The upland moa was the last of the Moa to become extinct in the 1500’s from hunting by humans. When humans first came in contact with the moa’s around 1250 the moa population was 58,000, it only took humans 250 years to wipe out a species. Humans can be such dicks sometimes. Is this an alien skull? Perhaps, but scientists believe this skull found in Mexico is a human skull that is the result of a process called artificial cranial deformation. It’s usually done when a child is an infant and the skull is softest and they bind the skull with either wood or cloth for about 6 months. Why they do this, no one really knows, but it is thought that it was a means of signifying status. Even more surprising is the fact that the practice still continues to this day in some places such as Vanuatu which is an island near fiji. However some researchers believed that the elongated skulls actually belong to a race of humans which no longer exists. This is a Chachapoya Mummy. The Chachapoyas were known as the Warriors of the Clouds and lived in what is now Peru. It looks like this person died a truly horrifying death as if screaming and covering their face. However the hands are actually tied to the face and archaeologist suspect that the putting the hands in this configuration was just the easiest way to make the mummy compact and easy to transport. The open mouth is a common phenomenon where unless the jaw is restrained the mouth will slowly open as the body decomposes. Researchers believe that the Chachapoya did not just leave their dead but instead cared for them and possibly re-wrapped them and put them on display. Meet La Doncella (don-saya), which translates to “The Maiden”, who is one of the Children of Llullaillaco (you-ya-yaco). The Children of Llullaillaco are three of the best preserved Inca mummies ever found. They were found by Dr Johan Rienhard and his team in 1999 at the peak of Mount Llullaillaco which is 22,100 feet (6,700 meters) high and located on the border of Chile and Argentina.

Super Cow Lurch - World's Biggest Horns

The record for world's biggest set of horns goes to a steer named lurch at a staggering 37.5 inches in circumference. That's a super cow! Yes that's more than 3 feet around breaking the previous record of 31 inches by over half a foot, landing lurch in the guinness book of world records. Lurch's owner Janice Wolfe of Mountain Home, Ark called in two veterinarians as witnesses for the official measurement. The steer's horns stretched 7 feet from tip to tip and each weighed about 100 pounds. Wolf took Lurch in when he was just 5 weeks old and says he was a late bloomer, and that she worried that he wouldn't have any horns at all.

Lurch comes from a breed known as the cattle of kings because of their revered status among african tribes. The ankole-watusi cattle are known for their huge horns, which average about 18 to 20 inches in circumference. Lurch became quite the celebrity drawing in visitors from around the world and making appearances on national television including animal planet and live on three segments of the ellen degeneres show. On may 22nd of 2010, Lurch died at Rocky Ridge animal reguge, where he and his loving owner Janice made their home. Before he passed, Lurch's horns measured over 38 inches in circumference and almost 8 feet from tip to tip, he still holds the official record.

Goliath Tigerfish | River Monsters

The African tiger fish is found in many rivers and lakes on the African continent. A close relative of the dreaded piranha, the African tiger fish is a savage predator with distinctive rows of razor-sharp teeth. Eating anything that will fit in its fearsome jaws, the African tiger fish stalks its prey its own size or more and gives it a fatal bite. While smaller fish are often shredded to pieces, bigger fishes will continue to be attacked until dead. An anti-coagulant slime coats the teeth of tiger fish preventing inflicted wounds from healing.

Generally growing up to 25 to 30 inches long, African tiger fish weigh in close to 25 to 30 pounds. The largest one caught was in 1962 in Kariba measuring 35 inches and weighing 35 pounds. A predatory fish to say the least, African tiger fish have a surprisingly low tolerance to poor water condition. Finding one is a clear indication that the water is clean.