GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Volcano Report For May 9, 2014 - Updates On Reventador, Ubinas, Zavodovski, And Cerro Negro de Mayasquer! [PHOTOS+MAPS+SEISMOGRAPHS+VOLCANO SUMMARY]

May 09, 2014 - WORLDWIDE VOLCANOES - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe, courtesy of  Volcano Discovery.

Reventador (Ecuador): The activity of the volcano had increased during the past two weeks, producing several lava flows and some relatively strong explosions.

Current infrared image of Reventador volcano showing the still active (white) / cooling (yellow) lava flows (IGPEN)

At the moment, it has decreased again, but remains moderately high. Explosions have become less frequent and the lava flows are only weakly alimented.


Ubinas (Peru):  The current eruptive phase might be approaching an end. Since the second half of April, visual and seismic activity at the volcano have been decreasing. Explosions and ash emissions have almost ceased, although there are still some occasional bursts.

Current seismic activity at Ubinas (UB1 station, IGP)

IGP released a report showing the evolution of seismic activity over the past weeks. It shows that hybrid earthquakes (indicators of rising magma) increased until 5 April and then started to drop. Surface activity in turn increased until 13 April and remained elevated until 19 April. This suggests that the magma took approx 8 days to reach the surface from its deeper source.

One of the strongest explosions occurred on 19 April, when large bombs were ejected to up to 2.7 km distance. After this explosion, which might have destroyed the lava dome in the crater, the volcano showed abundant degassing and ash venting, probably a result of the cleared conduit.


Zavodovski (South Sandwich Islands (UK)): A NASA satellite image from 19 April shows that some activity (strombolian explosions, small lava lake?) was present on the remote volcano in the South Sandwich islands.

On the picture, a thin plume of white rises from the volcano on Zavodovski island, the northernmost of the South Sandwich Islands and streams to the northeast.

Further south, a wider white plume can be seen blowing across the Atlantic Ocean. This plume rises from the Mount Michael volcano, which is a young and frequently active strato-volcano located on Saunders Island, near the center of the South Sandwich Island chain.


Cerro Negro de Mayasquer (Colombia): The seismic crisis under the volcano continues. Thousands of small earthquakes, both volcano-tectonic (due to rock fracturing caused by magma pressure) and long-period (due to fluid movements) earthquakes continue to be registered.

Earthquakes under Cerro Negro de Mayasquer (IGPEN)

Colombian and Ecuadorian scientists believe it could be related to shallow magma intrusions. At present, no other signs of unrest that could suggest an eruption in a near or medium future have been detected.


Complete Earthquake list (worldwide) for May 9, 2014.

Volcano Activity Summary for May 9, 2014:

Currently erupting:

Ambrym (Vanuatu): active lava lakes in several craters (updated 14 Aug 2013)
Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): ash explosions (updated 1 May 2014)
Barren Island (Indian Ocean): intermittent activity, likely strombolian-type and/or lava flows (updated 4 Feb 2014)
Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): strombolian explosions, ash plumes up to 500 m, extrusion of a small lava dome with rockfalls (updated 28 Apr 2014)
Colima (Western Mexico): extrusion of lava flow from summit, intermittent explosions (updated 10 Apr 2014)
Dukono (Halmahera): thermal anomaly, probably small explosive activity in summit crater (updated 3 May 2014)
Erebus (Antarctica): active lava lake in summit crater (updated 21 Jan 2012)
Erta Ale (Ethiopia): active lava lake in northern pit crater, active hornito with intermittend flow in southern crater (updated 11 Jan 2013)
Fuego (Guatemala): frequent moderate to large strombolian explosions (updated 3 May 2014)
Gamalama (Halmahera): ash eruptions since 17 Sep (updated 17 Sep 2012)
Grozny (Iturup Island): fumarolic activity (updated 3 Apr 2013)
Heard (Australia, Southern Indian Ocean): likely lava lake in summit crater (updated 1 Aug 2013)
Ibu (Halmahera, Indonesia): growing lava dome, occasional ash emissions (updated 30 Mar 2014)
Karkar (Northeast of New Guinea): possible ash eruption on 1 February (updated 27 Mar 2014)
Karymsky (Kamchatka): occasional small explosions, thermal anomaly (updated 13 Apr 2014)
Kavachi (Solomon Islands): no eruption since 2007 (updated 2 Feb 2014)
Kilauea (Hawai'i): lava lakes in Halemau'uma'u and Pu'u 'O'o, lava flows on coastal flat and weakly active ocean entries (updated 13 Aug 2013)
Kizimen (Kamchatka): degassing (updated 22 Aug 2013)
Lokon-Empung (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): small explosions, lava flow? (updated 25 Jul 2013)
Manam (Papua New Guinea): degassing, occasional ash venting (updated 28 Aug 2013)
Marapi (Western Sumatra, Indonesia): sporadic explosions (updated 27 Mar 2014)
Nishino-shima (Volcano Islands): lava effusion enlarging the new island (updated 18 Apr 2014)
Nyiragongo (DRCongo): active lava lake in summit crater (updated 26 Feb 2014)
Ol Doinyo Lengai (Tanzania): effusion of natrocarbonatite lava inside the crater (updated 8 Jul 2013)
Reventador (Ecuador): intermittent explosions, lava fountaining and lava flow emission on 23-24 April (updated 9 May 2014)
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): ash venting, intermittent explosions (updated 28 Apr 2014)
Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Santiaguito volcano (Guatemala): lava flow on south flank of dome becomes more active (updated 28 Apr 2014)
Semeru (East Java, Indonesia): growing lava dome, ash venting and small to moderate explosions (updated 25 Jul 2012)
Shiveluch (Kamchatka): growing lava dome, incandescent avalanches, occasional explosions (updated 1 May 2014)
Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): effusion of viscous lava, steaming, ash emissions (updated 28 Apr 2014)
Slamet (Central Java): strombolian explosions from central crater (updated 30 Apr 2014)
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): continuing lava overflows (updated 25 Jul 2013)
Suwanose-jima (Ryukyu Islands): strombolian activity in summit crater (updated 1 May 2014)
Tinakula (Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands): increased activity at the volcano (updated 8 Feb 2013)
Tungurahua (Ecuador): strombolian activity, effusion of lava flow on upper NW flank (updated 28 Apr 2014)
Yasur (Tanna Island, Vanuatu): ash emissions, weak strombolian explosions (updated 14 Aug 2013)

Eruption warning / minor activity:

Bezymianny (Central Kamchatka Depression): steaming, degassing (updated 10 Jun 2013)
Chirpoi (Kurile Islands, Russia): hot spot visible on satellite imagery (updated 1 May 2014)
Cleveland (Aleutian Islands, Alaska): occasional small explosions (updated 2 Mar 2014)
Copahue (Chile/Argentina): seismic unrest (updated 21 Mar 2014)
Dieng (Central Java): increased degassing (updated 28 Mar 2013)
Etna (Sicily, Italy): lava flow from base of New SE crater, strombolian explosions / ash emissions from NSEC (updated 19 Apr 2014)
Galeras (Colombia): sporadic ash emissions (updated 25 Jul 2013)
Gamkonora (Halmahera): seismic swam, minor ash emissions (updated 27 May 2013)
Iliwerung (Lesser Sunda Islands): possible submarine eruption from Mt Hobal on 20 August (updated 20 Aug 2013)
Iwo-Tori-shima (Ryukyu Islands): possible small ash eruption on 6 July 2013 (updated 6 Jul 2013)
Kelud (East Java): steaming, activity at crater unknown (updated 2 Mar 2014)
Kerinci (Sumatra): seismic unrest (updated 5 Jun 2013)
Ketoi (Kurile Islands, Russia)
Kikai (Ryukyu Islands): steaming at summit crater of Iodake, occasional weak glows (updated 5 Jun 2013)
Kirishima (Kyushu): degassing, alert lowered (updated 30 Jul 2012)
Krakatau (Sunda Strait, Indonesia): degassing (updated 31 Mar 2014)
Langila (New Britain, Papua New Guinea): occasional ash explosions (updated 11 Feb 2013)
Medvezhia (Kurile Islands, Russia): strong steaming, thermal anomaly (updated 17 Jan 2013)
Merapi (Central Java, Indonesia): sporadic phreatic explosions (updated 30 Apr 2014)
Nyamuragira (DRCongo): increased seismic activity (updated 13 Apr 2014)
Pacaya (Guatemala): weak strombolian activity in summit crater (updated 18 Apr 2014)
Papandayan (West Java): strong hydrothermal activity, increased seismicity (updated 6 May 2013)
Poas (Costa Rica): occasional small phreatic explosions, intense degassing (updated 30 Mar 2014)
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): degassing, sporadic explosions, slowly growing lava dome (updated 1 May 2014)
Rabaul (Tavurvur) (New Britain, Papua New Guinea): weak ash explosions (updated 26 Aug 2013)
Rasshua (Central Kuriles)
Raung (East Java): strombolian activity in summit crater (updated 5 Aug 2013)
Rincón de la Vieja (Costa Rica): small phreatic eruption on 11 April (updated 6 Oct 2012)
Sacabaya (Northern Chile, Bolivia and Argentina)
San Cristobal (Nicaragua): possible ash emission on 11 April (updated 12 Apr 2014)
San Miguel (El Salvador): small explosions, seismic unrest, intense degassing (updated 28 Apr 2014)
Sangay (Ecuador): degassing (updated 24 May 2013)
Shishaldin (United States, Aleutian Islands): likely new dome building, weak explosions (updated 1 May 2014)
Soputan (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): degassing, seismic crisis, eruption warning (updated 1 May 2014)
Turrialba (Costa Rica): ash venting, strong degassing (updated 24 Jul 2013)
Ubinas (Peru): degassing, sporadic small explosions and ash venting (updated 9 May 2014)
Ulawun (New Britain, Papua New Guinea): degassing, ash venting (updated 5 Aug 2013)
White Island (New Zealand): strong degassing, volcanic tremor (updated 20 Aug 2013)
Zavodovski (South Sandwich Islands (UK)): no activity detected in recent weeks (updated 9 May 2014)

 

EARTH CHANGES: Monumental Signs Of The Times - Snow 5 Feet Deep On The Argentina-Chile Border; Severe Sandstorm Sinks Boat, One Missing In Egypt; And Cyclone Lashes Parts Of India Killing 2 People!

May 09, 2014 - EARTH  - The following stories constitutes some of the latest incidents of Earth changes across the globe.

Snow 5 Feet Deep On The Argentina-Chile Border

"At the other side of our cooling globe, snowfall reached highs of 45 cm (18 inches) to 150 cm (5 ft) in the Argentina-Chile border region (Paso Pehuenche)," says reader Argiris Diamantis. "In some areas there was five feet of snow."

7 May 2014 - "Workers operated with orderly withdrawal, according to the weather forecast. The snowy accumulation in the first round was 45 cm, while in the second sector a meter and a half high of snow was recorded. The passage is cleared form the Argentine side, and stood waiting for the clearance from the Chilean side."

Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for this link - Ice Age Now.

Severe Sandstorm Sinks Boat, One Missing In Egypt

A massive sandstorm cloud rolls over Aswan governorate, Egypt, Wednesday, May 7, 2014.Mohammed Rawy

A severe sandstorm in Aswan in southern Egypt led to a boat accident and damage to a local museum on Wednesday.

A touristic Nile boat sank amid the unusually severe storm, leaving one South African passenger missing. Six other tourists, including one other South African, three Australians, and one Pole, as well as three Egyptians, were rescued from the boat

The Crocodile Museum in the southern city of Kom Ombo also suffered damage when its roof collapsed after the fierce sandstorm hit the governorate.

The Crocodile Museum, inaugurated in 2012, exhibits a collection of mummified crocodiles found in Ancient Egypt, alongside tablets and statutes of ancient Egyptian crocodile deity Sobek.

Officials from the antiquities ministry said that none of the artifacts had been damaged but that the museum would be closed to visitors until a technical committee could inspect the site.

Egypt is currently witnessing unstable weather conditions, including rainstorms and floods in Sinai and along the Red Sea coast.

According to Egypt's Meteorological Authority, the unstable weather conditions will continue for another two days. - Ahram Online.

Cyclone Lashes Parts Of India Killing 2 People

Two persons including a teenaged girl died and many houses collapsed and over 200 people were displaced from homes after a cyclone, accompanied by hail storms, lashed two districts of Tripura, official sources said on Friday.

A 16-year old girl was killed and her younger brother injured when lightning struck at Barpathari village in South Tripura district yesterday when they had gone to collect mangoes.

A farmer also also killed in lightning strike at Kachucherra village in Dhalai district yesterday when he had gone out to bring back his cow.

The cow was also killed.

At least 100 houses collapsed due to the rain and storm during the past two days while many farmlands were submerged, the sources said adding chances of heavy crop loss was imminent.

More than 200 people were rendered homeless in Kamalpur subdivision of Dhalai district and took shelter in government buildings, the sources said. - ZEE News.

EVANGELII GAUDIUM: Priest Class Of The Magi's Deftly Orchestrated Blueprint To Maintain Power And Evangelical Relevance In The Transition To The Age Of Aquarius - Pope Francis Says The United Nations Should Encourage "Legitimate" Redistribution Of Wealth!

May 09, 2014 - VATICAN - Pope Francis has called on the UN to do more to help the poor and encourage the "legitimate redistribution" of wealth.

"In the case of global political and economic organization, much more needs to be achieved, since an important part of humanity does not share in the benefits of progress and is in fact relegated to the status of second-class citizens," Francis told Ban Ki-Moon on Friday.

During his latest meeting with UN officials, the Pope said that despite the decrease in poverty, "the world's peoples deserve and expect even greater results."

An awareness of everyone's human dignity should encourage everyone "to share with complete freedom the goods which God’s providence has placed in our hands," Francis said, Reuters reported.

Francis also appeared to criticize recent sessions by two UN committees - one on sexual abuse and the other on torture - which saw the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion under fire.

The Pope told Ban Ki-Moon that "life is sacred and inviolable from conception to natural death."

Following the meeting, Ban Ki-Moon renewed his invitation for the Pope to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years and the first-ever Latin American pontiff, has frequently called for economic changes and expressed his desire to bring the Catholic Church closer to the poor.

He also attacked the global economic system, which, as he put it last September, shouldn’t be based on "a god called money" anymore.

Francis is known as the "slum bishop" in his native Buenos Aires, as he often paid visits to shanty towns.   - RT.

DISASTER PRECURSORS: The Latest Incidents Of Strange Animal Behavior - Rare, Deep-Water Megamouth Shark Caught Off The Coast Of Japan; Birds Are Losing All Sense Of Direction; Headless Birds Turning Up Around Las Vegas Neighborhood; Human Body Mutilated By Crocodile Found In Costa Rica; Snakes Invade Regent's Canal District In London; 19 Basking Sharks Arrive Off The Coast Of Cornwall, UK And Bizarre "Octogoat" With EIGHT Legs Born In Croatia!

May 09, 2014 - EARTH -  The following constitutes the latest reports of unusual animal behavior, beaching and stranding of mammals, and the appearance of rare creatures.

Rare, Deep-Water Megamouth Shark Caught Off The Coast Of Japan

The Independent, UK

An extremely rare female deep-water megamouth shark has been caught off the coast of Shizuoka in Japan, in what is believed to be only the 58th known sighting of the animal on record.

The distinctive looking creature was hauled from a depth of 2,600 ft and weighed almost 1,500lbs.

The name 'megamouth' is derived from the disproportionate size of its huge head and the enormous capacity of its mouth, which is kept open as it swims in order to filter water for plankton and jelly fish.

Only 13 sightings of the sharks off the coast of Japan have been recorded. Over 1,500 people gathered to watch the 13ft long animal's necropsy, which scientists are hoping will help them learn more about the unusual species.

The sharks can grow to a maximum length of between 17 and 18 ft and were only recognised as a species almost 30 years ago when the first megamouth was caught in the sea anchor of a US Navy ship off the coast of Hawaii.

Its remains can now be viewed at The Marine Science Museum in Shizuoka, The Japan Daily Press reported. - Independent.

Birds Are Losing All Sense Of Direction

Image: Blogger

What's happening? They are losing their inner-compass...

The migratory pattern of birds - even if it is a dry subject and the aim of comedic cracks - for some odd reason, has always held the high fascination of biologists.

Never more so than now...

That's because the classic experiments were so predictable. Such as a cage with some kind of monitors to catch which direction the bird wanted to travel at night.

That is, until it started going tragically wrong in the mid-2000s.

German researchers discovered in 2004 that the regular experiment became an erratic mystery while observing the European Robin.

They would not orient themselves in a single direction. They would not hop in a direction. They were shut down. They were completely lost. Changing variables like food, light, cages...lots of things - didn't do a thing according to biologist Henrik Mouritsen. For three years they tried to solve the mystery.

That's when they realized they left out one important variable...an invisible one...

The electromagnetic noise coming from all the electronics on the nearby campus. They made a Faraday cage of sorts by using aluminum screens in the cages - the birds started jumping again. It worked!

After spending so many years and so much research just to correct a problem occurring with the original experiment, the sure results presented a new problem to biology and the environment at large.

Mouritsen said:

We are absolutely sure that the effect is real.

That's why now, the results could be published just today in the journal Nature. Scarily enough - the levels affecting the birds are 1,000 times below WHO guidelines. Being so immersed in electronics it is going to be a difficult task finding out which electronics are causing birds to lose their way. It could be anything that has to be plugged in.

So far, the bird disorientation only happens in large urban and industrial areas or learning campuses. And they ruled out power lines or cellphone signals because the frequencies they emit are too low and too high respectively. But the frequency band range most responsible is 2 kHz - 5 MHz, which would include AM radio, and all area electronic equipment. It is absolutely baffling news to the physicists who will say as Mouritsen recounts, "that can't have any effect."

But he didn't dwell in the realm of conventional physics - he stepped it up a notch to quantum mechanics.

According to The Verge:

"Theoretical predictions suggest that [the disruption] might be an effect of electron spins." Electromagnetic noise might be affecting electron spins in a molecule named cryptochrome, Mouritsen says - the eye protein that some scientists believe plays a pivotal role in avian magnetic orientation. This could cause the molecule's chemical properties to change, and the birds to lose all sense of direction at night. But the theory, Mouritsen warns, is "unproven."

The findings have fascinated other researchers but some say that it's not that big of a deal and the bird can leave the urban area in any direction to gather its bearings. Mouritsen sees it as a growing problem of high electromagnetic radiation that could be reduced by some means.

So it's not just a matter of adaptation. Do birds know to stay away from the city? Will they? Mouritsen doesn't know but says, "I'm sure the birds would have been better off if one of their key compasses had never been disturbed."

This certainly wouldn't be the first time animal patterns have been "off" in recent years. It is commonly thought that bees, birds, dolphins and other animals are highly sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. So one would think a little more forethought would go into forays like Navy testing experiments around the world. While cell towers seem to be ruled out of the above experiment, they are certainly implicated for having a detrimental effect on mammals.

A couple years ago, I tried to make sense of all the dolphin deaths - like the ones that wound up off the shores of Peru. I speculated because I didn't buy the theory that they just suddenly decided to do it and everyone followed the leader. That was a long time ago and thousands more have died under mysterious circumstances - yet "more research" is always needed.

No, the innate intelligence of animals is much too underestimated; much too disregarded. For the first time ever, they have lost their way.

But where will they go when there is no more room to adapt? Why should they be stretched to the brink of no more adaptation to begin with? - Activist Post.

Headless Birds Turning Up Around Las Vegas Neighborhood

Piles of beheaded birds are being mysteriously dumped on some streets in the Las Vegas valley's east side.

One business on Charleston Boulevard is forced to deal with the stench of rotting carcasses twice a month.

The beheaded chickens and pigeons could be part of a religious ritual.

"Oh, where did this come from?" Helen Arciaga, a thrift shop owner asks as she finds several dead birds in an alley behind her store.

The alley has become a bird graveyard or a dumping ground for the carcasses.

"Oh my good Lord it stinks,"

Arciaga is concerned because she wants to keep the area clean for her customers.

"It concerns the health of the community," she said.

And the dead birds don't just end up in the alley.

"The first time I saw it, it was a large rooster," said Ryan Roskins, a street cleaner.

He has seen beheaded birds on many roads throughout the east side.

"Everything else is there, feet, feathers. It's just decapitated," Roskins said.

He believes he knows who is behind the dumping of the birds.

"I actually think it must be voodoo," he said.

However, a West African priest says that may not be the case. He says people practicing the religion of Santeria or Ifa use animal sacrifices like chickens, pigeons or goats as a means of protection or as a way to cleanse the body.

"They might be wiping themselves with the bird, letting the blood and then having to discard the body," Ifa priest Duane Reece said.

He says where the bird's body is dumped depends on what the spirit or deity is calling out for.

"Just like a first communion, just like a baptism, all of these ways are ways humans use to communicate," he said.

But for Arciaga, the ritual can't stop soon enough.

"I'm sorry for what we saw today," she said.

Arciaga and other nearby business owners are waiting for animal control to get the dead birds out of the alley. They know it's likely more dead birds will be dumped there again.

Roskins says he's filed several reports with animal control who he says is in charge of cleaning up the birds.

Animal Control cleaned up the bird bodies and notified Metro Police. If you find a beheaded bird, or any beheaded animal, call Animal Control.

A maintenance man on the site said he is often the one who cleans up the mess to ensure the retail complex is following health code. - 8 News Now.

Body Mutilated By Crocodile Found In Costa Rica

An American crocodile slithers from the mud in the Tempisque River. Lindsay Fendt/The Tico Times

A corpse missing an arm and showing signs of laceration on several parts of the body was discovered floating in the Tempisque River near Filadelfia, Guanacaste. The body apparently had been mutilated by a crocodile, according to a statement by the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ).

The Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ), however, have not commented on the cause of death or how the body ended up in the river, which empties into the Gulf of Nicoya. The body has been taken to a forensics laboratory in Heredia to determine an official cause of death.

According to the statement, officers from the Santa Cruz OIJ office had to scare off at least four crocodiles before they could safely remove the body from the river.

OIJ said that the man appeared to be between 55 and 65 years old and of small stature. Authorities added that he appeared to have died 24 to 36 hours ago and was small of stature.

The body was discovered within two weeks of a another gruesome crocodile attack. American crocodiles killed and ate Nicaraguan Omar de Jesús Jirón after he attempted to swim in the Tarcoles River on April 29. Days later, Jirón's head was seen floating in the river. - Tico Times.

Snakes Invade Regent's Canal District In London

There has been an increase in sightings of the Aesculupian around the canal in the last couple of months

A band of foreign snakes that are said to be capable of crushing small children to death are on the loose in North London.

Over the last few weeks, 30 Aesculupian snakes, which can grow up to two metres in length, have been spotted up trees, rooftops and climbing up the drains of houses around the Regent's Canal area.

The snakes that are thought to originate from Yugoslavia have been known to attack small dogs and their numbers now seem to be growing in the capital.

Tales of snakes being spotted around the Regent's Canal area began in the 90s, but it was not until the head keeper of reptiles at London Zoo spotted one that they were confirmed as the Aesculupian.

Since then there have been a number of sightings across and these have increased in frequency over the last couple of months.

This has led to some residents fear that they could start entering houses and causing distress.

Mum-of-three Sylvia Taylor, 33, told the Daily Star: "If they are capable of killing small animals then surely they could constrict small children?"

Aesculupians are known for loving milder temperatures than most other reptiles and usually find their homes along river beds or streams, making Regent's Canal the perfect place for them to live.

There are many theories as to how the snakes first got to living on the banks of Regent's. One popular tale one is that they were released on the quiet by the Inner London Education Authority as part of a secret scientific experiment.

Secret scientific experiment or not, since being introduced to London they have succeeded in making the capital their home and their numbers continue to grow.

While the large snakes have been known to attack small dogs and occasionally babies, they are more adept at feasting on small rodents and birds - so London's pigeons and rats watch out. - Independent.

Bizarre "Octogoat" With EIGHT Legs Born In Croatia

Owner Zoran Paparic holds the animal, which he hopes lives longer than the three
years vets predicted as its maximum lifespan.New York Daily News

According to vets, the animal - born in Kutjevo and owned by Zoran Paparic - likely fused with an underdeveloped twin, resulting in the eight legs, as well as both male and female sex organs. But they aren't sure the kid will live longer than three years, though Paparic hopes to keep it as a pet.

An "octogoat' with eight legs has been born on a Croatian ranch.

The spider-like kid, welcomed into the world earlier this week, also has both male and female sex organs.

Zoran Paparic said he was stunned to see the freak creature after delivering it from mom Sarka on his Kutjevo farm.

"I counted his legs and I thought I was seeing things. Then I called my neighbor to make sure that I am not crazy," he told In Serbia.


WATCH:  "Octogoat".

 


Paparic contacted vets who said the future did not look hopeful for the baby goat, who was born alongside two healthy sisters.

They said the critical period was the first week and that, if it survived that time, it could live for between two to three years.

And they revealed that he probably suffered from the unusual condition after fusing with an undeveloped twin.

Paparic, who says the new arrival is a "miracle of nature," said he hoped the goat survived so he could keep it as a pet. - NY Daily News.

19 Basking Sharks Arrive Off The Coast Of Cornwall, UK

So many basking sharks have already been spotted in British waters that experts are declaring this the best start to shark season in living memory.

A wildlife tour group reported sighting 19 basking sharks up to 25 feet in length last weekend as the eight-tonne travellers begin to arrive off the south west coast.

The animals, which travel to temperate waters and can stay in British regions until October, have been growing in numbers year on year according to The Shark Trust. A total of 266 Basking Shark sightings were reported to the Trust last year as it hopes for an even higher number in 2014.

"To see so many this early has been an absolute honour and it is exciting to consider what the rest of the season may hold for us," said Captain Keith Leeves, a veteran skipper with AK Wildlife Cruises, told the Western Morning News.

"We have been blown away with the size of the sharks too, with several sharks being over 20 feet long, which is something truly special to behold! This has been one of the best starts to a shark season in living memory."

Crew Member Billy Burton said: "Guests have been absolutely blown away by the sightings they have had. There is something awe-inspiring about seeing a 25-foot shark approach you, mouth wide open."

The cruise company has raised concerns about basking sharks, the second biggest fish behind whale sharks, after spotting a number of sharks with chunks missing from their fins. It said the most likely cause for the damage was encounters with boats navigated by negligent skippers and holidaymakers. AK stressed the importance of following the guidelines from the Shark Trust when around the animals.

The swelling numbers led Penzance-based operator Marine Discovery to urge people to be more cautious than normal when on the water around the south west coast.

A spokesman said: "At this time of year basking sharks can be found feeding off the Cornish coast and it's fantastic to see them. However it is important to remember that they need to be approached carefully so as not to disturb their natural behaviour, this feeding time is a crucial part of their yearly cycle.

"If a shark thrashes its tail and dives or stops feeding and dives then it is likely you have disturbed it. If this happens learn from the mistake and try not to repeat it."

Exeter University student Tom Whitlock said he saw four basking sharks, one of three plankton-eating sharks alongside the whale and megamouth sharks, on a recent cruise trip along the coast.

Basking sharks became a protected species in 1998 meaning they cannot be targeted, retained or disturbed in British waters.

A spokesperson for the Shark Trust said: "It may come as a surprise to many, but sharks are a natural part of UK marine fauna; whether native or vagrant, over 30 species of shark, as well as over 16 species of skate and ray, can be found in British waters. However, shark, skate and ray numbers have dropped dramatically in our waters due to the impact of poorly managed fisheries.

"Sightings of sharks are mainly reported in summer months when more people are out on the water and should be treated as a privilege rather than a point of concern. Sharks make an easy target for dramatic headlines but it remains far more dangerous to drive to the beach than to swim in our seas."

British sharks

At least 21 species of shark are resident inhabitants and commonly found around the coasts of Britain all year round, including the Smallspotted Catshark, Porbeagle Shark and Basking Shark, according to The Shark Trust.

Its website says: "Blue Sharks and Shortfin Mako Sharks are seasonal visitors, appearing in British waters in summer during their trans-Atlantic migrations. A few species, Smooth Hammerhead and Frilled Shark may be vagrants, occurring infrequently off the British coast, with their main distribution ranges being outside British waters. At least 11 shark species, including the Portuguese Dogfish, Black Dogfish, Kitefin Shark and Gulper Sharks are only found in deep water." - Independent.

EXTREME WEATHER: Storms Sweep Across U.S. Great Plains - Bringing Strong Winds, Tornadoes, And Deluge Of Rain!

May 09, 2014 - GREAT PLAINS, UNITED STATES -  Thunderstorms are moving across the Plains, bringing strong winds and tornadoes and prompting a high-water rescue of five children.

A young boy is carried by a rescue worker as Dallas Police and Fire Department members take part in a high water rescue
near Glen Oaks and Brook Valley in Dallas, Texas. on Thursday, May 8, 2014. According to Dallas police, a group of
students who were skipping school were trapped in a drainage tunnel along a tributary of Woody Branch. Dallas
Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said the five teenagers rescued from the water were skipping school.
All five teens were taken to Children’s Medical Center and were “awake and alert.”
Associated Press/The Dallas Morning News, Michael Ainsworth

Dallas police say emergency workers rescued five boys after they became trapped Thursday morning by rising waters. They were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Near Joshua, Texas, high winds destroyed a mobile home. Authorities say a mother and child were injured.

Winds reached up to 70 mph Thursday afternoon in parts of Dallas, toppling large trees, tearing holes in warehouse roofs and peeling away the front wall of a church. Dallas Area Rapid Transit suspended light rail service along its northern routes until the storm passed.

In South Dakota, the National Weather Service says quarter-size hail was reported. Several tornadoes were reported in Minnesota, but no major damage or injuries.

Source: Associated Press   - FOX News.

RATTLE & HUM: "We Just Haven't Been Able to Find Anything Yet" - Source Of Loud Booms In Lakeland, Florida Is Still A Mystery?!

May 09, 2014 - FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - The two loud booms that shook Jessica Creel's Bartow home Wednesday morning sounded just like the sonic booms from the space shuttle.

Residents from the area explain the loud noise they heard from their house this morning.

But no one seems able to explain what caused people in three counties to hear the booms about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Deputies at first thought it might have been from a farm shooting off a cannon to scare birds away. The migratory cedar waxwing birds love blueberries and some farmers resort to small cannons to shoo them. The Polk County Sheriff's Office often gets complaints of booms in South Lakeland that come from a cannon at a blueberry farm there. But that wouldn't explain why the booms were heard in Polk as well as Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

Some thought it might have been from some type of military maneuver, but MacDill Air Force Base said it wasn't them. Officials there said they had checked with NASA, too. Not them either.

"We just haven't been able to find anything yet," said Sgt. Brandon Shapiro, a public affairs officer for the 6th Air Mobility Wing stationed at MacDill.

No weather conditions could have caused it, said Rodney Wynn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin.

"The only thing that causes booms in weather is thunderstorms and there definitely wasn't any thunderstorms around here at that time," Wynn said.

It also wasn't an earthquake. The United States Geological Survey did not register an earthquake in Florida, according to USGS spokeswoman Marisa Lubeck,

A Florida Geological Survey spokeswoman also couldn't explain it.

Officials in at least three counties were contacted by residents worried about the noise - 25 people called in Pasco alone. The Polk County Sheriff's Office only received one call. But even more turned to social media to discuss the mysterious booms.

Imaginations started to run wild.

So what does Creel, 32, think happened?

"I don't know," she said. "All I know is I didn't do it."  - The Ledger.