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littlepawz · 6 months

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Harpy eagle, the largest eagle in the world looks like a person in a bird costume, but judging by the size of his talons, I wouldn't want to make fun of him face to face. They live primarily in the upper canopy layer of tropical lowland forest and are considered "endangered species" in Central America due to the rapid decline in their numbers as a result of deforestation. Less than 50,000 of them can be seen over the world.

Harpy eagles have a hearty appetite and enjoy munching on a variety of monkeys, tree porcupines, sloths, coatis, birds, snakes, and lizards.

#harpy eagle #birds #birds of prey #largest birds #largest eagle #endangered species #goofy looking birds #huge talons #no handshake please #scary claws #wildlife #wild animals #nature #wow #bird lovers #birdwatching #birding

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danielnelsen · 3 months

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anon who asked about chasind headcanons, i am not ignoring you, that is actually step 3 of my current project:

gather all chasind lore in existence

organise it into something coherent

fill in the gaps

unfortunately i have been on step 1 for about 2 weeks and it is currently a 130 page document and will still take a while to finish

but i am getting there!!! and i have formed many headcanons in the process about all kinds of things

#personal #da #don’t get excited about 130 pages of chasind lore. that’s not actually what it is #i’ve included anything on the avvar and the early alamarri and clayne #and the largest category is obviously the avvar (esp from dai)#but it’s coming along #i’m currently going through game dialogue which i was Dreading but it’s not too bad #i’m not gonna do da2 because i would have to go through each file and map the individual lines. nope!#just gonna go through some of mota (cahir is chasind) and ctrl-f through the talktable for the rest of the game #and i’m considering skipping dai altogether because……like when tf would the chasind be mentioned. bioware forgot they exist in dai #they get one codex entry for the skyhold decorations and that’s it #even the fallow mire has avvar instead even tho it’s BASICALLY IN CHASIND TERRITORY #devastating that so many of the avvar files are labeled chasind. like they were gonna be there and then they got replaced #look i don’t dislike the avvar at all but they are very much the favourite child and i resent that #anyway. all i have left is some other in-game text (quests mostly; which aren’t gonna give me much)#(i’ve already done codex entries and notes and item descriptions)#and a few things that i’ve skipped because i was getting sick of them: two avvar-related ttrpg adventures (where eagles lair & buried pasts)#and one novel (the calling. also something that has avvar stuff rather than chasind stuff)#where eagles lair is the most important one of those to actually go through because it goes in-depth on avvar culture #and since there’s very little actual chasind lore i’m basing some ideas on avvar stuff because they evolved from the same culture

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fishareglorious · 2 years

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for the ask game:

would you ever go skydiving?

what’s your favorite type of bird?

do you have any pets?

-I don't think i'd ever go skydiving even if someone paid for it, because I get quite uncomfortable with tall heights

-Tough question, but i'll go with harpy eagles. They look pretty cool. Unless they're looking at you face-to-face, in which they look really fucking derpy in my opinion

-In fact I do! I have a cat named Homer and he stole a rug and ran away with it outside this morning.

#fish asks #harpy eagles look very regal and are one of the largest raptor birds but if they look at you like that they look.. like that #oh yeah little man homer drools everywhere. beware slippers because there's chance they'll be covered in drool if you leave them unattended

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bethanythebogwitch · 3 months

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I heard it's Superb Owl Sunday so I have prepared some superb owls for you.

The barn owl is the most widespread species of owl, living on every continent except Antarctica. Their faces are shaped like a disk to help their hearing, giving them some of the best hearing of any owl. They mostly hunt by sound.

Snowy owls are the largest arctic predatory birds, They are born with black feathers and get whiter as they age. Females usually have more dark feathers than males.

Eastern screech owls have a few feather variants that make them look like completely different species.

The southern white-faced owl can increase its metabolic rate during winter to compensate for the cold and lack of food. They lay their eggs in nests built and abandoned by other birds.

The great grey owl is the largest owl by length, but a lot of that is feathers and they're actually very light for their size. Their hearing is good enough to hear rodents burrowing through snow and they can break through hard-packed snow to catch prey.

Blakiston's fish owl is the largest owl by mass and eats mostly fish. Despite the name, they may be more closely related to eagle owls than fish owls.

The elf owl is the smallest owl species, barely larger than a sparrow. They hunt bugs and play dead when caught. They like to live in holes in saguaro cacti.

Burrowing owls live in underground burrows. While they can dig, they mostly take over burrows from other animals. Farmers killing prairie dogs has severely reduced burrowing owl populations. They decorate their burrows with feces to attract bugs to eat.

The barking owl is called that because

youtube

Its nice to have a day to appreciate superb owls. Feel free to spread the love by reblogging with some more owl facts.

#superb owl #superbowl sunday #owl #barn owl #snowy owl #eastern screech owl #southern white-faced owl #great grey owl #blakiston's fish owl #elf owl #burrowing owl #barking owl #animal facts #birds #birds of prey #Youtube

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astaroth1357 · 3 months

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I have long wanted to write a headcanon where high demons have lesser forms, so take a walk with me on this:

Imagine that the brothers are fighting with each other and one of them takes a serious hit, like, somebody's left hook got them right in the jaw and it was brutal. They fall to the ground, stone cold, and... just. Poof into a tiny little critter. Like a verison of their familiar. And they can't retake human form until they've rested and healed their wounds.

I'm doing that.

Lucifer becomes this fat-ass, little peacock. He's like one of those rotund Chocobo from the Final Fantasy universe, you just want to pick him up and squeeze him but he's slightly too heavy for that. His feathers are black, save for the tail which have black, red, blue, and green markings. If something makes him "Poof!" then he'll hide away in the Castle because he refuses to let his brothers ever see him in that state. MC can visit him, though, and he'll coo and get all fluffy whenever they pet his tummy.

Mammon turns into a three-eyed raven, but not fat like Luci. He basically becomes a bigger verison of one of his familiars, he's about the size of an eagle. For being the second strongest he gets "Poof!-ed" rather often because he gets caught up in so many fights. Most of the time, he's just a bystander then some stray shot hits him and suddenly he's squawking everybody's ear off! Hilariously, he's arguably smarter in this form so when he's stuck as a bird, his grades actually improve (if anyone can read his actual chicken scratch penmanship).

Levi becomes a snake. Duh. He has similar markings along his back to the colorful scales on his neck in his demon form. He isn't even the length of your average scarf, so MC can drape him behind their neck easily and he doesn't get in the way. He's absolutely MISERABLE like this, though, because he has no hands to play games with. He can get extra clingy to people if he's feeling cold, but MC has to invite him to share their body heat because he's too shy to signal what he wants.

As much as Satan would love to be a cat, he becomes a little unicorn (Sorry, I didn't make the lore). He's about the size of one of those miniature horses, but don't be fooled. He will snap your kneecaps and he's at perfect height to rear-kick his brothers right in the crotch. His coat is black but his tail, mane, and the underside of his horn are all his signature green. If he every gets "Poof!-ed!" he's big mad, so he'll spend the entire time trying to kick and spear his brothers so they have to suffer along with him. He's the cause of a lot of chain "Poof!-ings."

Asmo becomes the smallest, cutest scorpion you ever did see. Well, as cute as scorpions can be. His whole body becomes hot pink and he has the biggest widdle eyes (think those jumping spiders who wear raindrops on their heads type energy). He's also venomous as all hell, so his brothers HAVE to make sure that they continously call him "small, cute, and adorable" lest they suffer a week's worth of paralytic toxin. He can fit the palm of a hand and makes MC tie a little bow around his tail so he doesn't feel too bad about being under-dressed.

Beel, unfortunately, becomes a fly. A big fly (by fly standards), but a fly nonetheless. You wouldn't even know that it's him if he weren't traffic cone orange. Literally everyone panics when he gets "Poof!-ed" because it would only take some bozo with a swatter to put an end to the sweetest brother... Belphie never lets Beel out of his sight and even has a tiny leash so he can keep track of him if they have to go out. He's a lot easier to feed like this, but everyone has to resist that automatic urge to smack him away from their dinner plates.

Belphie ironically has the largest lesser form out of his brothers. He's a cow, more specifically a bull, but there's nothing special about him aside from the navy fur. He is a full grown bull and he loves to lord it over the others if they all get "Poof-ed!" at once. Also, good luck getting him to do ANYTHING in this form. He is a bull. If he does not want to move, he will not be moving. Not even Beel can carry him like this. He's the only brother who doesn't mind getting "Poof-ed!" all that much because of it.

#couldn't think of a better verb than Poof #stuck with it #obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me headcanons #obey me crack #obey me shitpost

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afeelgoodblog · 10 months

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The Best News of Last Week

1. Arizona governor Ok's over the counter birth control

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) has expanded access to over-the-counter birth control that will “soon be available to Arizonans,” according to a press release.

Arizonans 18 and older will soon be able to go to their local pharmacy and purchase oral contraceptives without a doctor’s prescription.

2. ‘Great news’: EU hails discovery of massive phosphate rock deposit in Norway

A massive underground deposit of high-grade phosphate rock in Norway, pitched as the world’s largest, is big enough to satisfy world demand for fertilisers, solar panels and electric car batteries over the next 50 years, according to the company exploiting the resource. About 90% of the world’s mined phosphate rock is used in agriculture for the production of phosphorous for the fertiliser industry, for which there is currently no substitute.

3. U.S. Is Destroying the Last of Its Once-Vast Chemical Weapons Arsenal

Decades behind its initial schedule, the dangerous job of eliminating the world’s only remaining declared stockpile of lethal chemical munitions will be completed as soon as Friday.

4. Chinese scientists create edible food packaging to replace plastic

By incorporating certain soy proteins into the structure, Chinese University of Hong Kong scientists successfully created edible food packaging.

5. World's 1st 'tooth regrowth' medicine moves toward clinical trials in Japan

A Japanese research team is making progress on the development of a groundbreaking medication that may allow people to grow new teeth, with clinical trials set to begin in July 2024. The tooth regrowth medicine is intended for people who lack a full set of adult teeth due to congenital factors.

6. No Longer Endangered: The Bald Eagle is an Icon of the ESA

When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted in 1973, bald eagle population numbers across the country showed that the species was close to disappearing. Before the ESA, in the 1950s and ‘60s, eagles were shot routinely despite the protection. The ESA listing helped bring public attention to the issue.

Through the early 1970s and into the early ‘80s, numbers increased gradually. Then, as you got into the ‘90s, there was still gradual growth. From the late ‘90s into the 2000s, the population really exploded. There was a doubling rate of every several years or so for a while.

7. Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon drops 34% in first half 2023

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon fell 34% in the first half of 2023, preliminary government data showed on Thursday, hitting its lowest level in four years as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva institutes tougher environmental policies.

Data produced by Brazil's national space research agency Inpe indicated that 2,649 square km (1,023 square miles) of rainforest were cleared in the region in the half year, the lowest for the period since 2019.

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That's it for this week :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation:

Support this newsletter ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog.

#best news of last week

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herpsandbirds · 26 days

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If you take requests, could you share some facts about the Philippine Eagle?

Philippine Eagle aka Monkey-eating Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes, endemic to the forests of the Philppines

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.

While not the largest eagle in terms of weight, they are considered the largest eagle in the world in terms of length and wing surface area.

They are endangered due to loss of habitat (deforestation).

Once considered to be closely related to the Harpy Eagle, DNA analysis concludes that they are actually much more closely related to the Snake Eagles (like the Bataleur).

Despite the nickname, they feed on a wide variety of mid sized animals, like monitor lizards, flying lemurs, small deer, etc, as well as monkeys.

photographs: Shemlongakit, HCruz985, Rich Lindie

#eagle #pithecophaga #accipitridae #accipitriformes #raptor #bird #ornithology #animals #nature #asia

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veveisveryuncool · 3 months

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kine is based off mola mola sunfish, which are about 6ft in size!!therefore i raise you: mola mola sunbathing party!! (+ the slightly more realistic animal friends :DD)

OKAY i did a lot of research on animals for this one!! feel free to read my notes under the cut 👇

kine: is a mola mola/ocean sunfish, specifically from pacific waters! i'm in love with the idea of this six foot behemoth next to all the tiny creatures of dreamland, and as someone with a crippling obsession with fish, i had to draw him :] pacific mola molas match the distinctive petal-shaped clauvus (not a caudal fin!) that kine has, but don't have a lot of iconic lip action, which is why i tried to make it seem like a... discolored snout? molas are typically one color, and the blue color could seem natural from an angle, so let's pretend that real!kine just has lots of cool barnacles.

coo: is taken from @starflungwaddledee's dusky eagle owl notes! they literally look so much like coo it's insanee + i added the stripes to his wings. finding the bird-to-cartoon ratio was kinda hard actually 😭 birds are hard to draw what

rick: is based on a golden hamster (aka syrian hamster)!!! he's exactly the type of hamster you think of when you think of a normal hamster. golden hamsters are technically one of the largest hamsters, but still only stand at about 7 inches— so i decided to use his cartoon logic to keep him somewhat relative to coo

chuchu: SHE'S A FLAPJACK OCTOPUS SHE'S LITERALLY A FLAPJACK OCTOPUS!!!! scientists actually wanted to name the species "adorabilis" and just look them up please they're so cute!!! you can tell that DL3 character designers had flapjack octopi on their minds when they designed her. their fins look similar to a bow, and i obviously couldn't get rid of that, so i gave her both :]]

nago: is a calico cat. he's not overly cartoonish in his game design in regards to how he looks as a cat— he is undeniably a cat. i let my middle school warrior cats obsession take over for that one. calicos are almost always female, so i also raise you trans nago 🫶

pitch: resembles a warbling white eye, according to wikirby. i tend to draw him similar to one anyways, thanks to adeleine's slightly more realistic drawings in the DL3 credits. he's definitely also been sized up to fit in with the rest of the cast, since a 4-inch bird wouldn't exactly be visible.

thanks for listening to my rambles about animals!! i tried to keep a good mix between realism and video game designs just for kicks and giggles, hopefully it doesn't fall into a weird uncanny valley haha :] ✌️

#honestly. i am terrified of molas. would scream if i saw one. anything bigger than a pleco would scare me irl #this is why i stick to fishtank sized fishies lmao #i hope i did my animal research right! pulled up a crap ton of references for these lol (i was the animal facts kid)#kirby series #kirby #veves ultra cool art #kine the fish #rick the hamster #coo the owl #chuchu kirby #pitch kirby #nago the cat #bandana waddle dee #gooey kirby #yeah 😎 i tagged them all #spent a week working on these my pencil is dead

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puzzled-pegasus · 7 months

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more WoF tribe hcs because I feel like it

SandWings often swallow their prey whole like a snake

RainWings, when telling stories, subconsciously change their scales to vaguely match those of the dragons in the story. They find it hard to follow stories told by non-RainWings because they rely somewhat on visual cues. Ex: Kinkajou telling Moon about something Winter said and her scales turning white and blue without her thinking about it.

Dragon wing gestures are something not enough ppl talk about but I love thinking about wing movement as it relates to body language. Wings flared to try to intimidate or to convey excitement, wings swept outward and horizontally to gesture to their surroundings, wings used to point at things, to wave hello or goodbye, RainWing wings outstretched and turned red in a gesture not unlike a middle finger, wings pulled back in shock, wings poised to launch into the air in a fight or flight response when startled, etc etc just WING RELATED BODY LANGUAGE/GESTURES!

SkyWings also 100% have at LEAST 30 rude gestures you can do with ur wings

LeafWings have prehensile tails like RainWings

RainWings as well as IceWings have an incredible ability to right themselves in the air when knocked off balance, kinda like cats lol

SandWings would too bc sandstorms

SandWings are actually really good swimmers

MudWings don't swim but walk along the bottom of the lake/river like a hippo

When RainWings trip on frog poison, their scales turn neon colors

SkyWings have extremely well developed vision and can see insane detail from very far away, like an eagle.

RainWings have courtship dances.

Typically, male RainWings and SkyWings have brighter colors and male SkyWings are more commonly red.

Similarly, blue SeaWings are more commonly male.

HiveWings can be hot pink. (Inspiration from that one kind of grasshopper)

Procreation between NightWings and SeaWings sometimes creates children with bioluminescent black lights.

RainWings can learn to speak Aquatic through scale color changes, though it only works with daylight because their scales are only color changing and not bioluminescent.

SeaWings can get high from pufferfish poison, like dolphins.

SeaWings get sick when they transfer from fresh water to salt water and vice versa, similar to altitude sickness.

SkyWings anatomically have the largest hearts of any tribe. (Ah, the irony)

If they eat too many shrimp or similar seafood, IceWings can turn pink. (It's not cute though, it's often a sign of malnourishment.)

RainWings, LeafWings and NightWings are the only tribes able to eat chocolate without getting sick.

Many NightWings are colorblind, but can see colors in visions of the future.

RainWings can mimick sounds and even voices with bonechilling accuracy.

Pantalan dragons do not have forked tongues.

#wings of fire #wof #wings of fire headcanons

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whereserpentswalk · 3 months

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Your city has captured an angel, it's all chained up with massive chains forged with sea serpent's blood. They caught it long before you were born, when the land was first being colonized by your culture. It's been just a normal part of your city's local culture for your entire life. It's been here for so long; nobody even knows the name of the god who gave it life.

It's a massive angel, with four wings, and the head of an eagle with burning eyes, and a fiery sword in its hand that they were never able to pry away from it even after it was chained. It's a symbol of local civic pride, they sell T-shirts of it and dolls of it in touristy areas, and it's the mascot for almost every local sports team, and most schools. Sometimes it's easy to forget that it's even real.

The angel has been in the largest local building, chained up, for nearly three hundred years now. People come and see it all the time. It used to speak, but it stopped around the time humans could record sound. They say for thirty years it slept, and for thirty years after that it wept, but it doesn't do that anymore, it just looks at everyone, watching and waiting, in an old brick building. Maybe it's judging you and waiting for its god to come.

They say its wings used to glow, and its eyes used to be bright yellow instead of its current fiery orange, you're not sure what that means. Its halo is almost impossible to see now, so faint and ghostly, it used to glow so bright they say ghosts and vampires were repelled from it as if it was the sun, now they swarm it like insects cowering by a flame. It would strike them all away if not for the chains, if it had the strength, if it saw the sun.

Everyone loves the angel. They use its blood and sweat to make medicine and fuel, it's light alone is one of the few renewable sources of energy in the local area. A lot of people think your city went into the industrial revolution early because of it being there. You wonder what other things the angel would have given you, if you had let it sit there willingly. It was born on the hill your city was built on, you don't think it ever would have left, even if it was not in a city ruled by those who believe you have to imprison something to have it.

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stitchy-face · 2 months

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Calibreon Expansion #15 - Gryphon

Somewhat lore, mostly speculative thought about my choices in deign under the cut.

Gryphon are a species of Calibreon that have always remained semi-nebulous in their existence. Thinking about Gryphon as any large massive species never seemed to work because there in my mind wouldn't be enough food to sustain them where I imagined they'd be so I settled for something simpler and more compact.

These medium-sized creatures can be found in northern Talis. Though by nature they are wild, it is possible to tame one for work in hunting results may vary on workmanship with one. They're at largest around the size of an average bobcat and form groups or prides of around 5-8 individuals. While they can fly it's not very long-distance and is ideal for short burst hunts and roosting at night.

Weyr are one of the few species to have constant run-ins with Gryphon. While they won't actively hunt one another sometimes Gryphon will follow a Weyr hunting party and try to snipe their catch from them- typically interactions never get more violent than this. Some Weyr are even clever (or brave) enough to try and tame a Gryphon much like someone would a hawk or eagle for Falconry practices. Gryphon are very tempermental however and may not listen the best- but some have managed.

Gryphon anatomically resembles hawks, smaller eagles, and puma or bobcats. Though the species aren't one-to-one aesthetically pieces of the design influence their colors. They have feather-like "ears" like a Great Horned Owl which they use expressively to communicate silently to one another. They have sharp beaks and teeth- though like other birds they lack the ability to chew so they swallow food in whole chunks.

Their diet mainly consists of but is not limited to small mammals such as deer, sheep, or with group efforts Elk or Bovine. They have also been known to eat fish, insects, birds, turkey and in rare instances they may brave going after wild hog.

#Calibreon #worldbuilding #oc #original character #specbio #speculative biology #art #artwork #illustration #drawing #griffin #fantasy #weyr #werewolf

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monsterfuckerconfessions · 10 months

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Being offered to an entire pack of beast-like demonic creatures; they hunt the land around your town and keep other terrible things at bay, and in exchange each decade willing sacrifices like you are staked out naked and spread-eagled on the ground out at the edge of the wild. You do not care what they do to you, it is worth it to keep everyone you love safe. It is a deal the town has honoured for centuries.

The pack approaches and the largest one pads over to sniff and then bite through the ropes tying you down. When you don't run or struggle it sniffs you too, curious; then it lowers itself on top of you and begins to fuck you relentlessly.

The rest of the pack watch until the largest one is done, and then circle restlessly. You pull yourself to your hands and knees then lower your face to the ground, a pose of utter submission. Two creatures approach in unison, and one flops down on its side in front of you with one leg raised. Obediently you take it's large, odd-shaped cock into your mouth and deep throat it as best you can while its friend mounts you from behind.

After those two they all want a turn, and scuffle and snarl to get in next but are strangely careful about only taking you one or two at a time. They use you in turn until you are barely conscious, their seed leaking down your legs and your body shaking, and when they are done you tilt your head back and bare your throat so one of them can finish the ritual with teeth or claws.

It does not happen. Instead, you black out and wake curled up in a large, beautiful cave filled with bursting flowers and plants you've never seen before, and the ground scattered carelessly with jewels and gold that look like a single piece would be worth more than your entire town. You are nestled between warm, sleeping creatures and from the feel of it have been licked more or less clean.

The largest demon-beast approaches with a low growl; behind it walks a seven-foot humanoid with the same glowing eyes, the same ursine nose and short, rough fur.

"Hello, little one. My pets have taken quite the liking to you. So, what shall we do about that?"

.

#monsterfucker confessions

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i-was-today-years-old-when · 10 months

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i learned what are the most mysterious places in the world

Marree Man – The fact that there is not a single witness to the creation of the Marree Man speaks to the absolute isolation of central South Australia. Somehow in 1998, one person or a group of people were able to create a 2.6-mile long line drawing of an aboriginal hunter, without being seen. In the midst of barren, arid land in South Australia, the Marree Man is the largest geoglyph and work of art in the world. Cut into the harsh landscape with lines over 115 feet wide and one foot deep, the towering Marree Man is easily visible from space. Thirteen years after the Marree Man was discovered during a flyover, little is known about its origin. Although we may never know the true origin of the Marree Man, it is certainly one of most intriguing modern day mysteries.

Chocolate Hills – Bohol Island in the Philippines during the dry season, you might notice what looks like thousands of chocolate kisses protruding from the terrain. These mysterious conical mounds are known as the Chocolate Hills. There are approximately 1,268 individual hills, their heights ranging from 100 to 160 feet, though the highest is almost 400 feet high. The hills, which are almost all symmetrical, consist of grass-covered limestone and turn brown during the dry season. Despite the abundance of hills, it is unclear how they were formed. There are multiple geological explanations ranging from oceanic volcano activity to limestone weathering. Numerous legends and tales also exist to explain the Chocolate Hills.

Giants Nest – In 1949 a geologist named Vadim Kolpakov discovered a large mound of limestone in the north of the Irkutsk region in southeastern Siberia. The cone is curiously shaped with a crater at the top and a small mound in the center. The mound is about 40 meters high and 100 meters across at the base. The smaller mound at the top is about 12 meters high. The crater was named Patomskiy, after a nearby river, but local residents call it “the Fiery Eagle’s Nest”. Since the discovery of the crater, there have been many theories as to what could have created it. For a long time it was believed to be a meteorite impact structure. Some linked it to the Tunguska meteorite, whose remains have never been discovered. But the crater does not resemble any other known meteorite site. Even now, the origin of the crater is not discovered.

Richat Structure – In the midst of vast, vacant Sahara desert, just outside of Ouadane, Mauritania, lies a 30-mile wide geological oddity known the Richat Structure, sometimes called the “Eye of Africa.” From space, this natural curiosity forms a distinct and unmistakable bull’s-eye that once served as a geographical landmark for early astronauts as they passed over the Sahara. Once thought to be an impact crater due to its circularity, the unusual formation is now widely believed to have been caused by the erosion of a geological dome formed by pressure from a bulb of molten magma below.

Plain of Jars – The Plain of Jars is a collection of large stone jars interspersed throughout the Xieng Khouang plain in the Lao Highlands. The stone structures are mostly made of sedimentary rock and, ranging from 3 to 10 feet in height, each can weigh up to 14 tons. To date, the origin of the jars is unknown, though archaeologists believe that they were originally used between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. Many researchers have theorized that the jars may have once served as funerals urns or food storage. As local Laotian legend would have it, the jars were created by Khun Cheung, an ancient king of giants who lived in the highlands. It is said that Cheung, after fighting a long and victorious battle, created the jars in order to brew huge amounts of celebratory lao lao rice wine.

Giant’s Grave of Coddu Vecchiu – Giant’s or Tomba Dei giganti, are megalithic gallery graves that were used as public tombs during the Bronze Age. The massive gravestones were built by the Nuragic civilization, which existed in Sardinia from the 2nd millennium BCE. to the 2nd century CE. Despite the imaginative name, the sites were not the burial site of any giant; they were giant community burial chambers. Though we know the tombs had a funerary purpose, more questions remain. Little is known about the rituals or traditional beliefs that motivated their construction. Were they mass graves? Were they built to facilitate the journey into the afterlife? Since their existence has yet to be justified by scientific research, they have been credited to the supernatural, which has only increased their mystery. Legend also claims that yes, indeed, these were the tombs of powerful giants.

Zone of Silence – Pilot Francisco Sarabia was flying over a patch of desert land in Mexico when his instruments started to act increasingly odd. The man had to make an emergency landing in the middle of nowhere. Little did he know that this "nowhere" would be later dubbed "The Zone of Silence.” Weird radio silence isn't the only oddity of the creepy Zone. Like, what’s that weird trio that locals keep meeting in the Zone? They’re two men and a woman. Every time people see them, they’re wearing bizarre clothing that isn't suitable for a journey in the desert whatsoever. On top of all that, the Zone of Silence is known as a 50 km patch of deserted land where meteorites come crashing down on an eerily regular basis. On July 11, 1970, the US launched an ATHENA rocket from the Air Force base in Green River, Utah. The rocket was supposed to land somewhere in the area of White Sands in New Mexico. Instead, it went off course and, as if being pulled by some external force, crashed right in the heart of the Zone of Silence.

Michigan Triangle – Stretching from Ludington to Benton Harbor, Michigan and to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the Lake Michigan Triangle has inspired numerous accounts of activity that are difficult to explain by rational thought. The mystery began in 1891, when a schooner named the Thomas Hume set off across the Lake to pick up lumber. Almost overnight in a torrent of wind, the Thomas Hume disappeared along with its crew of seven sailors. The wooden boat was never found. After the turn of the century, strange events happened at steady intervals. Of the more mysterious is the case of the Rosa Belle. In 1921 eleven people inside the ship, who were all members of the Benton Harbor House of David, disappeared and their ship was found overturned and floating in Lake Michigan. While it appeared that the ship had been damaged in a collision, no other ship had reported an accident and no other remains had been found.

Alaska Triangle – The Alaska Triangle is a place in the untouched wilderness where mystery lingers and people go missing at a very high rate. The area began attracting public attention in October 1972, when a small, private plane carrying U.S. House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, Alaska Congressman Nick Begich seemingly vanished into thin air. For more than a month, 50 civilian planes and 40 military aircraft plus dozens of boats, covered a search area of 32,000 square miles, but no trace of the plane, the men, wreckage or debris were ever found. Afterward, more planes went down, hikers went missing, and Alaskan residents and tourists seemed to vanish into thin air. In fact, since 1988, more than 16,000 people have disappeared in the Alaska Triangle, with a missing person rate at more than twice the national average. These disappearances are blamed on everything from severe weather to aliens, to swirling energy vortexes, to an evil shape-shifting demon of Tlingit Indian lore called Kushtaka, with no scientific explanation to the disappearances till today.

The Initiation Well – The Initiation well is 88 feet deep well located on the land of Quinta da Regaleira. Actually, it was used for ceremonial purposes. There is another small well near this well. Both these wells are connected by tunnels. The larger well contains a 27-meter spiral staircase with several small landings and the smaller well contains straight stairs that connect a series of ring-shaped floors to one another. The smaller well is also called the 'Unfinished Well'. The depth of this larger well is equal to the four-storey building, which becomes narrower on going closer to the ground. It is believed that there is some kind of light comes out from the well inside the ground and comes outwards. Surprisingly, there is no system of light inside this well, then where from this light comes, it is the secret. Anyone who comes to visit here, always raises the question of where the light comes from inside the well? Till today this secret is unsolved.

(Image Source : Google)

Thanks for Reading.

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magnetothemagnificent · 2 months

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Why aren't ostriches kosher? A case-study for Kashrut laws

Unlike mammals and fish, the Torah does not provide a list of signs that identify a bird as kosher or non-kosher. Instead, it provides a list of non-kosher birds in Leviticus 11:13-19, and they are:

נֶּ֙שֶׁר֙- Eagle

פֶּ֔רֶס- Vulture (or Kite)

עׇזְנִיָּֽה- Black vulture (or Osprey)

דָּאָ֔ה- Kite (or Kestrel)

אַיָּ֖ה לְמִינָֽהּ- Falcon (or Vulture) of every variety

כׇּל־עֹרֵ֖ב לְמִינֽוֹ- All varieties of Raven

בַּ֣ת הַֽיַּעֲנָ֔ה- Ostrich

תַּחְמָ֖ס- Nighthawk (or Jay, or Goatsucker, or some species of Owl)

שָּׁ֑חַף- Gull (or Sparrow hawk)

נֵּ֖ץ לְמִינֵֽהוּ- Hawks of every variety

כּ֥וֹס- Little owl (or just Owl)

שָּׁלָ֖ךְ- Cormorant (or Gull)

יַּנְשֽׁוּף- Great owl

תִּנְשֶׁ֥מֶת- White owl

קָּאָ֖ת- Pelican (or Starling)

רָחָֽם- Bustard (or Magpie)

חֲסִידָ֔ה- Stork

אֲנָפָ֖ה לְמִינָ֑הּ- Herons of every variety

דּוּכִיפַ֖ת- Hoopoe

עֲטַלֵּֽף- Bat

The Torah repeats this list in Deuteronomy 14:11-18. As you can see, most of the species on this list are uncertain in translation (which is why I offered alternate translations), although you can see the general idea. But, we know 100% that ostrich is explicitly forbidden in the Torah, we don't even need to derive anything. The birds that are kosher are generally regarded as kosher based on unbroken tradition that they are (they are cases of birds no longer being considered kosher by most Jews despite them once being considered kosher, because the tradition was broken, but we'll get to that later).

Of course, there are many more birds species besides those listed, and very early on the Sages figured signs of kosher and non-kosher birds based on the list. First, as you can see, many of the birds on the list are birds of prey, so any birds of prey are automatically non-kosher. That was easy for them to figure out.

But what about anatomical signs?

Well, they figured that out, too. (Chullin 59a)

A bird that claws its prey and eats is non-kosher (such as birds of prey).

A kosher bird has a digit seperated slightler higher behind the other three toes, a crop, and/or a gizzard that has a membrane on the inside that can be peeled. Below is a comparison of raven feet and a parrot's foot, versus duck feet and chicken feet. On the left, the raven and parrot's feet have all their toes branching out of the same level. On the right, the duck and chicken feet's back toe is slightly elevated and seperate from the other toes.

A bird that perches on a wire with two toes in the front and two in the back is non-kosher, as demonstrated below by a close-up of a parrot's feet while perching. You can see that there are only two toes in the front, while the other two are in the back.

So, in order for a bird to be considered kosher, it must not be on the list of non-kosher birds provided in the Torah, must fulfil the anatomical descriptions outlined later by the Sages, and must have a tradition of being kosher.

Israel is the largest consumer of turkey meat per capita. This is because Jews eat a lot of turkey, including kosher-keeping Jews. But.....turkey is a New World bird! How can there be a tradition of turkeys being kosher if the ancient Israelites would have never encountered turkeys???

So this is where it gets even more interesting. When turkey was first introduced to Jews, it became widely popular. It's thought that Jews first started eating it because of its similarity to chicken, and assumed it must be kosher. Eventually, the Rabbis realized they had to make a decision about the status of turkeys. If they ruled turkeys as non-kosher, then all the Jews who had already been eating turkeys would be ruled as eating non-kosher, which y'know as a Rabbi you really don't want to declare a whole bunch of Jews as doing the wrong thing. So, most Rabbis relied on a passage in the Talmud stating that a non-kosher animal cannot become pregnant by kosher animals (Bekhorot 7a). Since turkeys and chickens can hybridize, Rabbis relied on this passage to declare turkeys as kosher. There are still some Jews today that don't regard turkey as kosher, but it is accepted as kosher by the majority of world Jewry and is a very popular meat.

What about peacocks? Well, peafowl are mentioned numerous times in the Tanakh and in Jewish history as being eaten, but today, the Orthodox Union does not certify them as kosher. Peafowl are genetically related to other kosher birds and have all the necessary signs.....but they are no longer considered kosher by major Orthodox opinions. This is because the last record of peafowl being considered kosher and eaten by a Jewish community was in the mid 19th century. The tradition was broken, and therefore peafowl aren't eaten or certified, despite the fact that they technically are kosher.

Now here's where is gets fun- somehow, the distinctions between kosher and non-kosher birds fit really neatly within our modern understanding of bird phylogeny. Most kosher birds fall under the Galliformes (chickens and friends) and Anseriformes (ducks and friends) Orders, which are more closely related to eachother than they are to any other Orders, and make up the Superoder Galloanserae. The only kosher birds that don't fall into that Superorder are pigeons and doves, but pigeons and doves are already considered a little different by the Sages- they're the only birds that can be used as offerings in the Temple. This is yet another example of how well the ancient Jewish animal classifications fit with out modern phylogenetic understanding, it's super cool. Because grebes and gallinules look a lot more similar to ducks than chickens do, but nope, they are not kosher while ducks and chickens are, and indeed, ducks and chickens are more closely related to each other than ducks are related to grebes and gallinules.

So, in conclusion- ostriches aren't kosher because

1) They are listed among the non-kosher birds in the Torah

2) They are missing toes- their toes are not in the configuration outlined in the Talmud, and in fact they only have two very large toes, as you can see below:

3) They do not have a crop (all ratites do not have crops)

Hope you enjoyed this long-winded way of answering why ostriches aren't kosher :)