From a mystery creature washed up on shore; to a strange shark sighting; this is Trending Tuesday!\r
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Tattooed Fish\r
Tattoos seem to be everywhere these days -- most often on people. But some weird pictures of a blue marlin caught in the Philippines … appeared to show the huge fish was covered in tattoos! You can see the intricate designs in the photo … admittedly they look pretty elaborate even for a human, let alone a fish (1, 2). When pictures of the 6.5 foot animal surfaced online last week, there was speculation that the impressive patterns were the result of alien ivity. With many people suggesting the marling itself was an ET. But while the elaborate extraterrestrial theories were entertaining, it was the fisherman himself who provided the ual reason for the critters unusual appearance: The strange symbols ually came from a t-shirt the man had used to wrap the marlin.. Experts say that the patterns were transferred to the fishs body, through a chemical reion between its slimy skin and the fabric print … giving it the appearance of tattoos. \r
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Dancing Gorilla\r
Maybe youve heard of dancing bears … but dancing apes? Not so much. Well, a gorilla named Kionda has been seen putting on some moves that many have described as ballet-like. The 15-year-old great ape has been putting on some great performances for visitors at the Paignton Zoo in Devon in the UK. In the photos, you can see how Kionda strikes some graceful poses as he seems to pirouette through the air of his enclosure (#1,3). Another picture features the gorilla in a reflective position that some onlookers though had a Shakespearean quality (2). Zoo staff says the big guy likes to accentuate his performances by throwing around tufts of grass while he busts his ballet moves … all to the greater enjoyment of onlookers. Even though Kionda is light on his feet, he still weighs more than 400 pounds (186 kilos) … which would make him too hefty to be the next Baryshnikov. \r
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Mystery Beast\r
So heres that story about the giant sea creature we mentioned at the top. The carcass of a beast measuring more than 49 feet (15 meters) washed ashore in Indonesia. Measuring several feet wide, the mysterious sea creature was discovered on the remote Seram Island … Locals initially mistook it for a boat. It looks immense compared to some onlookers who are standing in the water looking at it (1). Other pictures display what appears to be a grayish, globular mass thats sitting in the water (2) … and another angle shows a local observing the same strange mass … but this picture appears to show blood gathered about the carcass (3). The creature was thought to have been dead for about three days before being discovered. Experts still arent sure what type of animal the carcass belonged to … but some guesses include a giant squid, or possibly a whale. What do you think?\r
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Zombie Fox\r
If you follow Crypto Fun Friday, you know that the chupacabra will make an occasional appearance. Heres a story that could almost serve as a real-life encounter with that legendary cryptid. The incident happened in Russia. A man was attacked by a blood-soaked animal at his house as he tried to back away and shut the front door. He managed to capture footage of the beast with his mobile phone. And in some stills, you can see how the reddish-furred animal does resemble a fox … and its face appears to be covered in blood (1). It also appears to have a vacant, glassy-eyed look … That becomes apparent in some scary close-ups where you can see the animals eye and snout wedged in the doorway (2) … And then you can see the creatures long fangs and claws as it tries to rip through the wood! (3). The bloody animal finally gave up and moved on to other prey. What could have caused its aggressive behavior?\r
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Bottoms Up Shark\r
Footage captured by a drone revealed the 25 foot carcass of a shark floating belly side up on the shoreline of Cornwall in the UK. You can see the creature floating there in the water as an onlooker appears to be examining the scene … no doubt trying to figure out just what type of shark it is. The picture was taken by Matthew Facey, who was there to take pictures of the Cornish coast (1). Marine experts tend to agree the animal was a basking shark … the largest fish known in British waters, and can reach lengths up to 40 feet.. The whitish gray coloration is caused by decomposition …which suggests the animal had already died prior to washing ashore. A search team is being dispatched to positively identify the impressive specimen.