23 Sienkiewicza, Wrocław, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland.
[Top image found here; Google Maps street view here. h/t Jaime G.]
Tag: giant
90 Minute Floater
Doug the Potato
New Zealand couple Colin and Donna Craig-Brown discovered a huge potato they named Doug on their farm in Hamilton. But they had no idea the monster root was there, as it was found in a cucumber patch. Donna said, “We couldn’t believe it. It was just huge, but with an ugly look.”
The official weigh-in at a local farm shop showed a weight of 7.8 kg (17 lb 2 oz). The Guinness World Record currently holds the heaviest potato in 2011, Spudzilla from Northampton, which weighed 4.9 kg (10 lb 8 oz).
The couple say they have applied to the Guinness Book of World Records for Doug to be recognized and are waiting for a response. In the weeks since they were discovered on August 30 [2021], the potatoes have become something of a celebrity. Colin even built a small cart to carry the tuber with him.
[Images found here. Caption via google translate.
Somewhat related post here.]
Holiday Trains
The Duke Energy Trains include more than 300 rail cars and 60 locomotives steaming through a custom-made city that features local landmarks Union Terminal, Paul Brown Stadium and the Roebling Bridge. The train show debuted in 1946 and historic train layouts are also on display.
The Duke Energy Holiday Trains is on view at the Cincinnati Museum Center through Jan. 3, 2021.
[Image & story here. More here.]
Giant Woolly Bear Caterpillars: They’re Multiplying.
In December 2007 we broke this news story (image above) and the main-stream media ignored it. Some commenters here dismissed it as absurd lies and #fakenews, while others provided first-hand accounts and evidence. Suddenly and without warning, a cryptic hint about new evidence appeared recently:
We contacted Ms. Ally because we just had to. It was well worth it: apparently the rare Giant Woolly Bear caterpillars are infesting parks throughout the US northeast, and she provided an original un-enhanced photo to prove it.
Ms. Ally did not return requests for specifics, i.e. location, number, unusual behavior, mating songs or personal hygiene, but we will update this post with further information when/if it becomes available.
[Original post & comments here.]
The .Gif Post No. 563 – Merry Leaping Piglets, Santa Claus Wearing A Pigeon Mask While Sitting On An Ostrich Christmas Tree Decoration & Michael Jordan As Compared To A Giant Cow
Bigass Ammonite Fossil is not a Bigass Ammonite Fossil
Yep, that looks like a bigass prehistoric ammonite fossil, and it’s not a snail fossil as the caption states.
Ammonites are perhaps the most widely known fossil, possessing the typically ribbed spiral-form shell as pictured above. These creatures lived in the seas between 240 – 65 million years ago, when they became extinct along with the dinosaurs. The name ‘ammonite’ (usually lower-case) originates from the Greek Ram-horned god called Ammon. Ammonites belong to a group of predators known as cephalopods, which includes their living relatives the octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus [via].
I found the top image (with the erroneous caption) in here, and wondered about the story behind it. Since fossils are typically embedded in rock and I didn’t see any hole or excavation, something seemed off.
Ammonite fossils are common, but are rarely larger than about 9 inches in diameter. Sure, some larger species have been found, but why wasn’t this one encased in plaster, crated up and shipped to an archeological museum? How could something so heavy and brittle stay in one piece while being tilted up? How could four guys lift it, let alone one?
A Tineye search brought me to the source – a 2005 documentary filmed in Lyme Regis, England for the BBC series “Journey of Life.”
“This giant ammonite was actually a replica that we used to show how big ammonites could grow. Made of polystyrene it squeaked as we rolled it down the beach. The look of gob-smack on the faces of Jurassic Coast fossil collectors was priceless!”
Paul Williams, 3 September 2013.
This “fossil” was a prop, and it had a cameo role in Episode 1: Seas of Life.
[Full story with photos here.]
Perhaps you’re wondering why I suddenly found an interest in large fabricated ammonite fossils. It’s because I saw that top picture and wanted to do this with it:
The .Gif Friday Post No. 387 – Foldytown, Catwalk & Silo Man
Paul Bunyan – Retired
The real Paul Bunyan [found here].
Tacky Raccoons 