The monster of Billings Dam

The plate warns: Warning. Anaconda. Traffic Interrupted. Photo: Ernesto Rodrigues/AE

São Paulo state – In the metropolitan area of Grajau, Parque Residencial Lagos (Residential Park Lakes), on the banks of the Billings reservoir a snake more than 5 meters in length is scaring the 1,2 thousands of families living on site. The monster, an "Anaconda", better known in English as "Anaconda"(probably a Eunectes murinus) is considered one of the largest and most robust amid all snakes in the world.

For now, she only managed to attack animals from small to medium size, such as capybaras, chickens and ducks, but nothing prevents that she can to capture a human being, especially the smaller, such as children and adolescents.

President of the Association of Friends of the Park, Mrs. Vera Lucia baseline, 61 years (in 2011) account: This is a monster. It sticks his head out of the water and then, dives, lifting gigantic tail. Even a dog, she eaten. In the main pier of the park, a plate that was placed warns – Danger: Anaconda. Herself Basali identified the animal: I was born in Mato Grosso. This snake appears there only in the Amazon ... (but this is the anaconda pilgrim of Grajaú ...).

For unknown reasons, far from its original environment, the Anaconda found a home in Billings Dam and nobody knows how the animal got there. Amid the mystery surrounding the origin of the creature, have appeared different versions of its presence in the area.

The tongue of the people puts the blame on an unidentified Japanese. He would have taken the snake to Grajaú and began to create it. Finally, he decided to put it in the pond. The time of appearance of the snake in the water is also controversial: the majority says that it appeared about 20 days but Mrs. Janet Marques da Silva, 53, says: There is talk on this snake since 2003. Mrs. Silva believes that the snake has even some offspring: Ten, at least, the oldest to have about ten years now.

The young marketer Elanes Santos Moreira, 16, was almost a victim of the monster. Even alerted he gone to fish in the Dam. He reports: Suddenly, it appeared, put his head above water. I felt blood to fled of my face.

Mrs. Basali even tells that tried to photograph the creature but complains of fatigue, because of the vigil, day and night. Still not got the picture and describe: She's too ugly. His head has the size of a ball handball. Informed, the firemen were on standby to try to capture the animal. But the beast is unpredictable and only with a patient ambush, will can surprise the creature. Let us follow the case and await a flagrant photo of the monster of the Billings Reservoir.

SOURCE: SAMPAIO, Paulo. Grajaú tem também seu monstro do lago Ness.
IN Estadão/SP, published in 05/01/2011
[http://www.estadao.com.br/estadaodehoje/20110501/not_imp713261,0.php]

Termites, these damn termites

Photo: AP

TAIWAN – A forestry expert that is investigating what caused a train accident in Taiwan said termites, slowly, had been digging a hole in a centennial tree, causing her to fall and crush the train.

The disaster that happened on Wednesday (04/27/2011) caused five deaths near the tourist area of Alishan Mountain were Chinese tourists. Dozens of people were injured.

During the inspection conducted, the expert Wang Ya-nan said that the hole left by termites was hiding, and that the tree fell at a unhappy moment.

Authorities said the driver stopped the train's composition after the wagon be reached by the tree but the huge branches, by hitting other cars on the train, provoked the increase of the tragedy.

SOURCE: Cupins causam acidente ferroviário em Taiwan.
IN Último Segundo/IG, published in 04/29/2011
[http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/ciencia/meioambiente/cupins+causam+acidente+ferroviario+em+taiwan/n1300119918972.html]

The Giant Scorpions

Paleontology – Analyses performed on the fossil of a giant scorpion 417 million years old, a species extinct (thank goodness!) revealed traces of a substance called chitin in the exoskeleton of the creature. This finding demonstrates something that until now was considered impossible: The age of the chitin found, is several hundred million years older than what was considered the maximum possible in terms of conservation of this material.

The discovery was made ​​by a team of scientists led by George Cody of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Analyses were conducted at the ALS (Advanced Light Source) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California

The work of these experts contradicts the classical idea that the organic material can not be mantained for so long because it would be decomposed by microorganisms. However, scientists have found a fibrous mesh of chitin in the fóssil. Chitin is a polysaccharide rich in nitrogen.

Some species of these huge animals had reached over two meters in length. Chitin was also found in younger fossils, like a scorpion 310 million of years and even others, with 25 million years. The size of the giants scorpions is a frightening demonstration that in the past, arachnids, insects, crustaceans and other creatures were much larger than today. It is known that Eurypterids are aquatic ancestors (and extinct) of land scorpions and possibly of all arachnids of today.

SORCE: Detectan vestigios de quitina en el fósil de un aterrador escorpión gigante.
IN NCYT, published in 04/11/2011
[http://noticiasdelaciencia.com/not/862/detectan_vestigios_de_quitina_en_el_fosil_de_un_aterrador_escorpion_gigante/]

Mutant tadpole

PARÁ state – In Uruará location, near the city of "Porto dos Milagres"a fisherman known as "Neuzito" captured in his fishing net a strange creature. Its head and tail seem like of a fish. Where there should be fins, there are the legs of a frog.

The fisherman, intrigued, said that never saw similar animal. It measures around 30 centimeters and called attention of the local dwellers that gathered to see it. His limbs doesn't has fingers. It doesn't has gills too. The photo of him was published at the Tapajós TV website and it hoped the help of readers to indentify the animal.

SOURCE: Pescador captura estranho animal em Uruará, no Pará.
IN O Globo, published in 04/27/2011
[http://oglobo.globo.com/cidades/mat/2011/04/27/pescador-captura-estranho-animal-em-uruara-no-para-924330022.asp]

The enchanter of buffalos

See the video in Zero Hora

RIO GRANDE DO SUL – At General Câmara city, Vale do rio Pardo region, the cattle breeder Antonio Carlos Trierweiler, 47 years old (2011), owner of the Site of the Buffalos, has a poetic manner to conduce his flock. Without trumpets or horses, he uses only one violin to gather the herd.

Like the flutist of the Hamelin had the power to attract children and rats with his instrument, Mr.Trierweiler does the same with their portentous animals.

Besides being a lawyer, the cattle breeder, is also veterinarian and amateur musician. He played piano until an accident injured his right hand. After this he could not more to play the instrument. Then, learned to play guitar. Established as cattle breeder, when he were with 37 years, discovered violin.

In 1997, he was practicing on the balcony of his house when noticed the interest of the buffalos. That day, for the first time the animals begun to reunite themselves. They were atracted by the melody. Those huge animals were enchanted by the music. One song in particular: Amazing Grace, the repertoire of Elvis Presley.

SOURCE: Pecuarista usa o som do violino para atrair búfalos no Vale do Rio Pardo.
IN Zero Hora/Clirbs – published in 08/05/2010
[http://zerohora.clicrbs.com.br/zerohora/jsp/default.jspuf=1&local=1&newsID=a2898373.xml&channel=13&tipo=1§ion=Geral]

Brazil: two-headed calf

RONDÔNIA – In rural zone of the town of Monte Negro, at Wednesday, December 15, a calf female was born with two heads. The animal has also, proportionately, four eyes, two mouths and four ears. It can move the heads but it can not stand up because of the weight of the heads. The bicephalous calf is fed with baby bottles and uses its two mouths with syncronicity.

SOURCE: MONTE NEGRO – Bezerra de duas cabeças nasce em fazenda.
IN Rondônia Ao Vivo – published in 12/17/2010
[http://www.rondoniaovivo.com/noticias/monte-negro-bezerra-de-duas-cabecas-nasce-em-fazenda-fotos/70843]