An enormous dinosaur species found in Australia, a mermaid blamed for tragedies in Jamaica, and an eerie ghost encounter n Singapore are among the strange, unusual, and enlightening stories to cross our desk this week.
While it may seem as if mermaids in the modern age are merely fodder for entertainment fare, the iconic aquatic creatures remain a very real part of local folklore in some parts of the world. Such is the case in the Jamaican town of Bog Walk, where residents attributed a pair of recent deaths to a bloodthirsty being long said to lurk in the waters of a river running through the community. Tales of the troubling mermaid have circulated among people living in the area for decades after a fisherman was said to have perished when he encountered the entity. Alas, the two fatal incidents earlier this month have revived the rumor and led to many residents becoming fearful of falling victim to the creature.
A pair of decidedly different ancient creatures popped up in the news this week by way of some fascinating scientific studies. First, in Australia, researchers confirmed the discovery of an enormous new species of dinosaur that measured a staggering 98 feet long and 21 feet tall. Dubbed Australotitan cooperensis, the monstrous creature likely roamed the Earth around 92-96 million years ago. Meanwhile, in Russia, scientists revived a multicellular animal that had been frozen in permafrost for a jaw-dropping 24,000 years. Amazingly, the microscopic bdelloid rotifer not only managed to survive the intense cold for thousands of years, but actually began asexually reproducing shortly after it had been brought back to life.
This past week our radar picked up a particularly spooky story out of Singapore, where a woman jogging in a notoriously haunted park had an encounter with an eerie stranger that some suspect was a ghost. Nur Umairah had been out for a run through Pasir Ris Park at around 9:40 PM on Tuesday evening when she noticed a mysterious woman sitting on a bench in the pitch black darkness of night. Unnerved by the inexplicable presence, Umairah snapped a quick photo as she jogged past the stranger and, chillingly, soon began hearing a mysterious voice that was calling out her name. As one might imagine, the terrified jogger picked up her pace and fled the area as fast as possible.
For more strange and unusual stories from the past week, check out the Coast to Coast AM website.