Rare Display: Leaping Manta Rays
dailymail - They could be mistaken for strange-looking birds but these creatures are actually manta rays, leaping a staggering nine feet in the air.
The plucky animals, which measure just over three feet wide, demonstrate their acrobatic skills by bursting out of the water.
Once airborne they to flap their impressive fins in what looks like an attempt to fly.
And, if they're feeling particularly playful, some even manage a somersault before plummeting back into the water with an impressive splash.
Photographers Roland and Julia Seitre captured the spectacle off the coast of Costa Rica, Central America.
The French couple had sailed six miles out to sea in the hope of catching sight of some whales but were also treated to this extraordinary rare acrobatic display.
Mr Seitre said: 'The males jumped clear out of the water, up to three metres [9ft] high.
'They flapped their wings during the few seconds of flight, before hitting the surface with a loud banging noise.
'Some think it is a way to attract female attention as we saw pairs close by.
'Numerous males take off and land one after another.
'The bangs are so loud it's like you're being close to a hunting party with guns.
'Occasionally one seems to have even more fun by doing a somersault.
'This kind of behaviour is extremely unpredictable and incredibly rare to witness.
'We were so lucky, it was a complete coincidence that we were there in the first place.'
He added: 'These manta rays are beautiful.
'Their large wing-shaped bodies and slow motion make them excellent sea gliders.
'They not only impress with their size but also with their very elegant flight into the blue oceans.'
The manta ray is the largest of the all the rays.
They can grow up to 25ft across and weigh around 5,100lb.
Graceful: Looking as though it's flapping its 'wings' the amazing animal leaps through the air
Graceful: Looking as though it's flapping its 'wings' the amazing animal leaps through the air
The species are found in tropical waters and feed mostly on plankton, which is filtered into their bodies through their gills as swim.
Perfectly stream-lined for gliding through the water, the manta ray can reach speeds of up to 7mph.
They are often spotted swimming with divers and will sometimes surface alongside boats.
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New World's Smallest Man
orange - A 40-year-old from a village in south west China is hoping to claim the title of world's shortest man.
At just 76cm (just under two foot, six inches) Huang Kaiquan is only 1.4cm higher than previous record holder He Pingping, who died in March aged 21.
Huang, who smokes heavily and is a former magician, is the height and weight of an average three year old.
In Sanjiang village, Huang is known to locals as 'Short Brother'. He still lives with his mother Cheng.
She said: "He didn't grow at all one month after birth. We thought it's just late development and didn't pay enough attention.
"When Huang was three, he still wore the clothes of a one-year-old. It was then we noticed his unusualness."
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Zebra, Donkey Hybrid Born in Georgia
gainesville - In all his years running the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve, C.W. Wathen has never seen it happen. But five days ago, a zedonk was born.“The animals have been running (in the fields) together for more than 40 years, but this is the first time that this has happened here,” said Wathen, the preserve’s founder and general manager. “We never suspected that they (had mated), so it was quite a surprise when the zedonk was born.”
The animal is a mix between a zebra and donkey. With black stripes prominently displayed on her legs and face, her zebra heritage is readily apparent, but her slender face and spindly legs are more donkeylike.
“White tigers are more of our calling card, but this is one of the most unique animals that has ever been born here,” Wathen said.
While she was born to a donkey mother, the baby zedonk’s instincts are all zebra.
“Usually, a foal will lay over on its side, sunning itself,” Wathen said. “But the zedonk sits up at all time — like she’s on alert looking out for predators. She’s still got some of her wild instincts.”
Although it’s uncommon for donkeys and zebras to mate, it isn’t unheard of. In 2005, a zebra gave birth to a zedonk in Barbados, according to the news website, Science Daily. And in the 1970s, three zedonks were born at a European zoo to a donkey mother, according to the Colchester Zoo’s website.
In about two weeks, the 5-day-old zedonk will begin roaming the property with the rest of the animals — including a camel, a donkey sibling, her zebra father and a 40-year-old miniature donkey.
Once the zedonk gets a little older, Wathen said she’ll be able to go out for off-site visits like some of the other animals on the preserve.
“The kids (visiting the preserve) have been going crazy about the zedonk,” he said.
Other animals on the 25-acre nonprofit preserve include giant tortoises, colorful macaws, white tigers, black leopards and a 2-month-old wolf.
“We keep all the animals fed really well, so a lot of the animals that would normally be predators in the wild run together in the same areas here,” Wathen said. “In the wild they are competing for food, but here they don’t have to compete, so there’s no fighting.”
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Baby Drowns After Baptism in Moldova
ninemsn - A priest in eastern Europe has been accused of drowning a baby boy as he baptised him.
Police are investigating Father Valentin for accidential homicide after witnesses at the ceremony said the priest did not cover the baby's mouth during the ritual, The Sun newspaper reports.
Father Valentin had denied being responsible for the baby's death during the baptism in Moldova.
The six-week-old baby died on the way to hospital and an autopsy found he had drowned, the baby's dad Dumitru Gaidau told Romania's Publica TV.
Mr Gaidau, 36, said his son was clearly in distress during the ceremony.
"He couldn't inhale, his face turned blue and he was foaming at the mouth. He [the priest] said we should not interrupt this their ritual," he said.
"We couldn't believe it that he just put his hand over his belly and over the head and submerged him three times in the water."
Water was found in the baby's lungs.
The baby's godmother, Aliona Vacarciuc, said the baby had been crying as the priest submerged him in the water.
"We couldn't believe it but we thought the priest must know what he's doing, but he didn't. When we got him back there was nothing that could be done anymore," The Sun quoted her as saying.
When the baby's angry relatives confronted the priest, he told them he knew what he was doing and was experienced at baptisms, Ms Vacarciuc said.
If found guilty of accidental homicide, Father Valentin could spend three years in jail.
Click for video
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Man Killed Wife During Exorcism
oaoa - For the past 29 months, Jan David Clark has sat in an isolation cell in the Ector County Detention Center wondering how things could have gone so awry.
Though he admits to killing his wife during an attempted exorcism in February 2008, he maintains he never intended to harm the woman he “loved and spoiled” for 17 years.
“That was not a willing thing that took place,” Clark, 63, recalled in a jailhouse interview Tuesday. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s still a supernatural thing.”
After more than two years of delays, Clark is scheduled to be tried this fall on murder charges in connection with the death of 59-year-old Susan K. Clark. About two dozen subpoenas were mailed Tuesday to various investigators and law enforcement officials, ordering them to appear for trial Sept. 13 in Judge Stacy Trotter’s 244th District Court.
Clark was unaware of the trial date before the interview but said he is more than ready. “I’ve waited long enough,” he said, adding he has not ruled out testifying in his own defense.
Authorities say Clark killed his wife in their Ferguson Avenue home in West Odessa. According to court filings, Clark told investigators he held his wife’s face to the floor of their bathroom when the exorcized spirit from her body entered his, causing him to kill his wife.
Investigators found Susan Clark wrapped in a bed sheet on her back with a cross and a sword atop her body. Preliminary autopsy results revealed she had been suffocated, court documents show.
Clark said he regrets attempting the exorcism alone, noting a group effort would have been more appropriate.
“My intention was to confront a demon I thought she had,” Clark said. “I had a pretty arrogant attitude about the whole thing.”
Clark acknowledged Tuesday that he did not have “all my oars in the water” at the time of his arrest. But he insisted that murder is the wrong charge because he “did not willingly” kill his wife.
“That ain’t right,” Clark said of the murder charge. “Never has been.”
Asked whether he should be accountable for his wife’s death, Clark said he feels he has already paid his penance by spending more than two years behind bars.
“I feel like I have been held accountable already,” Clark said.
Clark said he has bided his time by watching television and reading his Bible. Sgt. Gary Duesler of the Ector County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Clark has been held in “separation” because “we don’t want him around other people.”
“The man allegedly committed a heinous crime,” Duesler said.
Clark’s defense attorney, Lawrence Barber of Odessa, declined to comment on the case. District Attorney Bobby Bland, who is trying the case for the state, also declined to comment.
Over the past several months, Clark said he has grown accustomed to isolation. He said Tuesday he wouldn’t join general population even if given the chance. His only complaints are the quality of the food and the temperature of his cell.
“You could hang meat in my cell,” Clark said with a laugh.
Fortean / Oddball News - 7/29/2010
