Monster – Museum of the Weird

Posted on August 27, 2015 by MOTW Admin

Bat looks like something from a horror movie

drawing of a bat with long canine teeth — Artist rendering of the Hypsugo dolichodon

A newly discovered bat is the stuff of nightmares! This article by Mongabay introduces the Long -toothed Pipistrelle or Hypsugo dolichodon that was recently classified in Vietnam. Basically, that’s a mouthful describing a bat with a mouthful! It has enormous teeth, like something from a horror film!

The picture on the right shows an artist rendering of this amazing bat, but you can see the photos in the original article. Why such large teeth? Scientists speculate that these bats feed on beetles and other insects that are a little tougher to get into.

The new classification is the result of 17 years of research. We can imagine that in that time there were plenty of people who told stories of monster-toothed bats who were just not believed. Let us know how this fellow turns out in your nightmares tonight.

Posted on July 28, 2015 by MOTW Admin

Loch Ness monster hunter not giving up

After nearly a quarter of a century, Steve Feltham is still on the hunt for Nessie, the mysterious creature reported to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. A July 16 article in The Times newspaper claimed that Feltham was giving up the search because he had concluded that Nessie is a catfish. (This New York Post version of the story doesn’t require a subscription.)

However, the rumors of the end of his quest are exaggerated. When Fletham spoke to Reuters he said “It’s still a massive world-class mystery. It’s been a life-long passion for me and I’m dedicated to being here and being fully involved in this whole hunt. I couldn’t be more content doing anything else.”

When asked about his catfish theory Feltham replied “At the moment, a Wels catfish ticks more of the boxes than any of the other contenders for the explanation. I would like it to be something new and undiscovered rather than something a little bit mundane. People do report four- or five-feet long necks sticking up out of Loch Ness. That’s not going to be a Wels catfish.”

Steve Feltham walked away from his home, his job and his girlfriend in 1991 to take up residence in a little trailer next to Loch Ness. He keeps watch with a set of powerful binoculars and sells little Nessie sculptures to tourists. What caused him to take such a huge leap in his life? This video from his Nessie Hunter web site tells the story best.

Feltham is the best kind of monster hunter. His dedication and even-headedness on this search is admirable and gives us hope that he will find the truth. Watch how he handles this news reporter.

We’ve talked about Feltham before in these articles from June and July of 2011.

Glad to have you out there, Steve Feltham. Best of luck on your quest!

Posted on June 23, 2015 by MOTW Admin

Prehistoric Sea Monster Found Alive!

We’re a little early for Shark Week (Who knew this would become a thing?), and we’re past some of the buzz from Jurassic World, so maybe this is the perfect place to mash up the two. On land, most Jurassic creatures—the ones with massive size and sharp knife-like teeth—have become mostly fossils.

The ocean is a different case. Some creatures from the age of dinosaurs still exist down there. Prepare yourself for one of the most bizarre creatures you’ll ever see: the frilled shark.

These creatures are extremely uncommon, which is probably good, because this looks way scarier than a Great White. However, they have been recorded in a variety of locations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

world map showing blue colored areas to mark sightings — Map of Frilled Shark sightings

For something that’s rare, these are pretty widely spread.

In truth, the frilled shark is not actually a Jurassic creature, but a more modern one that has only been dated back to the early Pleistocene epoch. Its traits are very similar to its older ancestors, giving us a good taste of what it would be like to encounter such a beast.

We love monsters! You can see our life-sized King Kong at the Museum of the Weird on 6th street and visit all of our others in the Sfanthor House of Wax on South Congress. Get a combo pass and see both museums for one great price.

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Steve Busti

LOCH NESS MONSTER RETURNS! NEW SIGHTING REPORTED

Move over, Bigfoot — Nessie’s back! Glad to see our old friend is making headlines again. It was starting to seem like Sasquatch had been hogging all the spotlight lately.

FOYERS shop and cafe owner Jan Hargreaves and her husband Simon believe they caught a glimpse of Loch Ness’s most elusive resident — Nessie.

It was while taking a break on the store’s front decking — looking out to the loch — when Mrs Hargreaves and kitchen worker Graham Baine spotted an unusual figure cutting a strange shape through the water.

“We were standing looking out and saw something that looked bizarre,” said Mrs Hargreaves.

“I said to my husband to come and have a look.

“We stand here all the time and look out and we see boats and kayaks but it didn’t look like anything we have seen here before.”

Despite the unidentified creature being quite a distance from their vantage point, 51-year-old Mrs Hargreaves said it had a long neck which was too long to be that of a seal and it was black in appearance.

“It went under the water and disappeared for probably 30 to 40 seconds and then came back up again,” said Mrs Hargreaves.

“It was around for a good four to five minutes. It was just so strange.”

Keen to stress she is not seeking publicity, Mrs Hargreaves does firmly believe what she saw was the Loch Ness Monster.

“It was so exciting,” she declared.

Since August last year, The Waterfall Cafe and Foyers Stores with post office, opposite the village’s famous Falls of Foyers, has been run by Mr and Mrs Hargreaves.

Nessie hunter Steve Feltham, who lives in a former mobile library turned research centre on Dores beach, said he heard about the possible sighting when he popped into the store last week and believes because it was from residents rather than tourists, it is more credible.

“I’m excited by the fact it was locals who had seen it,” said Mr Feltham.

“It’s quite a distance from the shop to the water and they watch everything that goes on there.

“For them to be impressed then there is a possibility it could have been Nessie.”

What particularly excited Mr Feltham was that it was from the exact same vantage point where Tim Binsdale shot the best footage of the legendary creature back in 1960.