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Why the Hell the Extraterrestrial?

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Greetings. Unexplained occurrences are reported and talked about by people all around the world, on social media platforms and occasionally in person. While definitive answers to such alleged events are usually not a part of the intellectual exercise, one belief is embraced very quickly, in fact, almost immediately in many instances. The extraterrestrial.  Why is this so? Why is the extraterrestrial explanation embraced so often, to the exclusion of all other reasonable, and unreasonable possibilities? I haven't the foggiest idea, nor will I likely ever be able to explain the situation as it stands now, but the question is certainly worthy of consideration.  When a UFO allegation comes to light, it usually kicks off a spirited discussion about the story, but not from a dispassionate point of view. What happens, in the vast majority of cases, is a biased series of interactions that focus solely on the extraterrestrial explanation. Not hoaxes. Not birds. Not drones. Not weather ...

An Avian Dinosaur, Weighty and Dangerous.

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Greetings. Struthio camelus. First described by modern science in 1758, the common ostrich is the heaviest avian dinosaur in existence on the planet.  Native to the continent of Africa, common ostriches have a widespread population range. Once thought to be related to emus, kiwis, rheas, and cassowaries, recent genetic research has determined that the species is more closely related to the moa of New Zealand and the elephant bird of Madagascar, flightless species recently driven into extinction by humans. Omnivorous and opportunistic, common ostriches feed on plant matter, small reptiles, and invertebrates. Nomadic by nature, common ostriches gather in groups of up to 50 individuals, meandering across their particular habitats in search of food and shelter from predators.  A highly mobile species, common ostriches can run at speeds up to 55 kilometers per hour, with short bursts of 70 kilometers per hour having been observed on occasion. Males are slightly larger than females,...

A Mysterious Predator, Endemic to Madagascar.

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Greetings. Cryptoprocta ferox, known as the fossa, is a mysterious mammal that has challenged scientists ever since it was first described back in 1833. The largest mammalian predator on the island of Madagascar, the fossa has physical characteristics that are reminiscent of some species of felines, but the species is not related to cats at all.  Often described as looking similar to a small cougar, fossas are somewhat of a mystery, from taxonomic and evolutionary standpoints. Fossil evidence shows that the species' ancestors appeared on Madagascar approximately 20 million years ago, during the Miocene. An extinct species, Cryptoprocta spelea, which was twice as large as the modern fossa, disappeared around the year 1400. Genetic research has suggested that the species is related to veverrids, and not related to cats, dogs, or other similar mammals, despite their outward appearance.  The species is widespread across Madagascar, although in relatively low numbers, which makes t...