What the heck is a Lagarfljot river worm? Ginormous ring worm?

Could this be the legendary Lagarfljot river worm?  The 25-mile long lake is well known in Icelandic folklore for housing Lagarfljót's Worm, the Icelandic version of the Loch Ness Monster, with tales being told of the beast dating back to 1345. According to the legend, a young girl placed a gold ring around a small heather worm, believing the worm would increase the size of her jewelry. (Isn’t that how its done?)

According to the lore, the girl returned a few days later to find instead of her ring growing, the worm expanded exponentially into a humongous serpent! She then promptly tossed her failed experiment into Lake Lagarfljot, where the once-tiny creature just kept on growing, until it became a ferocious, man-eating sea serpent. 

What do you think? Is this a river monster or a cleverly disguised hoax?  

Could we be sharing the calm waters of this earth with ancient monsters dwelling just under the surface, or is this just another hoax?

According to Huffington Post's interview with Loren Coleman, director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine, this alleged sea serpent deserves another look. "What concerned me immediately was when I saw the tail section moving in unison with the next section; there's no movement in that one section as it goes side-to-side. A snake moves in a sort of 's' curve. But in this video, you get a blocking of the movement of the creature, which tells us it's probably very artificial" Coleman said. 

Coleman speculates this alleged beast or beast of a hoax might have been accomplished by the use of "a robot with tarps, fish nets or trash bags (a favorite for watery hoaxers)."

[Related: Check out some of the world's largest, strangest and most dangerous fish in River Monsters]

Check out this convincing evidence and decide for yourself. 

Purple Squirrel Mystifies the Masses

An entirely purple squirrel, fur and all, was found in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania last weekend by Percy and Connie Emert. And when we say purple, we mean completely purple - as in, every hair on this squirrel's body is purple - he doesn't just have purple highlights.

Connie Emert was the first to spot the purple squirrel on her property, but upon sharing this news with other friends no one believed her. "I kept telling my husband I saw a purple one out in the yard. 'Oh sure you did' he kept telling me,"  Emert told Accuweather.com

As of this writing, no one seems to know why the squirrel rocking a purple hue.

"We have no idea whatsoever. It's really purple. People think we dyed it, but honestly, we just found it and it was purple," Emert related to Accuweather.com. After trapping the purple perp The Emerts plan to release the squirrel back into the wild in the next few days.

Purple Theories Abound - What's Yours?

Various curious individuals are currently investigating why this squirrel is purple. Did he get into purple ink or purple paint at some point? Did he eat one to many purple berries? Did he get stuck in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory and eat one too many blueberries? 

Why do you suppose this little fellow is rockin' purple fur?

source: Accuweather.com + Buzzfeed.com

LONDON, Feb 1, 2012 (AFP) - Prince William's wife Kate will not be on her own during her husband's tour of duty in the Falkland Islands: the couple have a new puppy, St James's Palace said Wednesday.
  
William, second in line to the throne, is due to begin a routine six-week posting in the South Atlantic archipelago in early February, leaving Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, back home in Britain.
  
It is thought their new pet will live at their home near the RAF Valley base on Anglesey, northwest Wales, where William, 29, has been working as a Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot for more than a year.
  
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a male cocker spaniel," a St James's Palace spokeswoman said.
  
"It's from a litter known to the couple through a family connection. It's a few months old."
  
The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that the dog's father is a pet that belongs to the duchess's mother Carole Middleton.
  
Britain has around 1,000 military personnel on the Falklands to ensure their security following the April 1982 invasion by Argentina.
  
Britain has held the islands since 1833 but Buenos Aires insists they are occupied Argentinian territory.
  
Tensions between Britain and Argentina are high as the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War approaches.
  
Argentina has reacted with fury to William's deployment, saying he would be visiting the area "in a conqueror's uniform".
  
Overseas deployments are a routine part of the duke's position with the RAF.
  
RAF rules mean that Kate is not be able to join her husband on the posting.
  
William has been putting in plenty of hours of flying time in recent months as he bids to win promotion and become a captain. The experience he will gain in the Falklands will count towards his goal.

The new dog breeds have been recognized by the American Kennel Club, making them eligible for competition in conformation shows, the club stated. The six new breeds being added mean that 185 will compete this year for the best of show grand prize in the annual contest, compared with only 142 eligible breeds competing in 1990.

For the last 12 years, no more than six rookies have been pproved in any year.

The new breeds are:

1) American English Coonhound  

2) Cesky Terrier (Terrier Group) 

3) Entlebucer Mountain Dog (Herding Group) 

4) Finnish Lapphund (Herding Group) 

5) Norwegian Lundehund or Puffin Dog (Non-Sporting Group)

6)  Xoloitzcuintl (Non-Sporting Group - Commonly called "show-low", the national dog of Mexico and previously known as the Mexican Hairless. 

Photos Courtesty of the Westminster Kennel Club.

NEW YORK, Jan 24, 2012 (AFP) - Shakespeare asked if he should compare his lover "to a summer's day." A New York zoo suggests cockroaches instead.
  
Ahead of Valentine's Day next month the Bronx Zoo wants New Yorkers to pay $10 for the right to give their sweetheart's name -- or perhaps that of an ex -- to one of its Madagascar hissing cockroaches.
  
For $25, lovebirds can name a cockroach couple.
  
"There is no better way to say 'forever' than with the gift of a cockroach.
The Wildlife Conservation Societys Bronx Zoo is offering a light-hearted way to make sure your loved one knows your feelings are forever -- with a roach in their name," the zoo said in a statement.
  
"Each gift comes with a colorful certificate emailed to your loved one announcing that a cockroach has been named in his or her honor."
  
To sweeten the deal, the zoo is also offering boxes of chocolate replica cockroaches.