Nature’s oddities are vast and at times there are no explanations for it. The oddities of the human body, the bizarre nature of animals and climatic variations continues to astound scientists as well as lay persons. What nature has in store for us, one never knows, because it still continues to surprise all and sundry. Here are some of nature’s best known oddities.
Hole Punch Cloud: A few months back the residents of Stockton in the state of California in the US claimed that they saw a hole in the cloud. Well it was true. Initially they thought it was an UFO. These spectators took to the social media and speculated that the hole was caused by everything from an alien spacecraft to an intergalactic wormhole. In actuality, the UFO was what scientists call a ‘fallstreak hole’, which is also called a ‘hole punch cloud’ Scientists have said that this hole comes into being when altocumulous clouds containing super cool water does not freeze on time.
The Elephant Man: This must be one of the most interesting human marvels.
was born a normal child August 5, 1862 in London. It is from the age of three that he started developing physical oddity and by the time he was 12, he became the subject of many a ridicule and joke. His deformity became the talk of the town as his face took a grotesque shape. Merrick had to struggle to make a living for most of his life and it was only in 1884 when he took up the job of a ‘curiosity attraction’ that he earned some money. He died at the age of 27 in April 1890. However, even many years after his death he has been a topic of discussion for scientists and many movies and theatres have been made based on his life.
Fire Whirl: The fire whirl is a rare occurrence in which a fire forms a tornado-like vortex of flames. This natural freak occurs when trees, a hillside or flames force air to shift against competing air temperatures and speeds. While some fire whirls peter out pretty quickly, others can travel when the heat is able to stay afloat and surrounding gasses push it tighter onto itself. Perhaps the deadliest example of a ‘firenado’ happened in 1923 in Japan in the aftermath of a massive 7.9 earthquake. Those who had survived the earthquake gathered in an open space. However, soon afterwards a massive whirl of fire swept through them killing thousands.
The Man with Two Faces: Well this is a tale which has survived the attention of history and is one of the most bizarre cases of human deformity. The story of Edward Mordrake is remarkably astonishing. Here was a man who had two faces – from the front it was handsome and yet at the back of his head there was another face – sinister and evil-looking. Whatever fact is available states that because of these two faces, Edward lived in complete isolation and did not even interact with his family members. He committed suicide at the age of 23, but in his death note he wrote that his demon second face must be destroyed before his burial ‘lest it continues its dreadful whisperings in my grave’.
Shaking Leaves: These kinds of leaves belong to the ‘Telegraph’ plant that is found in Asia and parts of the South Pacific. The plant has the amazing ability to shake its leaves even when there wind doesn’t blow. They don’t shake rapidly but do enough to be visible to the naked eye. The leaves jerk up and down and at times there is slight whirring sound also.