‘It’s a monster,’ the fishermen claimed as they managed to reel a seven-foot-long Warsaw grouper. Joshua Jorgensen, founder and producer of BlacktipH Fishing Show, alongside Capt. Jason Boyll of SoNar Fishing was able to nab a Warsaw grouper after a four-hour trip to  Pulley Ridge. The ridge is home to the grouper breed and other fish species, and Jorgensen and his companions didn’t have to wait for more than five minutes to get a bite on one of their reels: 

"Within five minutes of fishing, Jason got a bite on his reel. He started reeling and the line got very tight," BlacktipH Fishing’s news release reads. "A giant Warsaw had taken the bait!"

Boyll reportedly reeled the fish 150 feet up in a span of 10 minutes while Jorgensen switched places and "continued cranking the fish all the way to the surface."

Both men reeled in the large fish, which Jorgensen estimated took between 15 and 20 minutes of "fight time" and more than 400 feet of hand-cranked line.

"It was a monster! The fish floated to the surface and we all started screaming," Jorgensen explained. "We didn’t realize how difficult it would be to bring this fish in the boat. It took four grown men to lift this fish over the gunnels and into the boat."

The caught grouper measured longer than seven feet and had sharp dorsal spines that measured over two feet in length.

Image via Fox News 

Black-footed ferrets were in danger of going completely extinct in the 1980s. Scientists collected the few ferrets they could find in Wyoming for a breeding program, which has been successful, but the species is still endangered and the gene pool is rather thin. In fact, all the black-footed ferrets in the US are descended from just seven individuals. But Elizabeth Ann could change that. She is the first cloned animal of an endangered species in the US. Elizabeth Ann was produced from a frozen cell of Willa, a black-footed ferret that died in 1988. Willa has no known descendants today, so her clone now has the potential to refresh the black-footed ferret gene pool.

Elizabeth Ann was born on Dec. 10, 2020, and resides at a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service black-footed ferret breeding facility in Fort Collins, Colo. The team waited several months to introduce her to the world.

"The first few weeks of their life can be really critical for any ferret, natural-born or clone, and so we wanted to know that she was going to be good," Novak said.

"She is thriving and growing and becoming more and more black-footed ferret-like every day."

Elizabeth Ann was born as part of a litter of domestic ferrets, which are a different species. There are plans to produce other ferret clones for the breeding program. Read more about this ferret and see more adorable pictures at CBC.  -via Damn Interesting

(Image credit: USFWS Mountain-Prairie)

The reason is more endearing than you’d believe! Erin Askeland, Animal Health and Behavior Consultant for Camp Bow Wow shared with Popsugar that there are different reasons as to why cats would choose to lie at the edge of the bed or on their owners’ feet. The reasons are based on instinct, such as for security and safety purposes. When a cat goes to sleep, Askeland answers, they are aware of their vulnerability, so they would prefer to sleep at the foot of the bed for security: 

"The foot of the bed also provides a quicker escape, which is part of a cat's instincts, whereas at the head of the bed or even within the blankets, that escape route is not as clear. Often the foot of a bed is semi-centered in a room, so it not only gives the cat a perch and view from higher up, [and a] comfy place to sprawl, but also the ability to move in any direction quickly as needed."

Another reason as to why these feline creatures would decide to sleep at their owner’s feet is both sweet and honestly, self-serving: 

"While cats may be independent creatures, they are keen on who provides for them and are still quite social. They are aware of who puts down their food, water, and treats, who plays with them, and who gives them attention, so they will seek out that person (or persons) to be near and offer affection in return, or appease you so you continue providing for them," she said, which I thought was a sweet — though appropriately self-serving — notion.

However, Erin completely brought me back to earth with her last note, which for sure tracks: "Cats may also use you simply for your heat! This may be why some cats will move to your head or body during the night and then return to the foot of the bed. As your own body's temperature changes, your cat may move to warmer (or cooler) spots depending on their own needs."

Image via Popsugar 

Dallas resident Thomas Black posted an image to social media of icicles hanging off a ceiling fan in the hallway of an apartment building. If that doesn’t tell you how cold it was in Texas, then I don’t know what else could show that the winter weather has frozen much of Texas. From a frozen pool, to iced-over hallways, and to pipes bursting everywhere, the winter in the area is historically insane: 

"Pipes are busting everywhere,” said Black, whose apartment has lost water but mostly kept its power.

At least 20 people have died because of the intense cold and a series of storms that moved from coast to coast over the past few days. In Texas, about 3 million homes and businesses remained without power Wednesday.

The winter storm could be a "once in a generation" event for Texas when factoring in the brutally cold conditions, AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said earlier this week.

But the state is bracing for more winter weather in coming days, as over 100 million Americans are in the path of another winter storm tracking from the Plains to the East Coast, the National Weather Service said.

Image via USA Today

A video on Facebook of Turnip the tortoise dancing in the water has brightened people’s day. Posted by The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Turnip ‘dances’ when it rains heavily in its native habitat. Turnip is a 12-year-old female radiated tortoise(don’t worry, they’re not full of radiation; the name refers to the yellow lines on its shell) is known to shake it off really well:  

"All of our radiated tortoises do this to some degree, but Turnip really 'turns it up,'" said Tennessee Aquarium Animal Care Specialist Maggie Sipe to IFLScience. "Our older female doesn't dance so much as she just raises up on to her tiptoes and stretches out. The two boys in the habitat with her chase me around when I have the hose out because I think they've learned what it means, so it's hard to get videos of them doing the dance because they come right up to me for showers."

Sipe added that the reason for the dancing behavior is unknown. "They do have feeling in their shells and will often seek out sensations, like raindrops or low hanging branches. Here at the aquarium we sometimes give them scrub brushes to rub against and they do this behavior, but not quite as enthusiastically as they do with the showers. This is what makes us believe that they do really enjoy it, because they actively seek it out."

The Muppet Show won 11 Emmys during its initial run from 1976 to 1981. The 120 episodes then aired in syndication for years, and now they are only available on Disney+. But you can see clips anytime, lots of them in a list at Vulture detailing the 25 best episodes of The Muppet Show in chronological order. The show let the Muppets run wild, drew top guest hosts, and gave us memorable characters and skits like Pigs in Space, the Swedish Chef, Statler and Waldorf, and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker. Many of the guest hosts share their remembrances of the show, and one thing they have in common is how they came to see the Muppets as real characters instead of puppets. John Cleese was one such host.

“One of the happiest experiences I’ve ever had in this silly business. It’s about as much fun acting as I’ve had because those Muppets were so real. I have worked with actors who were less responsive. I’ll tell you how believable they are. I had to do a song at one point and I was dreading it, but once I more or less got it right on the third or fourth take, I was so delighted that when the director said cut, I patted Kermit on the head. I thought the sketch with Gonzo was one of the funniest things I ever did. I have to say this, though I shouldn’t, it’s very well performed. The atmosphere on set was very relaxed, everyone was happy. I think that helps the comedy. People are at their best when they’re relaxed and having fun.”

See skits from all 25 episodes in the list at Vulture. -via Digg

Twitter user Forest Of Illusion was able to obtain a development unit (prototype) of the Nintendo Switch, who obtained the item through Akfamilyhome. Forest Of Illusion reveals that the unit, which is the earliest model people have found, was referred to as DPRD, though the meaning behind the acronym is unclear. The unit also features some visual differences such as changed volume buttons and different screws.  

Image via Nintendo Life 

The grifter: My 8 year old niece

The prize: Playing virtual hooky permanently (School Zoom calls)

The marks: My sister, my brother in law, the teacher, the school’s computer teacher, the principle and Zoom's support team

The con: How she pulled it off… thread pic.twitter.com/cdz3SRhRu9

— Mike Piccolo (@mfpiccolo) February 13, 2021

We've heard different "tricks" done by students to avoid online classes such as pretending that your internet connection suddenly slowed down, but this eight-year-old had this "big brain" moment I haven't even thought of doing!

Day 1: (Zero Day) My sister has three kids, all are currently in Zoom classes. Mysteriously one day, my niece's zoom stopped working. She went and told my sister who tried for over an hour to get her logged back in but could not. She figured it was a weird glitch.

— Mike Piccolo (@mfpiccolo) February 13, 2021

Her Zoom hack? She entered the wrong password a lot of times which caused her account to be banned from signing in. She was able to do this tactic for three weeks straight, and at least eight adults were tricked! What more, her mother even considered homeschooling her because she gave up on the problem.

See the story unfold on Twitter.

Credits to Mike Piccolo

I'm sure you've heard about the Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez. Staying at home means having more time to watch movies, specifically crime movies and documentaries! In the past months, I've been checking different titles which made me curious enough to search about real-life crimes. Luckily, I found a list about "The most infamous crime committed in every state" compiled by the Insider. Here are three interesting entries:

CONNECTICUT: The murder of Helle Crafts, aka "The Wood Chipper Murder," in Newtown

Most people know the murder of flight attendant Helle Crafts by its nickname, "The Wood Chipper Murder." In 1986, Crafts went missing after catching her pilot husband Richard cheating on her — he told police that she had left him to return to Denmark, where she was originally from, but her friends and the police weren't convinced.

After searching the Crafts' home, authorities found credit card statements for suspicious items that were nowhere to be found in the house, such as a freezer, bed sheets, and a rented wood chipper. The police also found bits of bone, a fingernail, and hair samples that they said were Helle's.

The prosecution contended that Crafts had become enraged with his wife, murdered her, cut her body up with the chainsaw, and then disposed of it using the rented woodchipper. The jury deliberated for eight hours before ruling Crafts guilty of his wife's murder. The verdict was a state first: a guilty ruling without a body.

Image Credit: Associated Press

FLORIDA: The death of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony in Orlando

Caylee Anthony, 2, was reported missing by her maternal grandmother, Cindy, who told police that she hadn't seen Caylee in 31 days and that her daughter's car smelled like a body. What followed was a bizarre (and confusing) sequence of events.

First, Casey reported that Caylee had been abducted by her nanny, and she hadn't reported this to the authorities because she was scared — in reality, there was no nanny. Other lies and inconsistencies included that Casey told her parents she worked at Universal Studios (untrue), and that she seemed to be acting perfectly normal even though her daughter was missing.

When Caylee's remains were found in a plastic bag, the state of Florida officially charged Casey with her murder and announced they were seeking the death penalty, starting what has been dubbed the "social media trial of the century" by Time.

Casey's defense team claimed that Caylee had drowned in her family's pool, and that Casey's father George had disposed of Caylee's body in order to save Casey from neglect charges. They also claimed that George sexually abused Casey (which he denied) and that she was afraid of him, which is why she didn't report him to authorities.

Casey was eventually found not guilty, and Caylee's murder remains unsolved.

Photo by Joe Burbank-Pool/Getty Images

ILLINOIS: The "perfect crime" of Leopold and Loeb in Chicago

Leopold and Loeb were two rich, smart, and privileged college students in Chicago who wanted to prove their intellectual superiority by committing the perfect crime.

They spent months planning to kidnap and murder a child, and in May 1924 turned their plan into action. They offered Bobby Franks (Loeb's 14-year-old cousin) a ride home, then bludgeoned him to death. When they disposed of Franks' body, however, Leopold made a fatal flaw — he dropped his glasses. While they were regular glasses, they had a special hinge that only three people in Chicago had. The pair was quickly arrested and convicted, and admitted that they only committed the murder for the thrill of it.

Loeb was murdered in prison, and Leopold served 34 years and was released on parole in 1958. He died at 67 due to a diabetes-related heart attack.

Image Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A long-running Icelandic game show called Gettu betur (Guess Better) pits teams of students against each other. During Friday's game, when the results were announced, one member of the losing side took issue with the ruling. You don't have to understand Icelandic to follow this. He even makes a spectacle of himself after going off camera!  -via Boing Boing

Couldn't help myself. Draw an iceberg and see how it would actually float in water: https://t.co/HSqRwjVVk7 https://t.co/ziobrmDknV

— Joshua Tauberer (@JoshData) February 19, 2021

Glaciologist and climate scientist Megan Thompson-Munson wants to correct the popular image of icebergs. Yes, 90% of an iceberg is underwater, but they don't float the way you see them in stock photos. Read her explanation at Twitter.

Inspired by that thread, Joshua Tauberer made Iceberger, a web toy in which you can draw your own iceberg. As soon as you're finished, the iceberg will orient itself naturally as physics would dictate. Sure, you can draw a unicorn or any other shape that comes to mind, but it won't float the way you intended, and you'll only see a small fraction above the waterline. Have fun with it! -via Metafilter

Have you eaten fried chicken with a knife and fork? Played Bingo without a non-profit license? Or have you put on a puppet show in a window? If you've done these things and they're legal where you are, that might not be the case if you're in a different state.

In The List Show by Mental Floss, they've listed 19 Weird Laws You Might Have Broken, some of which are indeed bizarre. Take this for example:

 WRESTLING A BEAR

The weirdest thing about some laws is that they ever needed to exist—like in Oklahoma, where people were wrestling bears at such an astonishing rate that the state had to step in and institute a fine and possible jail sentence for anyone caught grappling with a bear.

Though there are laws in the list that are reasonable, they're fascinating to read because they seem to be done by everyone, like "Burning a CD for your friends."

Photo by Nadine Primeau on Unsplash

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A post shared by Tinker Bre ✨ (@tinker_bre)

When the TARDIS is ready for s crossover episode, she heads straight for the Star Wars universe. Here she is portrayed by Tinker Bre as Princess Leia in her slave outfit from Return of the Jedi. Sometimes she poses with her husband, who dresses as a Eleventh Doctor Han Solo.

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A post shared by 💅🏻Nail Sunny 💅🏻 (@nail_sunny)

Well, yes: the first question would be "Why would anyone do this?" Let us set that aside now and instead ponder "How would anyone do this?" For the answer, we consult the nail artists at Nail Sunny in St. Petersburg, Russia (and growing internationally to other cities). At Nail Sunny, you can get a very pretty set of nails or you can get an attention-grabbing work of art applied to your fingers.

In all honesty, it’s very satisfying to watch people restore old items and make them look like they never aged a day. It’s also wonderful to be reminded that there’s a way to repair old items so that they could last for a longer time. The Small Workshop restores a rusty knife that they found where their grandpa’s house used to be. They estimate that the knife must be more or less around 100 years old, as the house stood there for 100 years. Watch as they turn the old knife into a small wood carving knife.