(Photo: The Turducken)

You may try to find an endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus in this tree, but I doubt that you’ll be successful. The Octopus Tree is a Sitka spruce located near the Cape Meares Lighthouse on the northwestern coast of Oregon. With a base about 50 feet across and branches that grow straight up about 100 feet, it looks like a huge upside down octopus. Hard coastal winds probably account for its shape.

Some historians claim that the tree was a gathering place for Native Americans of the Tillamook nation. The tree itself was used for funeral rites as participants arranged the property of the deceased on the branches.

-via Amusing Planet

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The little goat gets a bottle of milk and Charlie the brown lemur wants his share! Nope, the goat drinks ALL the milk, so Charlie wants to teach him a lesson. Meanwhile, the kid just wants a little post-milk cuddling. In this video from Exotic Animal Experience, I noticed in the background that there's another long-tailed animal under a rocking chair. That's a dangerous position when bouncing babies are around! -via Daily Picks and Flicks

Josh Sundquist (previously at Neatorama) is a rapper, math nerd, and Paralympic champion. He lost his left leg due to cancer years ago, which gives him the ability to pull off some really clever Halloween costumes. His 2013 costume may take you a minute to figure out. Oh yes, he's a flamingo, but will he be up for doing this handstand for everyone who asks? Sure, he's an athlete, but that could get old when you're out trying to have Halloween fun. It might be better just to pull out the picture when someone asks him what's with the pink bodysuit and that goofy shoe. -via reddit

After last week's stealth Banksy art sale in New York City, you knew this would happen. In fact, I figured entrepreneurs selling fake Banksy prints would be popping up all over the city. But this experimental prank didn't even try to cover the fact that the artworks were fake! Dave Cicirelli, Lance Pilgrim, and George Gross set up a kiosk on the street to sell Banksy art.

Same price. Same images. Same location. Everything was the same--we even got Lance's father Michael to be the salesman. Everything was identical...except for two things:

    The public consciousness had changed.
    Our work was completely worthless.

We were open about this. Our sign said "Fake Banksy." Mike assured every customer that it was fake. Each canvas even came with a legally notarized "Certificate of Inauthenticity," claiming that what they bought was not an original Banksy.

So, how did they do? They sold out. Yeah, people bought every artwork they had, and someone even bought the price sign. It took less than an hour… which just goes to show that savvy New Yorkers have a sense of humor and love to be part of a meme. See a set of pictures from the stunt at Fakebook. You have to wonder how many vendors were trying the same thing without labeling their wares as fake. -via Digg

One of the great things about being a new parent is getting to geek out with your youngsters who actually think you're pretty cool...at least until they hit about 12 and suddenly decide you are the lamest person on earth and that anything you enjoy must be the worst thing ever. That's why you've got to get in your family Halloween costumes while you can. If you still need some ideas for your family's costume, or if you just want to see what other clever parents have come up with, you won't want to miss this fun Oddee article with 12 fantastic families in matching costumes.

-via 22 Words

Christopher Hunt of Ogilvy & Mather Dubai used Google autocomplete to bring attention to gender inequality in this print ad campaign for United Nations Women.

Hunt noted that the advertisements, titled Auto Complete Truth, used actual Google search autocomplete results, as queried on March 9, 2013. While different Google users in various countries may see different results, some of the autocompletes referenced in the ad showed in our own quick test (see below for the different autocomplete results for search queries for the exact term, but using "men" instead of "women.")

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“Best Coin Ever Spent” shows a tuxedo-wearing busker at the center of a Spanish town. The bass violin player patiently waits for someone to put a coin in his top hat. A little girl does so, so he begins playing. Then a cellist joins him. Then an oboist.

Instrument by instrument, an orchestra and choir form from performers emerging from nearby buildings. They play Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” a hymn set to the last movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s final symphony, Symphony #9.

This glorious video is a commercial for Banco Sabadell, a Spanish banking corporation.

-via American Digest

Always check for a toilet paper supply before you sit down.

This mummy in the webcomic Berkeley Mews didn’t, but he seems to be content with his pricey solution.

Tottie the pug is more of a hip hop fan. But this year, her owner, McKenna, dressed her as the wrecking ball from Miley Cyrus’s controversial music video “Wrecking Ball.” Yes, Barbie is nude. But, then, so was Miley Cyrus.

This costume secured Tottie the $25,000 grand prize from Petco’s annual Halloween costume contest.

-via Blame It on the Voices

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The Ohio State University marching band performed at the school's homecoming football game Saturday with a tribute to Michael Jackson's Bad album on its 25th anniversary. Here is a clip from the song "The Way You Make Me Feel," featuring the formation of Jackson doing a couple of steps of the Moonwalk. That can't be easy! I guess that's why they go by the name TBDBITL: The Best Damn Band in the Land.  Continue reading to see the whole show. It was an awesome performance, but I still like last year's homecoming show, in which they did a tribute to video games, better. -via Viral Viral Videos

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I've always been in love with playpuses as they are pretty much the ultimate animal (combining ducks, beavers, and more all in one amazing, adorable package). But for whatever reason a lot of people just don't like them or think they're cute. If you're one of those people, then this video of a young platypus swimming in a pool, getting scratches and having all kinds of fun in general just might change your mind.

Of course, there is always the risk of accidentally bumping against their venomous spurs (if it's a male) and getting seriously sore just from playing with them, but I would be more than happy to accept that risk if it meant getting to play with one of these cuties. What about you?

Via Geekosystem

A cow and a bull made a daring escape on their way to the slaughterhouse in New Jersey on Tuesday. They busted out of a trailer and onto the streets of Montvale and caused multiple traffic accidents. Roads were closed as authorities tried to round up the animals.

A search of the area quickly led police and animal control officers to the female brown cow, where it was cornered into a trailer off Chestnut Ridge Road. But the bull remained elusive under the cover of darkness. He was finally spotted near the Garden State Parkway Wednesday and surrendered without incident.

"It was quite the chase for quite some time," Carol said. "They're not easy to catch."

Once the escapees were apprehended, the cow and bull were each sentenced to life at Abma's Farm, where they will be part of the petting zoo. -via HuffPo Green

(Unrelated image credit: Catriona Savage)  

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Once again, YouTube member Ignoramusky masterfully edits music into a cat video to enhance its inherent comedy. From the moment you see those eyes glowing in the dark, you know this is going to be a cartoon, even if it is a real cat. He thinks he's going to grow up to be a fierce warrior, but he will more likely grow up to be Sylvester, or Top Cat, or Snagglepuss. -via Tastefully Offensive

(Images: Omlet)

We may not be able to resolve the age-old question of why, but we can address how. Drivers may not always see pet chickens crossing roads, so the company Omlet developed these shiny vests to enhance the visibility of chickens.

The company developed the vests after inquiries from prospective customers. Johannes Paul, one of the company directors, says that chickens tend to travel to roosting spots in the evening, which is often a time for peak traffic but diminished visibility. The vests attach with Velcro straps and include an insulated lining to help keep chickens warm during cold nights.

P.S. Bonus item from the webcomic Man Eggs: