› added 9 years ago

363

TIL that when basking sharks decay their carcasses take on the appearance of plesiosaurs (ancient aquatic reptiles) including a long neck and tiny head. There have been numerous “plesiosaur” discoveries which turned out to be decayed sharks.

Read more paleo.cc

via reddit.com

jEVN TIL A concerned Californian citizen, Gary Wesley, has been writing dissents to CA state propositions since 1978 simply because, “Somebody’s got to do it.”
nedeY TIL: Several people have been indirectedly killed by the "Pope Lick Monster" as its supposed location is in a creek under a train bridge. Cryptid hunters attracted to the area have found themselves either struck by a train, or fallen to their deaths from the bridge trying to avoid one.
Opv4 TIL that teens are more likely to engage in risky behavior when they are in a group than when they are alone, but having just one slightly older adult in the group decreases the risk-taking tendencies.
45A5 TIL many german cities have artificial hills known as Schuttberge, created after WWII to deal with the debris of the destroyed buildings
Z8xnD TIL of "peine forte et dure", a type of torture used in the common law legal system when a person remained silent upon questioning. It consisted of progressively heavier stones placed upon the chest until either a plea was entered, or the person died. It’s been legal for ~500 years, until 1772.