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Giant Raptor Terrorizes Alaskan Village

An anonymous reader writes "A giant raptor, rumored to have a wingspan of 14 feet, has been spotted by a number of Alaskans in the general vicinity of Manokotak. There is speculation that the beast could be a Steller's sea eagle, but Phil Schempf, of the Fish and Wildlife Service, is dubious: He says that no creature that large has flown in more than 100,000 years. Read about it in this Anchorage Daily News article, which notes that residents have been warned to keep their children indoors."

17 of 91 comments (clear)

  1. Taste like chicken. by Neck_of_the_Woods · · Score: 5, Funny


    Man...just the idea of 13 foot wing span makes my lips start to twitch. UMMM....wings....hot sauce...FIRE UP THE GRILL!!!

    --
    Neck_of_the_Woods
    #/usr/local/surf/glassy/overhead
    1. Re:Taste like chicken. by ceejayoz · · Score: 4, Informative

      I think we need a sense of humor transplant here, stat!

      Sheesh... go into your preferences and set Funny moderations to -6, then you won't have to see funny things again on Slashdot.

  2. Move along people, nothing to see here.. by tedDancin · · Score: 5, Funny

    .. it's just our friend Steve Ballmer practising his new conference routine.

    --

    Ladies, form queue here -->
  3. 11-11.5 ft. wingspan for the Wandering Albatross by Bob+Bitchen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Diomedea exulans has the largest wingspan, capable
    of spending several months aloft hunting the ocean
    and never touching land. They don't weigh as much as the Steller's but they are big. But they are
    exclusive to the Southern Hemisphere. Maybe one got very lost. Possibly blown off course by a hurricane. Maybe the russians have been busy with genetic experimentation. Or perhaps it's a Chernobyl migrant.

    --
    http://tinyurl.com/3t236
  4. Giant bird HOWTO: by Unknown+Poltroon · · Score: 4, Funny

    1: Feed pigeon massive steroid doses.
    2:
    3: Big assed bird!!!

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    All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
  5. The end is near! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    The top of the food chain no longer belongs to mankind! Pray! Repent!

    1. Re:The end is near! by JUSTONEMORELATTE · · Score: 5, Funny

      The top of the food chain no longer belongs to mankind!
      No worries, mate. We haven't been on the top of the chain for a while.
      Pray! Repent!
      Methinks you mean: "Repent, prey!"

  6. Manokotak by rehannan · · Score: 4, Informative

    Visit the Alaska Community Database for more info on Manokotak (including a better location map).

  7. more alternate links (damn slashdot) by diesel_jackass · · Score: 5, Informative
    1. Re:more alternate links (damn slashdot) by diesel_jackass · · Score: 4, Informative

      Here is a site with some pics of a stellar's eagle:

      http://www.muratasystem.or.jp/~dbjack/nbirds.htm

    2. Re:more alternate links (damn slashdot) by diesel_jackass · · Score: 4, Informative
    3. Re:more alternate links (damn slashdot) by GregWebb · · Score: 5, Funny

      Southwest Alaskans say bird is size of a small plane?

      OK, has anyone been observed looking up at the sky and asking 'Is it a bird? Is it a plane?'

      Sorry...

      --

      Greg

      (Inside a nuclear plant)
      Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!

  8. Re:When Raptors Fly!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Um, stop believing what you see in movies.

    A dictionary is sometimes useful.

    raptor n : any of numerous carnivorous birds that hunt and kill other animals [syn: bird of prey, raptorial bird]

  9. Re:I am completely speculating here... by ceejayoz · · Score: 4, Funny

    but could we have ourselves a Godzilla-movie-like event? Could something have been frozen, or trapped inside a cave or mountain or underground cavern with a liveable ecosystem and now is suddenly exposed to the outside?

    No.

  10. Wesley Willis sang about this giant raptor... by John+Biggabooty · · Score: 4, Funny

    The Chicken Cow by Wesley Willis

    This beast comes out when it is 25 degrees below zero
    It can rip your head off
    It can fly as high as a bird
    It can bite your face
    The Chicken Cow
    The Chicken Cow
    The Chicken Cow
    The Chicken Cow
    This beast killed as many as 100,000 people
    Its wings can flap like a bird
    It can break a glass
    It can also stab you in the ass
    The Chicken Cow
    The Chicken Cow
    The Chicken Cow
    The Chicken Cow
    This beast attacked my brother
    It stabbed him in the ass while he was in the cold
    His hands were frostbitten
    His hands were also numb
    The Chicken Cow
    The Chicken Cow
    The Chicken Cow
    The Chicken Cow
    Rock over London, Rock on, Chicago!
    Blockbuster Video, wow, what a difference!

    --
    That's Bigboo TAY! TAY!
  11. Dammit Scully! by kvn299 · · Score: 4, Funny

    What is it going to take to make you believe!?

  12. I belive it by Perdo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You only need to see one 300 pound halibut, 2000 pound moose, pumpkin the size of a truck, cabbage that you could roof your house with, ravens 4 feet tall, 30 pound king crab with 6 foot long legs and ouf course foot long buds to belive a story like this. I lived in Alaska 18 years and I do not doubt this one bit.

    Everything is bigger there.

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