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Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!

[November 16-November 22, 2020] A sci-fi worthy escape, the discovery of a mystery soldier, and Baby Yoda taking flight—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Heron Foiled by Its Food

This week, 58-year-old amateur photographer Sam Davis of Maryland shared an image depicting something that seems more sci-fi than natural—a snake eel bursting through the stomach of a Heron, flying midair!

Though he took the picture in 2011, Davis decided to share it on Live Science this week. First believing the eel had latched itself to the bird’s neck, Davis soon realized it was actually coming straight out of the Heron’s stomach! The eel used it’s pointy tail to dig its way out of the Heron’s insides.

While it would seem that the Heron would immediately regret its choice in prey, Davis says it “didn’t seem to act much differently. It was in the water and flying around.”

Snake Eel bursts through Great Blue Heron’s throat. So many questions! https://t.co/ZJjh0YbF6G

— Ruth Foster (@SalmonRuth) November 12, 2020

Mystery Soldier Discovered in Lithuanian Lake

After over 500 years at the bottom of a Lithuanian Lake, the remains of a medieval soldier have been discovered.

The 16th-century soldier’s skeleton was found lying under a layer of mud during an underwater inspection of the Dubingiai Bridge in Lake Asveja in eastern Lithuania. There is no evidence that the body was part of a burial ceremony, but weapons recovered nearby indicate military status.

Along with the skeleton, the divers discovered a pair of leather boots, a leather belt with a buckle, an iron sword, and two knives. These items are being sent to the National Museum of Lithuania, where a team of archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians will study them and help craft the mystery soldier’s story.

The soldier is assumed to be linked with the Dubingiai Castle, which sat on Asveja Lake’s hillside.

Medieval soldier found with sword and knives at the bottom of a Lithuanian lake https://t.co/G5CdcESwvB pic.twitter.com/CzU4OmuOgW

— Live Science (@LiveScience) November 18, 2020

Mission Control, This is Baby Yoda

On Sunday, four astronauts blasted off in SpaceX, heading for the International Space Station, making history as the first commercially developed Crew Dragon capsule to take a full flight. But they weren’t alone. The Crew-1 astronauts made sure to bring a familiar face along for the ride—a plush Baby Yoda.

After launching from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the breakout star of Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” spent the 27-hour flight floating around the spaceship, on which he served as the mission’s zero-gravity indication. Upon arrival, he joined astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and current ISS residents in celebrating the historic journey. SpaceX is the first privately owned and operated aircraft certified by NASA for human flight.

“When you see him, it’s hard not to smile,” said Commander Michael Hopiks of the video of Baby Yoda bopping through the spacecraft.

The plush joins a long line of toys that have been used to identify when a spacecraft has entered lower gravity.

Baby Yoda arrives with four astronauts on board the @Space_Station as they begin a six month mission https://t.co/UDoANePjLa