Oddity Central

Oddity Central

165-Meter-High Swiss Dam Is the World’s Tallest Non-Natural Climbing Wall

Posted: 06 May 2014 04:07 AM PDT

Diga di Luzzone is considered to be the Everest of wall climbing. The 540-foot artificial structure is the tallest vertical climbing wall in the world. It is actually part of the functioning Luzzone dam, but while  it was never built for climbing thrill-seekers around the world have made it their own. Nestled among the Alps, the wall offers a terrific view of the surroundings, although climbers don't really get much time to enjoy it.

Access to the Diga di Luzzone costs about 20 CHF, which is quite cheap. The cost includes a ladder that you can use to gain the first 20 ft. right up to the holds of the first pitch. There are five pitches in total – each one long enough for you to feel the weight of the rope as you clip the higher bolts. Look down, and the exposure is simply mind blowing. All through the climb, you are exposed to the elements, making the man-made route feel as natural as possible.

Diga-di-Luzzone

Hemeroplanes Triptolemus – The Creepy Snake That’s Actually a Harmless Caterpillar

Posted: 06 May 2014 01:02 AM PDT

Looking at a photo of Hemeroplanes triptolemus, nine out of ten people would swear it’s a snake. But look closer, and you'll realize there's something peculiar about it – the body is unusually short and ends abruptly with a large reptilian head. The truth is, it's not a snake at all. The Hemeroplanes is actually a caterpillar pretending to be a snake. And it does a darn good impression of the deadly creature, often fooling curious travelers and predators alike.

Hemeroplanes are moths of to the Sphingidae family, found in many parts of South America, Africa and Central America. In the larval form, they are capable of expanding their anterior body segments to closely resemble a snake, complete with reptilian scales and scary eyes. To make their mimicking act even more believable, the harmless caterpillar will sometimes even snap at potential predators. Of course, they have no real fangs so they can't really do any serious damage, but their appearance is convincing enough to scare even humans away,

snake-caterpillar

Russian School Groundskeeper Creates Amazing Snow Art with His Shovel

Posted: 06 May 2014 12:25 AM PDT

A small school in Izhevsk, the capital city of Russia's Udmurtia region, probably has the best groundskeeper in the world. Not only is he great at his job and popular with the students, he's also super-creative. On snowy winter days, he regularly delights the school staff and students with large artworks drawn in the schoolyard with his snow shovel.

51-year-old Seymon Bukharin uses the snow as his canvas and a shovel for a paintbrush. With the shovel, he sweeps the snow to create fantastic designs, like a ship sailing on the high seas, animals and birds, or traditional Russian scenes. The students love nothing more than to admire his masterpieces from their classroom windows, and only wish they had more time to lend a hand with the artistic process.

snow-art

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