This week, the ancient creature made his long-awaited YouTube debut … allegedly.

What do you think? Is it real?

Fishermen found a fascinatingly huge whale shark floating unconscious a short while ago. Forty feet long, the rare specimen was slowly and laboriously tugged to port in the Pakistani city of Karachi.

They’re gaining on us fast, you see. First they starred in Hollywood’s 1993 supergoth action flick, THE CROW. Then, back in real life, the hilariously named Dr. Bird revealed the cleverness of the common crow years later in a series of experiments reported here. Then we witnessed them figuring out how to use fishing hooks to catch their dinner.

What will they think of next? Well, think Shaun White meets Alfred Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS.

Think . . . CROWBOARDING! Watch below.

In the early grades, teachers in the U.S. often ask that question during the first week of school. It’s a wonderful creative exercise, really, because nobody wants to tell the truth, which often involves a lot of snacks and video games.

If we’re to believe recent headlines, below are five alleged sea monsters who were too busy scaring to be snacking and gaming. Come to think of it, perhaps tasty, fleeing humans are a sea monster’s equivalent of snacks and games.

ALASKA, USA
Yahoo News: “The Loch Ness Monster of Alaska?”

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND, UK
Daily Mail: “Do Sea Monsters Really Exist?”

FLORIDA, USA
National Geographic: “‘Exceptional’ Giant Squid Found Dying Off Florida”

BROOKLYN, NY, USA
Gawker: “Scaly Sea Monster Discovered Under Brooklyn Bridge”

GUANGDONG, CHINA
Discovery News: “55-foot Beached Chinese ‘Sea Monster’ Identified”

Did YOU witness anything odd during your summer vacation?

Which date, exactly? At this time, let’s not speculate. Best not to count our chickens before they hatch, lest there be a few dangerous undead chicks waiting to pop out of those shells, peck out our eyeballs, and cause a ghastly delay or two.

In the meantime, while we sidestep those icky, red-beaked chicks, wouldn’t it be fun to take a stroll down memory lane?

After the jump: Presented in chaotic, non-chronological order, here are ten of the most popular articles from days gone by, as voted by your clicks and comments . . .

ENCYCLOPEDIA HORRIFICA READER’S GUIDE #1

ENCYCLOPEDIA HORRIFICA READER’S GUIDE #2

MAILBAG: “am i a vampire?”

‘AVATAR’ BETTER THAN ‘PHANTOM MENACE.’ WORLD BREATHES SIGH OF RELIEF.

YEEK! GIANT SPIDERS SIGHTED!

MAILBAG: “some think i’m acting like a little kid”

MAILBAG: “I cannot find the answers to ‘The Chief Is Missing’…”

TOP 5 HORRIFIC FAILS

FANGED FROG FOUND FEASTING IN FOREST!

PITY THE LEGO CRAWLER TOWN. ABSORB ITS PAIN.

Note: That last article is my personal favorite. It was secretly written from the imaginary perspective of late “grunge” rocker Curt Cobain, had he been reincarnated as a LEGO creation today.

The March 1950 Hottel Memo released by the FBI

Reports have appeared via mainstream news sources such as ABC News, CBS News, and HUFFINGTON POST.

Dear Internet: Maybe don’t be so abuzz about this one.

According to the little-known and poorly edited INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES (which, strangely, offers the most in-depth reporting on the case), it can all be traced back to a hoax originally published in Kansas City’s WYANDOTTE ECHO newspaper. Specifically, the January 6, 1950 issue, according to older sources.

However, no one seems to present the actual article itself. Often, when researching mysterious events, this suggests either A.) there was no actual article, or B.) the long-lost article differs from people’s descriptions of it over time. More accurately, reports about the article seem to rely on descriptions of descriptions of descriptions . . .

To recap: Was this a real-life x-file investigated by the FBI? Probably not. Do we know the full true story yet? Not yet. Extensive searching turns up no WYANDOTTE ECHO archives for 1950 (only 1930 – 1937 and 2004 – 2011), but let’s keep looking.

Meanwhile, back in 2011, enjoy an authentic Unidentified Flying Object below!