Missing 400-lb Sasquatch Statue, 'Squashy,' Returned To Ralph Spence

CINCINNATI (AP) — A southwest Ohio family is searching for Sasquatch no longer.

The Spence family in Delhi Township, west of Cincinnati, says their 400-pound concrete statue of the mythical beast, which was reported stolen Saturday, has been found.

Sixty-one-year-old Ralph Spence says his two sons bought the statue for him several years ago. They affectionately call it "Squashy."

Though it started out as a practical joke, the statue became part of the family. They even dress it up for holidays.

Spence says he received a call from a friend Tuesday who saw the statue in a nearby open field. A note found with the statue poked fun at its weight, and was signed by "the body building bandits."

Spence says Squashy is "a legend around here in the neighborhood."

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Mysterious Sea Monster Plant Fossil Baffles Scientists

A mysterious fossil that has evoked images of a sea monster roaming the shallow waters of prehistoric Cincinnati may not be the remains of such a complex life form, but even so scientists are stumped as to what kind of creature (or sea plant) it was.

The researchers, who presented the finding at a Geological Society of America meeting in Dayton, Ohio, say one thing is sure: The enigmatic "blob" — discovered in elliptical pieces that, when fitted together, extended about 7 feet (2.1 meters) long and 3.5 feet (1 meter) wide — was once alive.

The team of scientists, along with the fossil hunter who discovered the 450-million-year-old specimen, suggest a range of possibilities: a type of huge algae or microbial mat, or even a member of the cnidarian family, which includes jellyfish (though scientists concede the jellyfish idea is highly unlikely).

"It's really got us baffled as to just how it looked when alive," David Meyer of the University of Cincinnati geology department told LiveScience. "My initial thought was an algal mat on the sea bottom, and then it got deformed somehow into these funny shapes and then preserved."

Read on:  http://www.livescience.com/19897-mysterious-sea-monster-fossil-baffles.html