Handy Examines Mysterious Things Found in The Desert

Introduction

Deserts are places with an extreme environment and home to some of the strangest things you could ever find. Untouched by any life forms, these things can be preserved for a long period in some areas. It’s also a place for unusual flora and fauna. In this article, Handy discusses some of the most mysterious items found in deserts. They are listed below.

The Items

1. Burial Boat – Among the nobles of ancient times, it was quite a common practice to bury a magnificent vehicle along with themselves. It was believed that it facilitates their life after death. Even the bodies of commoners would be buried with a vehicle like a small boat. So, such finds are quite normal.

However, the vessel that was discovered in 2016 in the Sahara Desert in the sands of Abusir Necropolis absolutely dumbfounded everyone. What is mind-boggling is the fact that the high-quality wood vessel which was sixty feet in length and almost as big as warship was not found in the grave of a noble but a commoner. The mystery behind it still remains buried deep in the sand for humans to find out.

2. Desert graveyard for marine mammals – Yet another surprising find in the desert was in 2010 in the Atacama Desert of Chile. In it, fossils of around forty whales along with other marine animals such as dolphins, seals, swordfish were found. It was difficult to understand how so many animals died at once. A lot of theories came up for its explanation.

The most logical explanation seemed that they might have been deposited over a period of time and washed up to the same hill only to be preserved for about six to nine million years. Still, the mystery of their cause of death remains. Perhaps, it was an algae infection or some marine epidemic?

3. A sudden desert lake – The extreme weather can play with your mind and cause you to see a mirage in the middle of the desert. It became a reality in July 2014 when suddenly a lake spanning 2.6 acres appeared in Tunisia 25 kilometers from Gafsa. There were quite a few phosphate mines nearby. So, it is speculated that the lake might have been the result of an underwater spring freed by the mining process. This further implies that water may be contaminated with harmful chemicals like carcinogens. Still, there is no restriction placed on people by the Tunisian Government for swimming in it.

4. Horned Kangaroo fossil – Another strange find in the deserts happened in 2002 when kangaroo skull was discovered with unusual protrusion above the eye in Australia’s Nullarbor Desert. What were initially thought of as horns was later explained logically to be more of an eye guard. An interesting addition to note was the strange bulbous nose made them look like a clown.

5. The hollow body of Ryan Singleton – The body of a gay model Ryan Singleton who was from Georgia was found almost after two and half months after his death by the hikers in California’s Mojave Desert. What was surprising was that his eyes, liver, lungs, kidneys, and heart had been removed. Police are yet to determine whether it’s an act of hate crime or a deed of scavengers. Whatever the case may be, the mystery of his hollow body remains to be solved.

Conclusion

The deserts and other extreme places on planet earth are filled with mysteries. According to Handy, we should be careful while traveling to these places to be safe.