Claude (World Rarest Albino Alligator), California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, United States

Claude is an albino alligator  at the California Academy of Sciences. Claude lacks the pigment melanin, which results in his skin color. Claude was hatched on 15 September 1995 in Florida weighing 2 ounces (57 g). He weighs 222 pounds (101 kg) and is 9 feet 5 inches (2.87 m) long. He has 76 teeth. A returning favorite from the original Steinhart Aquarium, the Swamp is best known as the home of Claude, the startlingly white Alligator mississippiensis that's become one of the Academy's most-famous residents.

However, that isn't to say that there aren't albino alligators born in the wild. As of right now, the oldest albino alligator on record is Claude, a 22-year-old alligator at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

He was in danger in the wilderness owing to albinism which did not allow him to camouflage into his surroundings like other alligators. There are only a couple of dozen known albino alligators in the world, all in captivity. Claude was taken to the California Academy of Sciences in 2008. In 2009, a finger on Claude's right claw was amputated after developing an infection from being bitten by another alligator.

Claude appears completely white because he lacks the pigment melanin. He also has poor eye-sight due to his albinism. The California Academy of Science, in the Steinhart Aquarium, as of 2015, has on display an albino American alligator named "Claude". The alligator is partially blind because of lack of pigment in its eyes. The only known albino alligators are in captivity.

White alligators are not a separate species but are considered extremely rare. There have only been a few documented occurrences of leucistic alligators.

But at the California Academy of Sciences, Claude the albino alligator is a star. He gets three private training sessions a week, followed by 15 fish pellets. The food is tossed inches from his jaw, so he doesn't have to search. His favorite rock is heated to varying temperatures, from 78 degrees to 95 degrees.

Albino alligators are normally found in freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps and marshes in southeastern parts of the United States. Albino alligators are extremely rare. Biologists estimate there are only about 100 existing in the world. They are the offspring of parents that carry the recessive gene for albinism, meaning they do not have the ability to create melanin to color their skin or eyes.

Albino alligators lack the pigment melanin. They are the offspring of two normal-looking alligators that carry the recessive gene for albinism. Albino alligators have ivory-white skin and pinkish eyes. The leucistic alligator usually has blue eyes and patches of normally colored skin on its body.

Brøndby Haveby, Copenhagen, Denmark

Brøndby Haveby is a series urban spaces in the world that are so uniquely planned it leaves people speechless. Brøndby Haveby or Brøndby Garden City is located just outside Copenhagen, Denmark, this ‘garden city’ is a place of many community gardens that are known for their unique circular arrangement.The houses in Brøndby Haveby have large yards that provide a retreat from the noisy and densely populated city and also giving the opportunity to indulge in the hobby of growing plants and crops.

The curiously circular community of communities was built in 1964 to the design of “genius landscape architect Erik Mygind,” Brøndby Haveby mimics “the traditional patterns of the 18th century Danish villages, where people would use the middle as a focal point for hanging out, mingle and social interchange between neighbors.” 

This unusual form suits the long-established Danish cabin culture in which every city-dwelling Dane who can afford one buys a smaller second home in the countryside as a retreat.

In 1964 when the municipality of Brøndby agreed to dedicated space for allotments, thus the mesmerizing circles started to pop up in the area. The gardens were made known by photographers such as Henry Do who stumbled upon this captivating area.

Recently, a series of seriously visually stunning aerial shots of the Brøndby Garden City have circulated online and has completely captivated the world. And this curiously circular city has completely captivated people from all over the world.

While the gardens can be rented for around €130 per month, the homes in Brøndby Garden City can only be purchased by those who live in a 20 km radius.

Hoia Forest (Hotspot of Paranormal Phenomena), Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania

The Hoia Forest is a forest situated to the west of the city of Cluj-Napoca, near the open-air section of the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania. The forest is used as a common recreation destination. In recent years a biking park has been added to the forest, along with areas for other sports such as paintball, airsoft and archery.

The forest covers an area of about 3 square kilometers. Its southern border begins on a ridge which runs east-west. It does not contain the steep southern slope of the hill, which rises from the Someșul Mic River. To the north, the forest ends on a smoother slope, which meets the Nadăș River.

The eastern end of the forest is bordered by the Tăietura Turcului, an artificial valley that divides the hill from north to south and contains a traffic road. The west end of the forest reaches the northeastern slope of the Dealul Melcilor, nearby the Mujai Forest, which extends further westward. The Bongar valley runs along the south end of this side, which contains a downy oak grove unique to the southern steppe. Part of the northeastern end of the forest is bordered by Valea Lungă (Long Valley), which passes through Eocene limestone and forms Cheile Baciului, a valley with asymmetric slopes. A small natural lake is located upstream from Cheile Baciului, at the border of the forest. There are several springs with potable water at the north edge of the forest, in Valea Lungă. 

The oldest Neolithic settlement in Romania (believed to have been established around 6500 BC) belonging to the Starčevo–Kőrös–Criș culture was discovered at the north of Valea Lungă. Tombs and houses from this settlement were uncovered between 1960 and 1994.

According to legend, the Hoia Forest is a hotspot of paranormal phenomena. Ghosts and spirits lurk among the crooked trees. One tale tells of a young girl who disappeared into the forest, only to reappear five years later unable to remember where she had been. Another legend speaks of a shepherd who, along with his sheep, vanished within the woods. And, with most places associated with the supernatural, there are also rumors of alien encounters. Many ghost stories and urban legends contribute to its popularity as a tourist attraction.Skeptics say these are just stories for entertainment and lack any testable evidence.The Hoia Forest has been featured in paranormal documentary TV shows, from Ghost Adventures to Destination Truth.

Today, visitors to the forest report strange symptoms – nausea, anxiety, the feeling of being watched and the failure of electronic devices. 

Many here grow in zig-zag patterns or in spirals, a phenomenon which has not been plausibly explained by any of the scientists who have come to investigate. What’s more, every single tree that spirals does so in a clockwise direction. 

Hase (Giant Stuffed Bunny on Top of a Hill), Colletto Fava, Northern Piedmont Region, Italy

Hase/ Hare is a 55-meter long, 5-meter thick knitted bunny constructed by Vienna art collective ‘Gelitin’ on top of a hill called Colletto Fava, with the purpose of making its audience feel as tiny as Gulliver did in his Travels.

Made completely of fabric and straw, the giant stuffed bunny has been left there till it completely decays with the help of weather and the occasional gnawing cattle, it’s expected to be completely degraded by 2025.

Colletto Fava is a 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) hill near the village and ski-station of Artesina in the commune of Frabosa Sottana in the northern Piedmont region of Italy. Hikers are encouraged to climb over Hase and relax after a long trek, as long as the giant stuffed toy is still intact. You can reach Hase from the town of Artesina, Piedmont, in Tuscany, Northern Italy, else you can visit it virtually through Google Maps.

The giant pink bunny is property of the group of artists known as Gelitin. These four men come from Vienna, Austria and have made themselves famous by constructing absurd art projects. This bunny was five years in the making and was completed in 2005. The animal lays on its back and is about 200 feet long and six feet high on its sides. It is supposed to serve not only as a tourist attraction, but as a rest stop for hikers on the hill. The group predicts it will last until 2025, when "the pink puppet (made of straw-stuffed fabric) will be swallowed by the weather, devoured by cattle, completely erased by the weather and nature." This is how Gelitin describes what they have done here: "The things one finds wandering in a landscape: familiar things and utterly unknown, like a flower one has never seen before, or, as Columbus discovered, an inexplicable continent; and then, behind a hill, as if knitted by giant grandmothers, lies this vast rabbit, to make you feel as small as a daisy. The toilet-paper-pink creature lies on its back: a rabbit-mountain like Gulliver in Lilliput. Happy you feel as you climb up along its ears, almost falling into its cavernous mouth, to the belly-summit and look out over the pink woolen landscape of the rabbit's body, a country dropped from the sky; ears and limbs sneaking into the distance; from its side flowing heart, liver and intestines. Happily in love you step down the decaying corpse, through the wound, now small like a maggot, over woolen kidney and bowel. Happy you leave like the larva that gets its wings from an innocent carcass at the roadside. Such is the happiness which made this rabbit. I love the rabbit the rabbit loves me." 

On the Train - on the Turin route - Savona, Mondovì is the nearest train station.

On a Plane - The closests international airports are Turino - 2 hours away by car, Genova - 2 hours away by car, Nice - 3 hours away by car.

Rajmachi Fort, Sahyadri Mountain, Konkan Region, Maharashtra, India

Rajmachi Fort (Killa) is one of the many historical forts in the rugged hills of Sahyadri mountains (Western Ghats). It consists of two twin fortresses Shriwardhan and Manaranjan, with a wide machi (plateau) surrounding the two Balekillas. Udhewadi is a small village of about 60 households (as per 2011 census report) situated on the machi, at the southern foot of Manaranjan Balekilla of Rajmachi Fort.

The fort played a strategic role in the First Anglo-Maratha War. Rajmachi Fort has been declared as a protected monument.

Rajmachi Fort is a must-visit trekking destination in Maharashtra which allures tourists for an exquisite panoramic view from the Rajmachi Point and its association with the legendary Maratha emperor Shivaji. Trekking to Rajmachi Fort is never complete without taking a tour around the prominent places of interest near Rajmachi Fort. 

There are two approaches to Fort Rajmachi, (a) from Lonavala and (b) from Kondivde or Kondhane village in Karjat Taluka of Raigad District. Lonavala – Rajmachi distance is 15 km and it is almost a plain walk, though there are a few ups and downs on this path. It takes about three and a half hour to cover the distance on foot. From Kondivde or Kondhane village, it is a steep climb up to Rajmachi. An experienced trekker takes about two and a half hour to climb up on this route. In case a Trekkers’ Group is not familiar with the Trek Route, they should hire a local Route Guide During the dry season after rains, i.e. from November to May, a strong and sturdy utility vehicle like Tata Sumo, Mahindra Bolero, Qualis, etc. can be taken right up to Udhewdi (Fort Rajmachi). The route is via Khandala, Kune village, Della Adventure Resort, Patel Dam, Phanasrai and Jambhali Phata. The initial section of this route up to Della Adventure Resort is a good road, The further portion of this route is a very rough track and therefore not fit for driving ordinary passenger cars like Maruti 800, Wagon R, Indica, Swift, etc. Sturdy utility vehicle like Tata Sumo can be hired at Lonavla or Khandala for reaching Rajmachi Fort.

Rajmachi has seen many change of hands from Shivaji Maharaj, Emperor Aurangzeb, Shahu Maharaj and eventually the British reign. The fort of Rajmachi is famous among trekkers and adventure enthusiasts. The simple and clearly marked trail on both the paths make Rajmachi a very popular beginner's trek.

The best time to visit Rajmachi Fort is between the months of June- September when monsoon sets in full swing and the entire region takes on a mystic charm being drenched in rain. Monsoon sets in Rajmachi in June and continues through September. Temperature ranges between 24- 29 degrees Celsius and the entire landscape is covered under a blanket of greenery.

The Dubai Frame (The Largest Fram In World), Zabeel Park, Dubai

The Dubai Frame is an architectural landmark in Zabeel Park, Dubai. It holds the record for the largest frame in the world.Whilst described by The Guardian newspaper as "the biggest picture frame on the planet,”it is also controversial as the "biggest stolen building of all time.”

 

The project was conceived by Fernando Donis, and selected as the winner of a design competition by the Government of Dubai. The designer has alleged that he had his intellectual property stolen and was denied credit for the design. 

 

The design was selected as the winner of the 2009 ThyssenKrupp Elevator International Award from 926 proposals. Participants from all over the world were invited to submit an emblem that would promote “the new face for Dubai". It is near the Star Gate of Zabeel Park and stands at 150.24 m (493 ft)  and 95.53 m wide.

 

In December 2016, the architect Fernando Donis filed suit in US court against the Municipality of Dubai and ThyssenKrupp Elevator. In his suit, Donis claims that he has not received either a contract or compensation for his design, despite it being currently under construction. As of 2018, the architect and the Municipality of Dubai were engaged in a legal dispute over ownership of the copyright for the building.

 

 

The ThyssenKrupp Elevator Architecture Award is an international architecture competition first held in 1988 and sponsored by one of the world's leading elevator companies. An international panel of judges selected the winning idea from among 926 design proposals to create a Tall Emblem Structure for Dubai. The original jury consisted of 11 international architects a former and current chairman of the International Union of Architects (UIA) and the regional chairman of ThyssenKrupp Elevator. Dubai Municipality’s director general and Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum were listed as ‘honorary’ jurors.

Donis' design was ultimately selected, for which he won an AED 367329.70 ($100,000) prize. According to Donis, when designing the structure he saw Dubai as a city full of emblems and rather than adding another one, they proposed to frame them all: to frame the city. Instead of building a massive structure, the purpose of the proposal was to build a void of 150 meters by 105 meters to continuously frame the development of the past, current and future Dubai. To become the structure that celebrates yet constrains the city.

 

Rising 150 meters from Dubai’s Zabeel Park, the “World’s Largest Picture Frame” has officially opened in the UAE. Known as the Dubai Frame, the structure is the latest in the city’s line of eye-catching megaprojects, offering up panoramic views of the skyline while framing views of iconic buildings such as the Burj Khalifa for visitors and residents all across the city. 

 

The Dubai Frame is created out of glass, steel, aluminum, and reinforced concrete. It is positioned in such a way that representative landmarks of modern Dubai can be seen on one side, while from the other side, visitors can also view older parts of the city. The Frame opened in January 2018.

 

 

 

The picture frame beautifully frames the city. If you stand on the observatory bridge and look towards the South, you’ll see the whole of the modern city of Dubai, with all the major landmarks clearly. If you turn back and gaze out at the North, you can enjoy fabulous views of Old Dubai, Bur Dubai, Deira, Karama, Umm Hurair and Dubai Creek.

Journey into the Dubai frame begins at the mezzanine level where a fabulous museum and gallery await you. Enjoy a spectacular experience of immersive exhibits that detail Dubai’s journey from being a nomadic Bedouin fishing and pearl diving village to what the Emirate is today  the world’s biggest commercial and travel hub. Various special effects have been used to create a very visually-compelling experience that will remain with you for long. Apart from visual effects, there are sound effects and certain smells that have been reproduced such as the mist that comes off of sea waves.

From the mezzanine museum level, you proceed on wards to the Sky Deck level, from where you can see Dubai in all her spellbinding glory through augmented-reality screens. The Sky Deck level allows you to experience some fabulous, jaw-dropping views, of modern Dubai right from the walls. Enjoy the incredibly refreshing 3D views of Dubai’s incredible landmarks and listen to the commentary that tells you interesting facts about each of the landmarks.

For more information - Official Website