A new species of creature had been discovered in the Goldston area and it has caused some scientists to rethink everything they know about living organisms. The story may not be as compelling as the chupacabra, but the appearance of the creature is as strange as its perceived history.
Forest preservationist first started looking for a cause when the population of indigenous woodpeckers suddenly dipped. Expecting a variety of virus, they were amazed to find that the culprit was a type of mole that lives in woodpecker holes.
The mole, named Sloof lirpa, is related to the equally strange hot headed ice borer that was discovered in the Polar Regions. How this related animal made it to North Carolina is still a mystery. Discover Magazine first reported the discovery of the hot headed ice borer in 1995. The article was met with disbelief and amazement.
http://discovermagazine.com/1995/apr/01-molelike-animal-melts-ice-tunnels-with-its-head
The newly discovered wood boring mole may even be stranger. Young moles are small enough to squeeze into the holes left by woodpecker s. They eat insects and larva until they reach adulthood. It is then that they start to prefer woodpeckers.
The Sloof lays in wait until a woodpecker gets close enough. Then it shoots out is head, the only part still small enough to fit through the hole, and engulfs the head of the bird. The Sloof then pulls what it can into the hole and eats it.
Dr. Irgi Banie is the country's only "expert" on the Sloof, yet she doesn't like to get too close. "Those little guys are nasty with a capital 'N'. I mean, really, biting off the heads of woodpeckers?" she says in a pained voice. "All I know is those critters give me the creeps. You can go hunt for them if you like, but I'm leaving."
Not much is known about this creature, as its mostly evaded people to this point. The following highlights what is known about them.
- Able to survive in wood burrow for up to two weeks without food.
- Produce plasma, the rarest of the states of matter, during their mating rituals.
- Related to the hot headed ice borer, and shares their ill temperament.
- Ice actually seems to agitate them.
- Longevity abounds, as they can live to be up to 19 years if well fed.
- Forages seeds when woodpeckers are scarce.
- Oblong head differs from their arctic cousins.
- Originally from Baltic region, but migrated to warmer areas.
- Long beaked woodpeckers are the food of choice.
- Summer is their most active time.
What the Sloof will mean to the North Carolina ecology remains to be seen. Scientists everywhere will surely keep a close eye on the situation.
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