TEXAS – What do zebras, massive hogs and 10-foot sharks have in common? They all made headlines in Texas this year.
Granted, large sharks along the Texas coast are actually common and not crazy, but it’s still pretty interesting.
In June, a 10-foot tiger shark was caught at Padre Island National Seashore. The fisherman said it was a personal best and that the shark was brought in, tagged, measured and released in less than six minutes.
An 11-foot, 7-inch male tiger shark was caught off the beach in Corpus Christi on Aug. 31, and Texas Shark Rodeo named it the catch of the week.
A parasite problem in the San Marcos and Comal rivers came to head in June, threatening local endangered species. The parasite, discovered in 2013, affects the fins and jaw joints of fish, effectively robbing them of their ability to swim.
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A couple in the Hill Country got a frightening, unwanted visit from a 7-inch-long Texas redheaded centipede in late August.
Remember that bat that was found trapped in a massive spider’s web in August in Poteet? The homeowner was able to get some great photos.
The same week the bat/spider was trending, a zebra took a helicopter ride while its buddy ran loose in New Braunfels. Unfortunately, both of the zebras that escaped died.
2019 was also a big year for feral hogs in San Antonio - two massive wild boars were caught in the latter part of the year.
A 411-pound feral boar was caught near Gateway Hills Golf Course by members of Lone Star Trapping in September.
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Three months later a 271-pound wild boar, described as “pretty vicious," was caught by the Bexar Brothers and Ortiz Game Management.
Rudi, a Chihuahua who was given her name due to a large mass on her nose, was taken to a Texas shelter in Houston in November.
Honorable mentions:
A 10-week-old puppy in Missouri went viral in November after pictures showed he had a tail growing from his head. He was named Narwhal.
One of the most morbid viral animal stories this year came out of Florida. A woman took photos of a frog on the side of her house that seems to have died while trying to eat a spider. Gross.