Photo: Getty Images, City of Amarillo
Remember that strange creature caught on zoo surveillance footage? Or that lady who found a priceless Roman bust at Goodwill? How about those women caught twerking on top of their car during a traffic jam?
It's been a wild year, to say the least — but especially in the Lone Star State! Without further ado, here's a look at all the crazy, wild and downright weird stories we found in Texas in 2022.
2 Babies Born At 2:22 A.M. On 2/22/22 After 2 Days Of Labor
Two babies were born at 2:22 a.m. on 2/22/22 at two different hospitals. If that wasn't enough, one of the babies was already born with two teeth and both were delivered after their moms were in labor for two days.
'World's Tiniest' Buc-ee's Mysteriously Pops Up In Desert Near Marathon
Buc-ee's executives have no idea what it's doing there.
"Buc-ee’s just recently became aware of the Buc-ee’s art installation in west rural Texas. While we have not visited the site, we do wonder whether they are keeping up with Buc-ee’s meticulous 24/7 bathroom-cleaning standards," said Jeff Nadalo, general counsel for Buc-ee’s.
Austin Woman Finds Roman Bust Missing Since WWII At Goodwill For $34.99
A Sotheby's consultant determined the bust was a marble Julio-Claudian-era Roman bust that dates from the late 1st century BC to the early 1st century AD. She purchased the 52-pound bust for $34.99 at Goodwill and took it home.
Abilene Mom Gives Birth To Identical Twins 3 Days Apart
Carmen Martinez's water broke the night of February 28 and she was admitted to the hospital. Martinez delivered Baby No. 1, Gabby, through a natural birth on March 7. Martinez stayed in bed for three days in excruciating pain. "From a 1 to 10, I'd say the pain was 100 ... as long as they were OK, that's all that mattered to me," she said. On March 10, Isabella was born. "It was a new kind of love that I experienced holding them together," Martinez said. Both babies were born premature.
Strange Creature Captured By Security Cameras At Amarillo Zoo
"Was it a person with a strange hat who likes to walk at night? A large coyote on its hind legs? A Chupacabra? It is a mystery – for Amarillo to help solve," the City of Amarillo said in a press release.
Photo: City of Amarillo
Houston Family Sues Hospital After 4-Year-Old Gets 'Unintentional Vasectomy'
A 4-year-old underwent surgery to treat a hernia in his groin area. "You expect things to happen in life, but not unnecessarily at the hands of a surgeon, who simply cut the wrong piece of anatomy. The surgeon, we think, cut accidentally the vas deferens, one of the tubes that carries reproductive semen in it. It could affect this young man for the rest of his life," attorney. Randy Sorrels said, adding that it's "not a common mistake at all."
Remember When It Rained Fish In Texas? The Mystery Might Have Been Solved
On December 29, 2021, Texarkana was baffled when fish were literally falling from the sky. A thunderstorm that slammed the region not only brought rain and hail, but also dozens or hundreds of falling fish.
Earlier this year, geosciences experts weighed in and tried to explain exactly what the heck happened that disorienting day.
Fort Worth Woman Gets Pregnant While Already Being Pregnant
Both babies were conceived a week apart "due to the measurements of their sacs," doctors said. It's a rare phenomenon called superfetation where a second egg is fertilized by sperm and implanted after the first one. Babies born from superfetation are considered twins since they're most likely to be born during the same birth on the same day. Furthermore, for this to happen, the mom-to-be would either need to ovulate while pregnant or have two uteri — which are both "highly unlikely."
San Antonio Resident Wakes Up To 'Creature From Hell' Crawling In Their Bed
A Reddit user from San Antonio shared a couple of videos on the social media platform of a "creature from hell" crawling in their bed. The first video quickly showed the insect on their bed while the second video was longer. The Reddit user also noted they threw their comforter out the door, understandably so. "They are much bigger in real life," user u/bleric said. Waking up next to the creature, which was identified as a Texas redheaded centipede, made the Reddit user almost "die of a heart attack."
Cows Invade Houston Neighborhood & It Was All Caught On Camera
A small herd of cows was caught on Rosalind Hobgood's doorbell camera roaming around the neighborhood. A neighbor called Hobgood to warn her about the cattle chillin' on her front lawn. She said she was getting ready to take a nap when she saw a cow pass a window in her home. When Hobgood opened her front door, she was greeted by three more cows on her lawn. "I just started shooing and laughing and taking pictures," Hobgood says.
Houston Women Make The Most Of Traffic Jam By Twerking On Top Of Car
A viral video shows two women are seen twerking on top of their car that's stopped in bumper-to-bumper traffic on a freeway in Houston. "imagine driving home from work and seeing this on the freeway…welcome to Houston," Twitter user @shoot2kill captioned the video shared on social media, that has received over 180,000 likes and over 20,000 retweets.
Texas Man Captures 'Man-Eating Dinosaur' Crocodile Thought To Be A Myth
Garrett Wales was on a hunting trip in the Savé Valley of Zimbabwe, Africa, where he heard of the "legend of this croc" who reportedly lived in a local pond, but no one he knew had ever seen it. It took Wales and his team of trackers several days to lay eyes on the 15-foot, 1,000-pound Nile crocodile.
Conroe Teen Can't Stop Squeaking After Accidentally Swallowing Dog Toy
Jonathan Serrano was playing around with his mom at their home in Montgomery at the time of the incident. The 13-year-old boy was chewing on a dog toy to "annoy" his mom when she "jokingly made a slapping gesture with a soda bottle." When he ducked, he accidentally swallowed the plastic squeaker. His mother Mary Serrano rushed him to two hospitals in hopes to remove the little squeaker from his body.
Austin Man Roams Neighborhood With Chainsaw, Says 'Satan Is In the Trees'
After calling the Austin Police Department, resident Christina Coats-Gatz said the man didn't leave. "What if next week God tells him to burn the whole forest? There’s people all up and down here, there’s a retirement community, this is a danger back here," she said. Pepper also weighed in on the man's activity, saying he started building "blair witch instillations that are very creepy."
SAT Answer Sheets 'Lost In Transit' Seen Blowing Across El Paso Street
El Paso ISD said the exams from the October 27 testing date at El Paso High School were "securely submitted to UPS," but what happened next was something of nightmares. The SATs were "lost in transit" after they flew off a UPS truck. Drivers saw the dozens and dozens of completed answer sheets on the street, filling the high schoolers with worry about taking the test again.
'Reckless Driver' In Kilgore Crash Was Actually A Dog
A "reckless driver" crashed into two cars in the parking lot of a Walmart in Kilgore on Thursday (December 1), but witnesses were "shocked" to find out who was behind the wheel. It turns out the "reckless driver" was actually a dog.
It Looks Normal From The Outside, But This Fort Worth Home Will Surprise You
The home located at 1809 Carl Street went viral on Twitter — and once you see the photos, you'll totally understand why. Popular account Zillow Gone Wild shared images of the interior of this $745,000 home that's been on the market for a little over four months. "You never know what’s going on inside a home, part 240923, Fort Worth edition," they wrote.
Texas Man Caught On Camera Sniffing Customer's Butt At Pet Store
The store surveillance video shows a man wearing a grey hoodie pretending to eye something on a shelf before walking over to a woman pushing a shopping cart. He bends over to get closer to her behind — and repeats the process two more times as the woman makes her way down the aisle. He even squats low to get a better angle.
Woman Proves Everything Is Bigger In Texas With World's Largest Feet
Tanya Herbert from Houston holds the title for world's largest feet on a living person (female) — she wears a whopping women's size 18 (men's size 16-17)! Herbert is 6-foot-9, only three inches shorter than the world's tallest woman living, Rumeysa Gelgi of Turkey who is nearly 7-foot-1, according to Guinness World Records. Herbert broke the record that was held for three years by the UK's Julie Felton.
New Braunfels Hunter Finds 'Extremely Rare' Three-Eyed Deer
Double Nickle Taxidermy in New Braunfels was getting a deer ready to go for a trophy mount when they discovered a "fully formed eye" underneath the deer's skin, the company posted on Facebook. Photos of the deer pre-taxidermy show an abscess underneath the deer's left eye (see below). Double Nickle Taxidermy also shared photos of the deer while they were preserving its body.