The world is a wonderful and strange place that consists of incredible things. We usually don’t even think about many incredible things that surround us. At times, we have heard about them but would have never had the chance to see them. Here is a list of top 12 things that most people would have never seen or heard about in the world.

1 Colored Art Loaf: This piece was masterfully crafted by artist Loren Stump by layering colors to create this “loaf,” and each slice was sold for $5,000.

This amazing piece of art, or should we say “art loaf,” was created by Californian glass worker Loren Stump. With the expertise of over 40 years, the delicate “murrine” is made from layering colored, molten glass at the core and elongating it meticulously until the artwork is formed. The murrine is a cross-section of creative, figurative, hidden images made by combining 2D forms into 3D objects.

The individual components are crafted by creating strokes of molten glass to create the figurines. The molten glass is further heated and stretched to create the image. For complex images, the process is repeated until the desired image is obtained. Every slice of this amazing art loaf was sold for a whopping $5,000. (source)

2 Black Swallower: This nightmarish binge eater lives at depths of up to 10,000 feet below the surface. The fish is capable of gobbling up animals twice its length and ten times its mass with ease.

The Chiasmodon niger, aka “Black Swallower,” is a species of fish that lives at a depth of 2,297 to 10,000 feet in the North Atlantic Ocean. The deep-sea fish is notorious for gobbling up animals that are twice its size and ten times its mass. The fish stalks its prey from behind and swallows it with ease facilitated by its distended stomach.

In 2007, a dead black swallower was discovered floating off the coast of the Cayman Islands. The fish had swallowed a 34-inch mackerel, and the food started decomposing before it could be digested. The resulting gases caused the fish’s guts to burst open killing it. (source)

3 Barbie Pagoda Fungus: This is a species of fungus found in New Caledonia. It is gorgeously hued in pale pink and blue color with a multi-tiered appearance.

The color fluorescent candy pink is synonymous with Barbie. However, she now has a rival, a fungus native to New Caledonia discovered in 2013 named Podoserpula miranda. It has been nicknamed “Barbie Pagoda Fungus” due to its pale pink color and a quirky, multi-tiered appearance.

The fungi are unusually shaped producing up to half-a-dozen caps diminishing in size from bottom to top-center on a single stalk. The scientists have warned not to be fooled by its beauty. The fungi smell like radishes and are presumed to be toxic in nature. (source)

4 A Lake Above the Ocean: Lake Sørvágsvatn, the largest lake in the Faroe Islands, sits atop the North Atlantic Ocean and creates a waterfall as it discharges into the ocean.

The six-kilometer picturesque lake is located between Iceland and Norway on the island of Vágar. The lake sits comfortably on top of a cliff about 40 meters above sea level. The waterfall is surrounded by a higher cliff that prevents the water from spilling into the sea.

The lake empties into the sea via an outlet creating the waterfall Bøsdalafossur. The cliffs located on either side of the lake create an optical illusion from certain angles. The illusion makes the lake appear much higher above sea level than it is. (source)

5 Four-horned Jacob Sheep: This is a multi-horned sheep. The most distinguishing features of the Jacob are their four horns, although they may have as few as two or as many as six.

The Jacob sheep is mentioned in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament Bible. However, the origins of the sheep remains a mystery, and it was discovered during the 17th century. The sheep breed is native to Britain and is dark-colored with white areas of wool. The most distinguishable feature of the sheep is its horns consisting of two to six horns.

Both the male (ram) and female (ewe) possess this unique characteristic. It consists of two sets of horns – the rostral and caudal set. The rostral set of horns extend upwards, while the caudal set of horns curl downwards along its head and neck. The sheep was initially raised as “park-sheep” by rich landlords for ornamental purpose. (source)

6 Fukang Meteorite: The 4.5-billion-year-old Fukang meteorite was found in the mountains near Fukang, China in 2000. It is a pallasite – a type of stony-iron meteorite with olivine crystals.

The Fukang meteorite was discovered in the year 2000 in the mountains near Fukang, China. The meteorite is considered to be 4.5 billion years old and weighs about 20 kilograms. The meteorite is a pallasite comprised of gem-quality olivine in a nickel-iron matrix.

The meteor is presumed to have formed during the birth of the solar system. High temperatures might have fused the olivine with the metal forming a matrix. It has been estimated that less than 1%  of all meteorites are considered to be pallasites. This makes it one of the greatest meteorite discovered during the 21st century. The meteorite has been divided into many pieces and auctioned off. (source)