The Fauna of Mystery Flesh Pit National Park - A Field Guide

[@ThoughtPotato]

Play World of Warships here: wo.ws/3ciZvg0 Thank you, World of Warships for sponsoring this video. During registration use the code FIRE to get for free: - 200 doubloons - 1 million credits - Premium Battleship Tier 5 - USS Texas - 20x Restless Fire Camouflage - 7 Days Premium Account (The promo code is only for new players during the registration.)

[@Torvosaurusgurneyi]

Yo have you ever thought of the flesh pit monster actually being a dragon-esc creature? Maybe a convergently-evolving dragonoid with some mammalian features, despite being from completely different lineages? Even the native americans called it a "dragon".

[@Chobittsu]

...who the merde did you talk to at Wargaming to sponsor this specific video?!

[@steventaylor8723]

"...and it's now available on PC!" Uhhh...dude? This game has been available on PC for more than 6 years......................

[@m.r.9127]

The guy just wants to get paid like all of us, let him be lol

[@bjjthaiboxing]

Fictitious Park, not real! Feel free to drive around Texas trying to find it?

[@TotallyACat]

Can you imagine a movie based around this concept? With practical effects like in John Carpenter’s “The Thing”? That would be delightfully grotesque.

[@thatoneguy12ize]

Theyd just ruin the whole arg it wouldnt be half as immersive

[@antigrav6004]

Effects like the thing, tone like Jurassic park

[@TotallyACat]

@@antigrav6004 Yeeeeessssss!

[@antigrav6004]

@@TotallyACat and by that I mean a sense of wonder, danger, and a sweeping adventurous score despite the body horror telling you this should sound much more horrific.

[@thatoneguy12ize]

@@antigrav6004 I stand corrected lol

[@Elijah_Yinkledoink]

It kind of makes sense that the thing used to be aquatic because Texas used to be under the interior seaway.

[@gingermcgingin4106]

Same with Alberta, it's part of why we have so many fossils here.

[@cerridianempire1653]

precisley

[@nanuqo2006]

There's a Fleshpit on Venus, and there's this in-universe local tale of a Dragon from the stars being buried beneath the earth. I'd say its definitely Alien in origin.

[@juxie9229]

@@nanuqo2006 what's your source for the thing on Venus?

[@gerrettmurphy6825]

Leviathan

[@superfunnyjoke3922]

If I could travel back in time to the 1940’s, I would bring this video with me and cause mass hysteria.

[@jonathansims967]

tell them ur from an alternate timeline

[@BuddyLee23]

The OSS/CIA would take you out and pull a Roswell on your video playing device. Might help speed up how long it takes to get YT invented though.

[@sansclone1874]

With the sponsor, this might be adding or decreasing the effects

[@primalreversion7034]

@@BuddyLee23 Roswell wasn't aliens man

[@insertnamehere1258]

if you tried in in the 50's or 60's, you'd just get Joseph Mcarthy'ed

[@dickc.normus2406]

"Amorphous Shame" has me in tears. It's so fucking slanderous while still being clinical and scientific.

[@smoothie3993]

it’s giving “boney eared assfish”

[@DoritoCocoAnimations]

@@smoothie3993yea

[@azfk]

I love the mystery flesh pit, I was planning on returning for another vacation there soon!

[@ThoughtPotato]

You’d better send me a postcard

[@TheSemajshadow]

please make us anouther video if you go. I want to but travel is still locked in my contry thanks to (redacted)

[@deralex4350]

Back in the days I used to visit it every year but since my uncle has been ripped apart alive I just didn't feel like going there anymore.

[@helenajakobsen6220]

NO DON'T!

[@claymationandmore73]

The tripod actually has only 11 legs

[@AgentSkidZ]

The fact that Abyssal Copepods strangle their prey with their human-like hands before dragging them off and devouring them is a disturbing thought.

[@Serucipe]

Better than being eaten alive.

[@markusbonnet439]

I think it’s hilarious, little latex gloves 🧤

[@mrbones9332]

give em the Drifloon treatment

[@thej8656]

Man discovers how animals hunt their preys in real life:

[@thedragonthatlovesskittles7132]

It still looks cute

[@nubbyboah]

The "Flesh Biome" trope in books, movies, video games, and other media has always been fascinating to me. Weather it's meant to incite fear, disgust, or morbid intrigue it's probably one of the most interesting Fantasy/Science Fiction novelties there is. When it comes to worldbuilding, you can either go with the "hyper fauna" path which it's the biology of a singular organism (Jabu-Jabu from The Legend of Zelda) or as a collective "hive" of many smaller organisms forming a semi-cohesive environment (The Rotting Vale from Monster Hunter) There is no more dangerous biome on planet earth besides the molten core than the innards of an animal. Complete darkness compounded with corrosive acid and noxious fumes and the (likely) lack breathable air makes it totally inhumane, which is perhaps why seeing an entire cave system basically based off of it makes humanity both disgusted yet fascinated at the same time. Also... pertaining to the video, is this specimen, this "Immanis Colloseus" known to have a sex? I assume it might be identifiable via tissue samples found... well everywhere inside it! Then again at that size and immobility it might be asexual or simply does not reproduce as it could be a completely unique organism.

[@Cretaal]

Interesting factoid on monster hunter, it's still an example of a megafauna ecosystem as the entire level is taking place in the remains of a singular massive beast that feeds nutrients to the coral highlands... some kind of salamander if I remember. My favorites are the mycelium flesh biomes where it actively creeps and spreads, encorporating more mass into its greater structure. Only thing that comes to mind in that regard though is terraria's crimson biome. SCP has one called "the flesh that hates" which is similar to cordyceps but causes a fleshy growth to create a hospitable nursery for more spores. All together a great concept.

[@alexf8260]

@@Cretaal I believe you’re thinking of Shah Dalamandur, or the creature who’s skeleton makes up the rotten vale. If you’re interested, you could fight a living individual in one of the previous games.

[@dancingwholeness]

@@Cretaal the monster you were talking about wasn’t a salamander, the Shah Dalamadur is a gargantuan “serpent” though it has front legs making it mildly more comparable to a skink. That skeleton is also the largest specimen of that species ever seen.

[@memelurd7341]

@@Cretaal crimson gives me creeps, I like the epic gamer corruption music

[@travislyonsgary]

Given how sex is kind of a modal continuum it likely would have a unique paradigm that would require Gene sequencing and cellular observations.

[@mart6919]

The fact he didn’t break Character during the sponsorship is great

[@NotSomeOrdinaryGuy]

No, not really

[@Robloxfan1234eg]

Sponsorship is also a wild life?1?1?1 REALLL!1!1!1!1

[@Galm1Cipher0]

@@Robloxfan1234egdoes this mean there are naval battles inside the pit?

[@Robloxfan1234eg]

⁠@@Galm1Cipher0i forgot i even made that comment, it would be real funny if there actually was

[@DngrDan]

There are people who actually sit through the KZbinr ads? 😵‍💫

[@dinoscarex4550]

I have never seen the evolution of a creature and actually be disturbed, as it is the case of the amorphous shame.

[@AgentSkidZ]

Who needs a body when you can just be a living pile of organs?

[@zcarp8642]

@@AgentSkidZ at the end of the day, aren't we that already? Plus the fact that if there's food, safety, and everything else, why move? Just be organs.

[@lyssao.8308]

same. such a beautiful intelligent animal was transformed into a pile of organs....by an undeniably painful process of selection.

[@blazesalamancer8767]

Such awesome and fascinatingly creepy worldbuilding, paired with your calming voice. This is why you're one of my favorite channels. You should narrate an audio book

[@ThoughtPotato]

I really appreciate that. Who knows what the future may hold...?

[@Liq_Ful]

Nice NFT…it gon be mine

[@pige0223]

@@Liq_Ful *right click* Save image Jokes aside that's not an NFT, its normal art

[@blazesalamancer8767]

@@Liq_Ful its a picrew, I can link it if ya like

[@Slickboot21]

Audio books are okay for some; but, I gotta have pictures. This story would be next to nothing without them. And we still get to hear his voice. : )

[@Primordial_Soup]

Here's some thoughts on the Gasp Owl, I think its a mammal. Birds have their carpal (wrist) and metacarpal (hand) bones fused into a single D-shaped bone known as a Metacarpus, but the Gasp Owl clearly has five metacarpal bones just like in Mammals and non-avian Reptiles. The Gasp Owl also has a clear distinction between its upper and lower torso with ribs only on the upper side which is a trait of mammals which split their torsos into a Thoracic and Lumbar region. The Gasp Owl appears to have well developed lip muscles which is again only found in mammals as mammalian lips evolved their great dexterity in order to suckle. The only thing that throws me is the eyes which are very superficially similar to Owls (especially if you've seen one plucked). Possibly it is some form of successful Amalgam? Or maybe a highly derived and particularly bizarre member of the Chiroptera, Rodentia, or Primata.

[@ThoughtPotato]

Fantastic thoughts, thanks for sharing! I love the conclusions you were able to draw after only observing its morphology!

[@dubuyajay9964]

I don't know if you noticed, but the "weasels" in this place stopped following a mammalian body plan Ages ago. I'm not gonna freak on an owl with a few "off" parts. Also, could be chimera.

[@sacharubinstein5305]

The moment I saw the gasp owl I said “yep, that’s 100% a primate”. Whether it’s a small monkey or a human, we can’t tell (at least as far as I know)

[@dubuyajay9964]

@@sacharubinstein5305 You care to explain the Shame's lack of a mammalian body plan?

[@Primordial_Soup]

@@dubuyajay9964 since you are curious, the Shame and the Gasp Owl’s situations are fairly different. The Shame has atrophied most of its more obvious features but thanks to the handy guide showing it’s evolution from a more generalized Mustelid form you can still see much of its internal structures are still consistent. It’s gone through a similar evolution to male Anglerfish which also lack numerous features common to other Teleosts (though it’s not a perfect one-to-one, the Shame is way more extreme). The Gasp Owl however is different. It doesn’t just lack features present in birds, it possesses features only found in mammals. It’s easy for organisms to lose ancestral traits or alter the basic form, but to gain whole new structures is more difficult. The amount of evolutionary steps required for a bird to convergently evolve a mammalian spinal cord and lips would be incredible. But more than anything else it’s the hands, again birds have a Metacarpus, while their reptilian ancestors had differentiated metacarpal bones, the closer you get to birds the fewer metacarpals are present (Tetanuran dinosaurs like Allosaurus and Deinonychus had only three metacarpal bones). The most parsimonious answer to me is that the Gasp Owl is a mammal. And since the lore states that no specimen has been gathered, there haven’t been in-universe genetic or anatomical studies on it so the door is open for it to be a mammal. And I suspect the creator intended the mystery to remain as such in this case.

[@XwX1001]

So the abyssal copepod is basically the Flesh Pit's version of a grizzly bear? Big, scary, and mostly try to avoid humans, but damn near unstoppable when aggressive? If nothing else, both are pretty well known for their resistance to gunshots.

[@wazzzup2579]

Its the giant hands that creep me out the most. It just doesn't belong in a crustacean. So its basically the grizzly bear of the pit but looks more like an unholy chimera of a being.

[@terigonUSAS12]

@@lucyditee so bear from siberia

[@davidanacan6906]

@@wazzzup2579 Theres a theory that abyssal copepods are the humans that got lost within the pit and fused with the organism which could explain the giant freaking hands

[@ginam5497]

@@lucyditee most are 6 feet long soooo...

[@thefordlord9893]

Nathaniel Burgundy It only weighed 310 pounds lol most grizzly bears weigh more than that

[@iguanobro9925]

i absolutely LOVE how Thought Potato describes everything like it was a real thing!.

[@croutendo2050]

?

[@niqo_tv]

what do you mean

[@croutendo2050]

@@niqo_tv It's like he thinks thought potato is pulling a hoax on us but I remember going to mystery flesh pit back in 2004 so 🤷

[@rokranged]

This particular thought experiment is phrased that way even in the original, so it's not a Thought Potato thing

[@mr_enterprise1]

You say that as if it's not real

[@knatspray]

The Mystery Flesh Pit was my go-to birthday location when I was around six to ten. I never liked the animals there but loved the corndogs. We once got a room overlooking the stomach, though I had no idea what I was actually seeing at the time. Thankfully, I grew out of it a year before the 2007 incident. Only years later did I realize where I was actually going.

[@basantatamang2249]

What?

[@somedragonbastard]

@@basantatamang2249 (since this is a sort of alternate universe unreality project, people like to talk as if it were real and "share their experiences" of visiting)

[@Ceegizzle]

What I energy knew this was a thing

[@Godzillafan78]

I am so glad my parents never decided to go during the hype

[@deltaloraine]

As a biology major, this is a really cool idea for fictional horror. Imagine if a biology teacher showed this video in class for their elementary kids. lmao I would have been equally horrified and intrigued.

[@nataliarodriguez7049]

This would make such a good survival horror game

[@dubuyajay9964]

Someone is making a game for this setting.

[@pige0223]

@@dubuyajay9964 whats the name?

[@dubuyajay9964]

@@pige0223 No idea. It's still in development.

[@AC-ox4mm]

I would play the hell outta a game based on this

[@oIIified]

There is a roblox game based off this, but it's more of a showcase, not much actual gameplay.

[@mr.international2778]

I was hoping for more exciting dining options involving the local fauna when i visited the park. Sad that the only options they had at the time were a hard rock and a chillis.

[@ThoughtPotato]

Nothing says "horrific, ancient eldritch entity" like a Chilis

[@localgrassfieldboneshandler]

Welcome to chilis... in a creature.. how can I help you?

[@mr.international2778]

"Excuse me sir, how do you like your copepod? On a roll or with a baked potato?"

[@dubuyajay9964]

@@ThoughtPotato I am disappointed in the blatant lack of a Whataburger or DQ. Those are Texas institutions!

[@ben-chan420]

Hahaha, you don't think the Chili's wasn't exciting enough? You weren't there the day a dead shame came bubbling up into one of the toilet bowls in the women's restroom. There were more terrified screams and dramatics than the day the chymus was made, it was a hoot!

[@localgrassfieldboneshandler]

I went to the mystery fleshpit national park prior to the shutdown in 2005... It was incredibly warm within there anyone that went there would agree, I felt sort of uncomfortable by the huge insects flying around us but was amazed, I really did wanna go back..

[@haydenthecactus2004]

Wait didn't it shutdown in 2007?

[@PokemonFreak6298]

I was there during the shutdown, I was on my way out when we felt that first spasm, for as sad as the loss of life was I have to say it was beautiful to watch it feed.

[@olhydra]

2007

[@localgrassfieldboneshandler]

@@haydenthecactus2004 It did, I went in 2005 prior to its shutdown.

[@localgrassfieldboneshandler]

@@PokemonFreak6298 That must have been an amazing sight to see the superorganism finally move, I could only imagine the pain it's been in.

[@lagtim327]

I find it _fascinating_ that a majority of the fauna found within the Permian Basin Super-Organism (PBSO) are Arthropods, Echinoderms, and various types of Zooplankton (the Copepods, for instance,) and that the majority of Arthropod/Echinoderm/Zoooplankton fauna (heretofore referred to as A.E.Z. fauna,) are symbiotically-intertwined with the PBSO. The Amorphous Shame, for instance, takes so little it can hardly be considered an _impactful_ parasite, but nevertheless only takes from its environment. The symbiosis displayed by A.E.Z. fauna seems to imply a far longer residence within the PBSO. Did you know that what we now know as Texas used to be underwater, until tectonic activity caused Pangea to begin breaking up? It was rich in sprawling, titanic reefs which supported Permian sea life and, far in the future, actually became _mountains_, so huge were they. Unfortunately, tectonic activity rendered the area inhospitable over the course of about ten million years, and near the end of this ten-million-year stretch, the Permian-Triassic extinction event occurred, obliterating 96% of all species on Earth. I like to theorize that the A.E.Z. fauna we see residing in the PBSO today first began to adapt to its macro-biome during the Permian era, when the basin was rich with reef life. Was the organism awake at this point, swimming slowly through the depths? Had it _just_ breached the surface? Perhaps it was in hibernation, sleeping at the bottom of the sea? I sure can't say, but regardless of its activity, the orifices of this creature must have been large enough for external life to enter and adapt. Arthropods, Echinoderms, and Zooplankton may have been uniquely suited for adaptation into this moist, dark, cramped environment, which could be why we see so many of their descendants. Only a few here and there moved in, at first, likely smaller ones like Zooplankton; the PBSO macro-biome at that time would have had relatively little competition, and untapped resources are a big 'Free Real-Estate!' sign for species that are experiencing heavy competition for space and resources. As Pangea broke up and the area became increasingly anoxic and sulfidic, there was added pressure to leave the increasingly-destabilizing ecosystem and into a new one, which is likely when larger Arthropods and Echinoderms started trying their luck in the PBSO. The final push for any stragglers would have been the rapid Permian-Triassic extinction event, which took place over a _startlingly_ short 60,000 years. The continued movement of tectonic plates likely resulted in the PBSO being buried, with its new A.E.Z. fauna now cut off entirely from the outside world, left to evolve and diversify. It's likely that the PBSO underwent an awakening event 66 mya, during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event--the one most of us know about, the one where the Chicxulub meteor struck Earth and brought an end to 75% of all species, including all non-avian dinosaurs. Hard to imagine the creature could have slept through such a massive kinetic shockwave so close to its resting place! This is likely where parts of it resurfaced, allowing for more life to move in--the Amorphous Shame, for instance. Anyhow those are just some thoughts. I'm hardly educated on any of what I just talked about but it's so interesting to speculate on the evolutionary history of the PBSO's many diverse fauna!

[@dylandupre420]

Had it not been stated at the beginning that this was fiction, I would have COMPLETELY accepted this as fact.

[@pandap4ntz]

I was scratching my head so hard trying to decide if this was real or not, I've been studying nature my entire life, so I was like, how the fudge did I miss the flesh pit of Texas??! This almost had me fooled, for like a split second. I had no idea this kinda fiction was a thing that existed.

[@BierBart12]

@@pandap4ntz Well, if you enjoyed it, you might LOVE the SCP Foundation. It's nothing but this kind of fiction!

[@SauloA333]

@@pandap4ntz I can't believe you guys thought this was real!

[@FiSH-iSH]

@@SauloA333 its very convincing with how in-depth it goes

[@commanderzavala9328]

Yall been on the internet too long

[@sashastewart3175]

This arg is just… chilling. You did an incredible job presenting it, I might have to check it out myself in depth at some point. Thanks for going over it.

[@johnnybestjojo7789]

It’s not an arg, just a piece of horror media presented in a unique format

[@sashastewart3175]

@@johnnybestjojo7789 I dunno, I feel like I’d classify this as an arg, as it takes place in an alternate version of earth, though it doesn’t really have the game aspect, the fun really comes from finding and piecing together the scattered information across the author’s social media

[@johnnybestjojo7789]

@@sashastewart3175 it just doesn’t fit the definition really, like there’s no puzzle or clues to decode or anything. Nothing is hidden either, it’s just kinda there for you lmao. Not every piece of internet based media needs to be an arg, it can just exist. Look up Cicada Arg if you want an actual look at what they’re like.

[@lawsonmoskal7363]

@@johnnybestjojo7789 it is classified as an arg because it’s presented as facts from an alternate reality, cicada is just the first example of args being used on the internet, it’s not necessarily a guide to follow on args.

[@johnnybestjojo7789]

@@lawsonmoskal7363 where’s the game part though? It’s only 2/3 there. Also I don’t think that definition holds up because then literally any piece of media presented in a vaguely similar way would be an arg, which is just ridiculous. Again, it’s a piece of media presented in a unique and interesting format involving diegetic storytelling, not an arg.

[@neilxenomorph1225]

I wish there was more info and pictu...artistic impressions of the amalgamations, aspecialy ones containing humans. Life of those recovered from amalgamations sounds like something straight out the ending of "I have no mouth and I must scream"

[@ThoughtPotato]

Oh man, me too. I have a feeling you're exactly right.

[@FionavanDahl]

I figure the artist hasn't shown much of the amalgamations because it falls into "super scary idea without even having to show it." I picture the alien from The Thing.

[@synphilia4776]

@@FionavanDahl good point. Some things are scarier when left to the imagination

[@____________838]

@@FionavanDahl Can you imagine The Thing coming into contact with The Flesh Pit?

[@ottol.c.1784]

@@____________838 terrifying thought, since The Thing would have a massive source of Biomass with which to work with and assimilate.

[@michaljanovsky8966]

man when they open again! i wish to visit some day... certainly one of the more unique national parks of the world

[@ThoughtPotato]

Hopefully one day soon! It's on the bucket list for sure.

[@dubuyajay9964]

I need to get some fluid. Not for the adult stuff. I'm banged up and need medical help. :'(

[@michaljanovsky8966]

@@dubuyajay9964 wish you all the strength and healing you need

[@michaljanovsky8966]

@@ThoughtPotato The whole. thing reminded me of a Gorillaz song "Fire coming out of the monkey's head". they should really do a performance there when the lower visitor centre is rebuilt.

[@dubuyajay9964]

@@michaljanovsky8966 Ty.

[@samiamrg7]

Much of modern day Texas was once submerged in the Western Interior Seaway. Perhaps the super-organism inhabited the seafloor during this time and was hardy enough to survive the geologic uplift which eventually drained the seaway.

[@opalizard]

I like this, but if that were true how would a bit of rain water make it choke? Genuinely just thinking out loud 🤔

[@samiamrg7]

+Opalizard Perhaps because it’s mouth and other orifices had been forced open by us humans. Imagine some tiny gremlins force your mouth, esophagus, and larynx open and then it rains.

[@Puppies2003b3eleyy]

@@opalizard could be like a whale, needs water to function and move but breathes air. Or like a crab. Just speculation ofc lol

[@jonathanpilcher337]

@@opalizard yea that's definitely a flaw in the world building

[@capitalistball2924]

@@jonathanpilcher337 Nothing really indicates that

[@vyvisabastard]

my school was planning a field trip to the flesh pit as a school-wide once in a lifetime experience, but the 2007 disaster put a stop to that for good. i was so disappointed, i didnt understand what had happened since i was so young, so as ive gotten older ive collected a fair bit of mystery flesh pit memorabilia. learning what happened on that day has been hard, knowing how Anodyne would regularly endanger people for the sake of money and greed. this was a very interesting and informative video on the fauna of the superorganism, i have to wonder how the creatures of the superorganism have re-adjusted to life before humans

[@gundamthatateataco4729]

"the gasp owl will have to live in our imaginations" please don't, I'll take my normal owls thank you.

[@ThoughtPotato]

t h e r e i s n o e s c a p e

[@Skud_paimon]

I like how it's not even flora and fauna, it's just fauna, even the plants breath lol

[@cara-seyun]

All plants breathe

[@kingghoul2324]

@@cara-seyun Well yeah, but it's pretty clear they meant Active Respiration.

[@malnutritionboy]

@@kingghoul2324 using that definition. insects don't breathe

[@kingghoul2324]

@@malnutritionboy I don't see how that's applicable? I didn't say that insects did or didn't breathe.

[@ferrousiron7165]

By suggesting the OP meant "breathing" by "active respiration", you invalidate that insects, a part of fauna, breathe.

[@indalcecio]

I was there in 2004 as a student from A&M, its a truly beautiful place actually. It's so dumb that we can't enjoy it anymore due to a few dumb tourists getting killed. More deaths at other national parks but people are scared of what they don't understand. I heard they were in talks to sell and open a new park, I really hope I can go back before I die, I feel like I absolutely HAVE to go back. I still have dreams about it

[@thecreature916]

The tourists were not the problem it was anodyne being stupid and then it started choking.

[@knatspray]

I worked there as a miner in 2006, my coworker told me he lost his walkie-talkie in a nutrient pocket so I walked over to look for it. Turns out there were just two Amorphous Shames mating in there, I requested a shift change later that week.

[@redblushinrose]

​@@knatsprayyou poor soul

[@smilemore7431]

I told my dad about this story but I think he zoned out for the first part of the story where I said It was an art because he got really confused and asked me if Mystery Flesh Pit was real. I was really tempted to say yes.

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

😂😂😂

[@UCannotDefeatMyShmeat]

The pains of Sharing highly realistic fiction “You believe this??” No it’s just a cool video man

[@migthulhu]

When I was a kid in the 70s my grandparents took me and my cousin on a road trip in the Plymouth Fury to Mystery Flesh Pit and it's one of the best memories I had from childhood... After talking with my parents about it it seems my grandparents actually took us to Carlsbad Caverns, my mistake.

[@RoanRetro]

I've been writing a D&D campaign that involves an expedition into a gargantuan mimic and I've been using all of this as inspiration for the many adventures down into the pit. Full on procedural exploring where each time you go into the Mimic it'll change rooms and passage ways so it's a fresh dungeon each time.

[@someguardsman]

That sounds fucking dope

[@volnartheunforgiving3952]

Is it weird that when they talked about engineers shaping the orifice and adding visitor centers I immediately went in my head "Ugh, how inhumane" Like I feel attached and intrigued by these creatures, not afraid It's really just so interesting

[@arolurker3511]

These videos constantly make me imagine tiny creatures crawling into my mouth while I sleep, bracing my throat and mouth open, and building mega-malls in there. I’d kill hundreds of them, too.

[@kiptheott5932]

If it makes you feel any better, the size difference is such that it wouldn't notice individual humans any more than humans notice eyelash mites. Even the structures built inside of it would be like spiderwebs are to humans, proportionally.

[@vylbird8014]

Also a bad idea to try to anchor structures to s living and poorly-understood foundation... and that is why the place closed down.

[@yellowfootproductions8835]

@@kiptheott5932I Don’t want spiderwebs in my throat.

[@sultanofswag8901]

​@@arolurker3511fun fact, there are hundreds of microorganism species living inside you right now and you'd die without them 😊

[@xanderdownunder1995]

i love how the tunnel to the bladder is just called "Gods mistake"

[@Apostate_ofmind]

im getting strong human vibes off that gasping owl chthulu doesnt scare me nearly as much as this myth, nothing else pulls me in like this must be because im a biologist, but id give my left leg for an internship there.

[@Giganfan2k1]

*micro bio here* same.

[@ben-chan420]

No, no you don't. You're young, go live a full life, it isn't worth wasting inside a creature we will never truly comprehend or control. An ant could not fathom the complexities of the inner workings of a man, we cannot fathom the true nature of the superorganism. We only can hope to keep it sleeping, sleeping until the next generation can hope to do the same. You think those natives performing rituals on the grounds were fools? That science can reveal to us all the mysteries of the universe? Those "savages" did a far better job than we ever did keeping it asleep, '07 proves that beyond a doubt. I wish I could tell you every single reason why we were wrong, why Anodyne was wrong, every way we've sped along the extinction of mankind with Chili's and Hard Rock Cafe as sponsors, but NDA's have my tongue tied. Do you think any of us who worked on that whole big disaster waiting to happen really have a scientific explanation for all that's been uncovered from tendon and bone? Think about that before you sign on or you might end up a jaded old man whose seen too much stuck giving warnings he can't fully explain.

[@Apostate_ofmind]

@@ben-chan420 name checks out 👀

[@terigonUSAS12]

@@ben-chan420 i wanna be a chymus

[@dragonslayermasterornstein83]

Terrarian: "Whoops! looks like I missed a crimstone block!"

[@Monke0]

Oh no, OH NO

[@micromac6913]

Dang I spent my money a zenith reforge. Tinkerer coat me 20 platinum.

[@overdoughmsm]

I love that you tell it as not a story made on the internet, but as a documentary of real events

[@xenomorphtestifyingincourt7412]

Wdym, it is real events. Went there in 2004

[@tonybrewer7536]

That's called story telling

[@flibbernodgets7018]

I recently got to play Half Life Alyx, and boy, walking through the quarantine zone in VR was very unnerving. Really put the abstract and clinical descriptions of this video into context for me.

[@Fable999]

I never knew about the gasp owl! what a cute little creature

[@noahvcat9855]

There is a similar animal that exist today that is pretty much like the Amorphous Shame and it is called the Siphon-mouth copepod which have a life style and appearance pretty much the same as this species barely resembles its relatives at all so it is very well within the realm of possibility to see a weasel like animal becoming something like the Amorphous Shame since we have that already.

[@xenomorphtestifyingincourt7412]

Wdym, we HAVE the shame

[@TheTyranidHiveMind]

We have something LIKE the shame, not the shame itself

[@lonl123]

My family went to the park in 2003, and me and my dad rode the gondola down to the landing above the maw. I thought it was really cool and I desperatly wanted to go down to the lower visitor center, but my mom was having none of it and had something of a hissy fit. We rode the gondola back up and left and then we headed to Gumption for lunch. My dad bought me some stupid T-shirt.....I'm really sorry some people got hurt or whatever in 2007, but I really want to see the park again and go inside...but now I will never have the chance.

[@ThoughtPotato]

Dang, that sucks. But hey, at least that shirt is probably worth quite a bit on eBay.

[@fuzzytransmissionman]

My brothers and I were kinda nervous when we went to see it, even after all the cartoon info stuff, but this other kid on the gondola down FLIPPED OUT. He was all crying and screaming "it's gonna eat me, it's gonna eat me!" lmao

[@lonl123]

@@fuzzytransmissionman Huh...Me and my Dad both were really into it...It was just my Mom who really hated it...she complained the whole time we were there. I was really impressed with the park rangers there...did you get a chance to go to the lower visitor center?.....

[@fuzzytransmissionman]

@@lonl123 yeah, we even went out on the enclosed trails! Dad even stepped out the airlock onto the flesh, came right back in saying "nope, it's worse than the Keys in August out there" lol

[@lonl123]

@@fuzzytransmissionman Thats so cool...youre so lucky. Sucks its closed now...maybe they will open it up some day again...but after the accident probably not.

[@balintvasvari7573]

0:35 Love the clarification 'Mystery Flesh Pit National Park is a Work of fiction' Like you can fool me into thinking it's not real

[@ThoughtPotato]

Dang you got me

[@EmbeddedWithin]

@@ThoughtPotatohi

[@FivePebbles-e8s]

As someone who lives just the pit I can’t believe he tried to cover up our existence

[@kentoncompton3009]

I remember back in the day, I was 6 or 7 when my family where huddled around the tv. I don’t remember much since I was so young, but I do remember my father owning a patch from the park, said he took my mother there on one of their first dates. Not sure what happened to the patch though. It may still be up in the attic back home.

[@lonl123]

You should try and find the patch dude...it might be worth some money on ebay....

[@SStupendous]

I remember almost every day of being 6-7 and I was gat ages around that time... Shame about your memory, man!

[@whereskentuckybruce8245]

Depending on where the flesh pit is located, that area may have been submerged in water at some point, allowing the aquatic creatures to live in it. This could mean the fleshpit is very very old, allowing these creatures to evolve over a set time period

[@Nekoszowa]

The theory is that it might have been a sleeping dragon, and it woke up due to the expansion of the park

[@I_Dont_Believe_In_Salad]

​@@Nekoszowa spoiler alert: It's actually giant starfish

[@Nick-sx8yg]

Well written lore, and a well-executed presentation of it. I very much liked the scientific perspective even on a completely fictional creature; no one was claiming aliens, magic, government conspiracy, it was just about scientists studying and making the best guesses they could. This is a great way to do sci-fi, I applaud both the writer and presenter, and all artists involved.

[@yamato6114]

Wonderful video! Except there is one flaw in the intro: You mentioned there's no human presence, but there actually is. The Permian Basin Recovery Corp is responsible for overseeing the quarantining and scientific study of the PBSO.

[@heuvelke1065]

Are you for real? This shit is know to be true?

[@k2lmn]

Absolutely love this ARG. I just want to know what the whole thing looks like!

[@ThoughtPotato]

SAME. Hopefully the author's upcoming book will contain some new insights...

[@santimar093]

@@ThoughtPotato Wait a minute... there's a book coming out? How and when did that happen?

[@ThoughtPotato]

@@santimar093 There aren’t a ton of details yet, but apparently members of the author’s Patreon will get first access (according to the tier perks).

[@doorstopper674]

Its not an ARG

[@forward4703]

@@doorstopper674 fr, that's not what arg means

[@Train_lizard]

Sorry if I’m kinda late, but I’d like to share a story about how somebody almost got attacked by a copepod in 2002. To keep it short, we went on a hike in the northern bronchial forest, took a wrong turn and accidentally walked right up to an Abyssal Copepod, was around 15 feet long, just a few meters away from us, it noticed us before we saw it and by the time we realized it was there it had already been leaving. We found out it had been trying to fish a Shame out of an especially deep and tough crevice, I don’t know how long they live but I seriously hope that little guy is still alive today, he damn well deserves it

[@SuLokify]

Oh neat I've seen the two in Australia and the fossilized one in Thailand but never knew we had our own flesh pit monster in North America! I love our National Parks.

[@SuLokify]

@@lucyditee The Aussie pits are really small, and apparently dormant. They're both in Coober Pedy if you're ever in the area and want to see them. Just ask at the bar.

[@generalgrievous2202]

I once saw a lizard fall into one of the pits here in aus, didnt see it land!

[@mothman20]

I remember watching this high once and I was convinced with every cell in my body that this shit was real

[@faeriefriend101]

It’s so cool seeing people talk about their trips prior to the shutdown. I was only able to go once and I was OBSESSED with Gasp Owls, I always thought they were so cool as a kid.

[@bedshitter6946]

went there back in 2007, just months before the tragedy. it was truly a sight to behold, got me into speculative evolution. may those 100s of people rest in peace, although it is a shame that flesh pit national park closed, it's for the better.

[@RocRolDis]

We went to the flesh pit when I was a kid. We stayed at the gastric sea hotel. My brother and I would sit at the windows all time time to see what chunks would get throw up on them. We even saw a gastric whale in the distance.

[@C_Corpze]

I always loved the idea of a humongous creature, like a flesh cave or pit that you can explore. There is so much danger and mystery inside god's fleshlight.

[@blacknote6945]

jesus he doesn't even clean his fleshlight

[@commanderfoxtrot]

Abyssal Copepods were most likely humans at one ancient point... Same thing goes for Gasp Owls... in fact, most likely more than a few of the creatures inhabiting the Permian Basin Superorganism were at one point human, albeit now amalgamated successfully with once-aquatic lifeforms.

[@mystikyu4613]

yo this seems like the terraria crimson biome

[@FulgrimDragon]

So glad you covered this, the mystery flesh pit is one of my favourite world building projects

[@apandafromhell4375]

I love how Thought Potato makes it sound almost legit. Had me like "What"

[@High_Tech_Priest]

The idea that these things could live in the earth matle is insane yet intensely interesting

[@TheSemajshadow]

when humans all die out and earth is visited by aliens. stuff like this will leave them super confused.

[@vibevizier6512]

"Damn these bitches just had a fucking FLESH PIT, huh?"

[@missing2414]

They'd probably try looking for it, wondering how a Gigantic meat pit could completely vanish out of thin air

[@TheSemajshadow]

@@missing2414 they saud it was right here under the big T

[@c0rn651]

This video brought back so many memories, I remember back in 2003 we went to the park and my sister was carried off by a copapod which sucked but we got ice cream after so all in all great birthday

[@danielmclellan1522]

2003... Wait... was she the one who tried riding one while calling it an animatronic; the one who got lost trying to find a quiet corner to get with the sketchy guy on maintenence; one of the ones who tried seducing the creatures DESPITE THE WARNING SIGNS (seriously, those signs existed for a reason! 🤦🏻‍♂️ ) ; part of the trio who tried camping out in a restricted area overnight; a member of the Chanticleer cult; or did she end up one of the amalgamates?

[@virutech32]

it took me an extremely hot minute to realize this wasn't real. like its been a bit since i watched ur content & then out of nowhere ur over here with this 100% series narrator voice n im like holy shite. a mystery flesh pit🙉 jeezus, nature sure is wild. just...can't

[@STUPIDMOSTOFTHETIME]

That’s my favorite part of mystery flesh pit- all it’s content is designed to look so real I also thought it was real at first-

[@SStupendous]

​@@STUPIDMOSTOFTHETIMEMainly referring to the way he does his vids

[@lastofthe4horsemen279]

I remember going to the Permian Basin as a child .My family would go on vacation there during the summer .Definitely one of the coolest places we would visit. Mammoth Cave,in Kentucky, was also lots of fun.The only creature I ever saw was a quick glimpse of an Abysall Copepod and it only briefly.It was terrifying :0

[@thompsonel-melloi9270]

I was about 5 months old upon my first and only trip in 2005. And I'm just now learning that those abyssal copepods can get 20ft long. That's a nope from me dog

[@BoyBlunder66]

I still love the concept of this thing, they pretty much found an eldrich being and then promptly turned it into a tourist trap.

[@kotik5762]

“Nothing beyond the fence is worth dying for”

[@FivePebbles-e8s]

Don’t let that keep you out of

[@DanteYewToob]

Someone should make a short film or mini series based on this. A found footage style recovered tape type story of a family vacation gone wrong, or some stolen military documents mixed with public information… I think it could be really cool and genuinely scary in an unnerving way.

[@skipskip7737]

This reminds me a lot about Chrono Trigger The main Villain is a gigantic tic like creature that forcefuly evolved creatures in the planet so he could consume their organic matter in a billion years

[@patrickfiedler5187]

This is so amazing, wish it would be real just to unwish it.

[@ThoughtPotato]

That's almost poetic

[@jansimacek5084]

1:18 there’s just an organ named “Gods mistake”

[@jessicawood688]

I love that you had to put statement that it was a work of fiction in the opening.

[@ethangriffin3935]

Used to work security back in the day when it was in operation. Back in early '05 we were all issued AEMT units to deal with fauna when necessary. They were more effective than the firearms we were using before then, sure, but I think we all preferred using guns. The loud report in such an enclosed space was better than the ker-chunk kind of noise the AEMTs would make for drowning out the sounds the wildlife would make. You spear one of the bigger critters with one, and it wouldn't die on the spot. It'd take a while for it to die if you didn't perfectly nail its head. God, the shrieks those things made. I still lose sleep over the sounds those monsters would make.

[@lonl123]

Did you like working in the pit? As I stated in a post further upstream...I didn't get a chance to go inside the pit...always wondered what it would be like to work there. Did you get to explore or anything?

[@ethangriffin3935]

@@lonl123 God, no. Working down in there away from the areas with AC was pure suffering. Down there, it's always 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit at 100% humidity. I did kinda get to explore, mostly when I was assigned to follow the dig crews.

[@lonl123]

@@ethangriffin3935 Well, I just put an application in for "General Laborer"...Is that a good job? I really feel some kind of weird connection with the place...not sure why...since me and my family visited in 2003, it has kind of consumed me wanting to go back there. My resume is kind of sad...but maybe they will answer.

[@fuzzytransmissionman]

Okay, so I gotta ask: was the venterial laser any good on those things? I heard Ian on Forgotten Weapons say that it could "lightsaber" through tissue but every other account I've heard only mentions the stent-driver.....

[@fuzzytransmissionman]

@@lonl123 Lemme know if they let you hold an AEMT!

[@LavenderViolet00]

This concept is amazing... It's a perfect Lovecraftian cosmic horror story. It's a really fascinating idea but I wouldn't want to go in there.

[@gilla2092]

I remember my visit, it was humid but otherwise actually pretty fun

[@UlfricReiddr]

„Mystery Flesh Pit National Park“ is a work of fiction. Its worrying that quite a lot people actually need this notice

[@jackspratt44]

It's like the movie EVOLUTION. A huge mass of fleshy like stuff that creates it's own atmosphere and creatures. It all dies with selenium.

[@alphabulblax1649]

This guy's voice works perfectly with this concept. The idea of these lovecraftian horrors being presented in such contemporary ways is one of the reasons I love this story.

[@DavinTurner]

When I first saw this a while back I missed the disclaimer at the beginning and thought this was 100% real for a few horrifying minutes! 😂 This is absolutely amazing world building!!

[@gingermcgingin4106]

Nit pick: 'Superorganism' refers to a colony of eusocial organisms, not a single massive one. Also, fun fact: there's at least one organism on Earth IRL about the same size as this one.

[@chedder_chandlure4363]

Let me guess... Great barrier reef?

[@gingermcgingin4106]

No, all that coral isn't one single colossal creature. I was referring to a honey fungus who's hyphae cover some (IIRC) 300 or 400 square miles. There's also basically an entier forest of pretty much just birch trees, that since they all share the same root system, are all considered one individual plant.

[@generalgrievous2202]

@@lucyditee yes but superorganism is a real irl term, that refers to a larger organism made up of many many small organisms

[@peenyyt4921]

@@gingermcgingin4106 it’s larger than that

[@murshi8189]

@@chedder_chandlure4363 Could be one of those forests that are just one tree.

[@rohamm_9238]

I feel lucky to live so close to such an interesting creature. Once the park reopens it is only a 30 minute drive to the opening!

[@FivePebbles-e8s]

I live 0 minutes away from the inside

[@queenbench3114]

i like how hundreds are killed in a Lovecraftian natural disaster and the Dow goes up

[@umbraluna8387]

This was a really cool video dude! Since this channel is all about fascinating creatures, maybe you could talk about creatures from the Eternal Cylinder? It has some very odd, yet intriguing creatures in it.

[@Austerum]

Well that’s a literal saying of “Deep in the heart of Texas”

[@georgeofhamilton]

Long story short, based on a bunch of scattered and cryptic material from the creator, the Flesh Pit is shaped like a five-armed seastar, it’s from Venus, and it responds favorably to vibrations from quartz crystals.

[@_void_with_eyes_]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if something like this was just suddenly discovered one day

[@MundMoriginal]

This would work as a movie, if it's done in the style of The Lobster. Where this seems to be completely normal, I mean, people would still be fascinated, but it would be normal to have it be a commercially used park, where you have the upper world, where people are entertained, and the behind the scenes, where all the heavy shit gets discovered and kept secret, until it ends with the disaster.

[@plinko-moss]

I remember seeing 2 amorphous shames in a hole together on someone’s camcorder, and it was gross. Looking back at it now, I realize they are mating.

[@dubuyajay9964]

Yikes.

[@ToastyNoneofyourbusiness]

One of the recent updates revealed that the Pit is smarter than humans, which is infinitely scarier than anything else so far

[@arolurker3511]

Considering how many humans paid money to enter it and wander around giant guts populated by giant lobsters with strangle-y hands, I feel like “smarter than humans” is not that high of a bar.

[@ToastyNoneofyourbusiness]

@@arolurker3511 i kinda meant in a "beyond your mortal comprehension" kinda way, but you're not wrong

[@vylbird8014]

Sort of. We know the neural tissue has a silly amount of processing power - you could get computers that used it for storage and correlation up until the 80s, when silicon chips became more economical to manufacture. The connectivity is fractal in nature. But no-one knows what it's all for. Intelligent in the human sense? Probably not. But processing a tremendous amount of information? Certainly. I think it's probably something to do with whatever it uses for sensory and locomotive functions though.

[@TheSlimelordLeCEO]

Can’t wait for the park to reopen! I’ve always wanted to visit!

[@abridgedbog7753]

The prequel of made in abyss be like:

[@yangree4213]

Lol

[@raymond4218]

I’m interested in the origins of the PBSO. It reminds me of Lavos from Chrono Trigger for some reasons, and I find it possible that it might even have a similar origin story. Consider this: thousands, or more likely millions of years ago, an alien organism crashed to Earth by sheer coincidence. It’s a living thing, sure, but its physiology is entirely different than that of the planet’s native life-forms. However, it possesses a special capability: the amalgamation of the carbon-based life that inhabits the Earth. Over time, it accumulated organic matter, assimilating thousands of tons of biomass into an outer casing that resembles the tissues of the planet’s native life-forms. Its state is mostly dormant, a continued hibernation which it used to survive its long journey through space. However, it managed to root itself in the planet over time, in order to better disguise itself and accumulate more organic material and to extract nutrition from the planet itself. However, once it reaches a certain point, it may awaken to its full conscious state, and accomplish whatever the life cycle of a life-form that colonizes planets does to fulfill its biological imperatives. The consequences of this may or may not be significant to the planet’s native fauna, including its resident sentient apes. What do you think? Any improvements this theory could use?

[@ben-chan420]

You'd be surprised just how many things you just said lined up with theories running through the company back in the 90's. Lot of things you got wrong too, but for for a guy tossing out guesses you did about as well as a bunch of eggheads getting paid to do it. What nobody ever likes to consider is turning to the religious and supernatural aspects to explain any of it but the ritual grounds were maintained on site and some people might get to thinking there's reasons for that, but it's up to you to decide whether they have any merit or not.

[@slusheewolf2143]

The only difference between Lavos and this creature is that Lavos was extracting DNA from everything that existed. Right before you fight Lavos, it describes this. Lavos was an intelligent being, where this being does not seem intelligent, especially since it cannot detect foreign life forms inside of it unless you get to really rather weird parts of the flesh pit where it's defense mechanism does the work for it.

[@CryptidRenfri]

Reminds me of Brethren Moons from Dead Space

[@wafflenovas]

"Get me that flesh pit" "But sir-" "I said, get me that flesh pit!"

[@headcrabking9054]

Ah man I remember visiting there once! It was so cool seeing that place, there was nothing else like it! Really unfun to walk around though, everything was far, and the heat was terrible! Shame about what happened to it, scary to think that that sort of tragedy could happen to a place I've been to.

[@alexmackrell1385]

I was thinking the same thing! Like man, all it would have taken was going at the wrong time and I would have been dead- The heat was something wasn't it? By the end of it I wasn't feeling so good, nauseous and dizzy, it was my fault for not bringing enough water though. I was desperate to be back somewhere cool, but even then I wouldn't call it a bad experience! Truly unique

[@Slickboot21]

This thing may be a survivor (or survivorS) that existed on Tiamat before it's destruction/transition to what became Earth, and escaped that holocaust underground with other native Tiamat inhabitants. I wonder what Mudfossil University would have to say about the organism.

[@stygian_with_a_j]

Me and my family managed to sneak in a few years back. Great tourist destination, and would definitely go again, if not for the fact that there's a strange fleshy growth on my leg that stops me from moving anywhere.

[@sirisrex7542]

Been feeding my grandma a steady diet of these videos and now she's on antipsychotics. Thanks dude!

[@Appl3Pi3_365]

i gave the park a 1 star review after i was amalgamated into the wall and my spine/brain was removed, im in a jar currently :(

[@Appl3Pi3_365]

@@lucyditee i feel like a marinating turkey, but the sensory organs help make it better

[@jackinafield]

I went there in 2003, went to the ballast springs. It was indescribable. Even managed to see a gasp owl.

[@douglasgorde5823]

Oh yea I got to visit this when I was like four. I don’t remember much but I was so terrified that we’d be eaten or crushed or smth. We were planning on going again a couple years later but then the disaster happened. Really sad.

[@Sylentmana]

The Mystery Flesh Pit is the place you go to after one too many drinks in a seedy bar. You always follow it up with a visit to your doctor to make sure you didn't catch anything permanent.

[@mathieuleader8601]

variety is the spice of life especially in the parasites in the pit