The Bizarre & Beyond: Pie-Hungry Bear, Makeup-Bag Pigeons, and Zombie Fungi Named After del Toro

There are two kinds of people in August: those preparing for back-to-school season and those still wondering where July went.

Either way, the world keeps assigning us homework.

This week's lesson plan is especially unusual. A bear enrolled in advanced bakery burglary. Two pigeons chose a makeup bag as their nursery. And scientists discovered six new species of zombie fungi in Mexico, including one named after filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.

No No. 2 pencil required.

Welcome to edition three of The Bizarre & Beyond, Beyond Unusual Gift Shop's Saturday tour through the real stories that sound completely made up. They are not. Nature remains gloriously strange.

1. The Colorado bear who wanted a blueberry pie

Some animals forage. Some hunt. Some raid a bakery after hours because they have developed a very specific pastry preference.

According to reporting from CBS News Colorado, a young black bear recently tore through a screen at the Colorado Cherry Company bakery near Lyons, Colorado. The opening had been left slightly ajar to release heat from the ovens. The bear smelled the pies.

The bear then did what any determined dessert enthusiast might do. It opened the window, climbed inside, wandered through the shop, and went straight for the pies near the register.

Its target? Blueberry pie.

Employees later found a pie outside with little blueberry paw prints on the glass. That is not a review we can print on a menu, but it is certainly memorable.

The bakery incident also carried a strange echo from the past. A previous bear reportedly broke into the business years ago and ate dozens of pies. Apparently, word travels quickly through the Colorado bear community. The blueberry filling has a reputation.

The back-to-school lesson

This is a classic example of reward-driven behavior. Sweet, calorie-dense food creates a powerful incentive for animals and humans alike. In people, anticipation of a favorite treat can activate the brain's dopamine system before the first bite even happens.

For the bear, the reward was obvious. For the rest of us, it is a reminder that sensory details matter. Warm pastry. Fresh fruit. A familiar smell drifting through an open window.

That is how a simple object becomes a story.

If someone on your back-to-school gift list has an equally serious relationship with baked goods, consider a whimsical serving piece or a conversation-starting mug from Beyond Unusual. It will not stop a bear from entering the kitchen. But it may make the morning coffee feel more extraordinary.

Small comfort. Important distinction.

2. Two pigeon chicks hatched inside a makeup bag

A makeup bag is usually expected to contain lipstick, mascara, and approximately three items that have not been used since 2022.

One Bedford woman found something else entirely: two pigeon chicks.

As reported by the BBC, Mimmy Stranger returned home from a short trip and discovered that a pigeon had built a nest inside her makeup bag on a bathroom shelf. The bird had laid two eggs while Stranger was away.

She named the adult pigeon Pidgey. The eggs later hatched into two chicks, which she named Pluck and Norris. The names reportedly honor action star Chuck Norris, which feels appropriate for two tiny birds that arrived in the world kicking.

Pidgey and her mate, Keith, continued flying in and out of the bathroom to bring food. Stranger said she enjoyed having the birds around and hoped the family would soon fly out through the bathroom window toward new pastures.

It is a sweet story. It is also a useful reminder that birds are remarkably adaptable. When they find a protected space with the right conditions, they will make a home in places humans never intended to become nurseries.

Including, apparently, next to the concealer.

The back-to-school lesson

This story demonstrates the Von Restorff Effect, a psychological principle suggesting that unusual items are more likely to stand out and be remembered.

A nest in a tree? Familiar.

A nest in a makeup bag? Impossible to forget.

That is the power of the unexpected. The most memorable moments are often the ones that interrupt an ordinary routine. A surprise note in a lunchbox. A strange object discovered in a desk drawer. A gift that makes someone laugh before they even open it.

For a student, teacher, or newly reorganized home office, explore the Back to School Magic collection for unusual desk and room accents. A constellation music box, crystal ball, or curious piece of decor can turn a standard study space into a place with personality.

Just keep the makeup bag available for its intended purpose. Or do not. Pidgey has already made a compelling case for creative repurposing.

3. Six new zombie fungi, including one named for Guillermo del Toro

Now for the story that sounds most like the premise of a wonderfully unsettling science-fiction film.

Researchers have identified six new species of zombie-ant fungi in western Mexico. One of them is named Ophiocordyceps deltoroi, in honor of filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.

According to EFE, the fungi were documented in the tropical forests of Jalisco. The new species belong to the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis complex, a group famous for infecting ants and manipulating their behavior.

The six species are:

1. Ophiocordyceps camponoti-striati
2. Ophiocordyceps cephalotiphila
3. Ophiocordyceps deltoroi
4. Ophiocordyceps haravariensis
5. Ophiocordyceps jaliscana
6. Ophiocordyceps pseudocamponoti-atricipis

Yes, the names are difficult to pronounce. This is why scientists deserve excellent coffee mugs.

These fungi are called “zombie” fungi because they can alter an infected ant’s behavior. The ant is driven toward a location that helps the fungus reproduce. After the ant dies, the fungus produces a stalk and releases spores that can infect new hosts.

It is eerie. It is efficient. It is also breathtakingly specialized.

The species named for del Toro is particularly fitting because the filmmaker is known for creating creatures that are both monstrous and beautiful. The researchers also noted his Jalisco roots and connection to the University of Guadalajara.

Nature, in this case, appears to have hired a very imaginative screenwriter.

The back-to-school lesson

The discovery shows why scientists continue to explore places that may seem familiar. Tropical forests can hold entire worlds of species we have never formally described.

It also demonstrates the importance of biodiversity. Every organism plays a role in a larger system, even one that sounds like it escaped from a horror movie. Studying fungi, insects, and their relationships can teach researchers about evolution, ecosystems, disease, and the astonishing ways life adapts.

For a wonderfully odd gift inspired by the fungal kingdom, take a look at Beyond Unusual’s mushroom-shaped cocktail glass. It is decorative. It is practical. It does not control ants.

A solid selling point.

You could also browse the candle collection for atmospheric pieces that bring a little mystery to a reading nook, dorm room, or late-night study session. Add a notebook, a warm drink, and perhaps a firm promise not to Google “fungus life cycle” at 1:00 a.m.

What this week’s weirdness teaches us

Three stories. Three unexpected homes.

A bear found opportunity in a bakery. Pigeons found shelter in a makeup bag. A fungus found a way to turn an ant into part of its life cycle.

The common thread is adaptation.

The world is full of creatures, objects, and people doing things slightly differently from the expected script. That is where the best stories begin. It is also where memorable gifts begin.

The Von Restorff Effect tells us that unusual things stand out. Dopamine helps explain why surprising discoveries feel rewarding. And August’s back-to-school season gives us the perfect excuse to refresh familiar spaces with something beyond ordinary.

A desk does not have to look like every other desk. A gift does not have to come from the same predictable aisle. A home can hold a little mystery.

That is the art of being different.

Beyond the ordinary. Beyond predictable. Beyond unusual.

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Until next Saturday, keep your pies guarded, your makeup bags inspected, and your curiosity switched on.

Happy hunting,

The Beyond Unusual Team