ICYMI: Five must-read stories of the week - July 26 - August 1

Friday, August 1, 2014, 2:22 PM -

Another week has buzzed by and now it's time to dive deep and bring your attention to the most popular (and bizarre) stories that made headlines this week. 

SEE ALSO : NASA simulation shows the heavy pummeling ancient Earth took from massive asteroids

Since we're all bound to miss a few things during the daily grind, here's this week's edition of The Weather Network's In Case You Missed It: Five must-read stories.

5. Deep-sea octopus broods eggs for 4.5 years, sets new world record 

It may be the ultimate act of motherly love: Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have observed a female octopus brooding over her eggs for a mind-boggling 4.5 years -- longer than any known animal on the planet.

The typical octopus has a life span of 1-2 years and during that time females usually only reproduce once, dying shortly after their eggs have hatched. 

In many cases the hatching process takes a couple of months -- but in the deep ocean, things are different. Lean more about the incredibly long brooding process of graneledone boreopacifica, a species of deep-sea octopus, here! 

4. Ontario confirms four tornadoes touched down in the month of July

According to Environment Canada, four tornadoes touched down in the month of July, bringing the total to 12 this season. 

The tornadoes were confirmed to have touch down near Norwich, over Lake Nipissing, south of North Bay, and Millbank. For more information on when the tornadoes touched down and damage reports, check out the article here. 

3. Monarch butterflies face extinction, but there are ways to help 

A report released by the World Wildlife Fund in January says the numbers counted during the last migration were the lowest since the count began in 1993.

VIDEO BELOW: Estimates say one of every three mouthfuls of food is due to these insects.

In the past, as many as 300 million monarch would be seen wintering in Mexico. By 2014, that number had dropped below 60 million. 

Climate change, severe weather events, illegal logging and widespread pesticide use have expedited the monarch's decline, but the widespread loss of milkweed plants is arguably one of the largest contributors.

For tips on how you could help save the monarch, see our feature here. 

2. What IS it? UFO spotted over Toronto 

Social media lit up Saturday evening when a series of colourful lights were spotted over Toronto in the Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue area. Toronto police were inundated with calls about the mysterious UFO and confirmed receiving calls about the blinking pink, green and white lights, which were spotted hovering in a diagonal line formation. Resident Sarah Chun posted a dramatic video of the lights to YouTube.

There are a few theories circulating about what the UFO could be. Check them out, here. 

1. Dramatic Newfoundland iceberg collapse caught on camera 

The best place to watch icebergs wandering down from the Arctic is, famously, off the coast of Newfoundland, which is where Wanda Stead spotted the gargantuan berg in the YouTube video below.

Some might think she's overreacting a bit, but we assure you, that's just because it's hard to tell scale in that video. 

See more incredible iceberg collapses in our article here.