Gallery of the strange

A competitor takes part in the bi-annual Cold Water Championships at Tooting Bec lido outdoor swimming pool, South London on January 22, 2011. Participants braved the pool’s cold water to compete in swimming races sometimes wearing eccentric costumes or hats.  (Photo by CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)

Dutch-speaking Leon Zoetebier from the Dutch-speaking north and French-speaking southerner Franz Coquidor bicycle in opposite directions in the streets of Brussels, on January 27, 2011 to highlight Belgium’s ongoing political crisis and show that they hope to continue to live together.   (GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images)

Members of Alma’s trup perform during the opening ceremony of the 35rth edition of the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, on January 20, 2011 in Monaco.  (VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)

A model presents a creation by John Galliano for Christian Dior during the Spring-Summer 2011 Haute Couture Collection Show on January 24, 2011, in Paris.   (FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images)

Participants wearing demon costumes take part in the traditional festival of ‘Atiar Foc’ in Palma de Mallorca, on January 22, 2011. The annual festival of Atiar Foc, is a night of revellry in which participants dress as demons and devils, and move through the streets scaring people with fire and fireworks.  (JAIME REINA/AFP/Getty Images)

A competitor takes part in the bi-annual Cold Water Championships at Tooting Bec lido outdoor swimming pool, South London on January 22, 2011. Participants braved the pool’s cold water to compete in swimming races sometimes wearing eccentric costumes or hats.  (CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)

A model presents a creation by French designer Jean Paul Gaultier during the Men’s fall-winter 2011-2012 ready-to-wear collection show on January 20, 2011 in Paris. On his leg, the model wears a knife.  (PIERRE VERDY/AFP/Getty Images)

A man walks in front of the ‘Great Stuffed Rabbit’, 2006 a work by Swiss artist Christian Gonzenbach on January 19, 2011 at La Condition publique museum in Roubaix, northern France, during its exhibition ‘Zoonomia , de la nature humaine’.  (PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia plays a stroke during her first round women’s singles match against Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium on the second day of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 18, 2011.  (GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

Colombian William Chavarriaga, 49, performs as cartoon character Popeye the Sailor at Olaya Herrera airport on January 17 , 2011 in Medellin, Antioquia department, Colombia.  (Photo by RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images)

A man walks on a giant carpet highlighting the 19th century Hapsburgs as Hungary marks the start of its six months at the helm of the EU. Dubbed by Hungary on its EU website as a ‘cultural carpet’, the green carpet measuring 2,174 square feet has been laid out in the atrium of the building hosting European Union summits.  (JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Participants wearing helmets with horns glide with their sled to the finish line of the of the traditional horn sledge race in a valley near the Bavarian village Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, on January 6, 2011. More than 90 sleds took part at the traditional event as snow conditions were appropriate.  (CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)

A polar bear plays on January 4, 2011 at Prague Zoo in the Czech capital.   (MICHAL CIZEK/AFP/Getty Image)

Cane toad Agathe sits on a toy balance during an inventory at the zoo in Hanover, central Germany, on January 5, 2011. All habitants of the zoo are to be counted, weighed and measured during the week long inventory. Agathe has a weight of 1850 grams.  (Photo by HOLGER HOLLEMANN/AFP/Getty Images)

An eight-year-old sea lion ‘Leo’ writes the word ‘Rabbit’ in Chinese characters as part of a New Year’s attraction at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama in Kanagawa prefecture, suburban Tokyo on January 3, 2011. February 2011 will mark the start of the Year of the Rabbit according to the lunar calender a 12-year cycle followed by China and other parts of Asia.  (Photo by YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

People take part in a traditional sea bath during the New Year’s celebrations at the Malo-Les-Bains beach in Dunkirk, northern France.  (PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)

A squirrel sits on an ice covered branch in a park in Moscow. Icy rain fell, covering streets, trees and cars with ice while temperatures dropped to -7 C (18 F).  (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty Images)

Men dressed as Vikings lead the torchlight procession as it makes its way to Princess Street for the start of the New Year celebrations in Edinburgh, Scotland. Thousands of people joined in the torchlight procession, followed by the burning of a Viking long ship.  (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Zoo owner Manny Tangco (C) holds up a rabbit and a tiger cub while surrounded by local children at the Malabon Zoo in Malabon, in northern Metro Manila to illustrate the shift from the ‘Year of the Tiger’ to the ‘Year of the Rabbit’. China and many other parts of Asia will celebrate the start of the ‘Year of the Rabbit’ at Lunar New Year in early February 2011, in accordance with the Chinese calendar that works on a 12-year cycle.   (NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images)

People take part in a traditional Christmas sea bath in freezing water at Cap-Coz beach in Fouesnant, Brittany.  (FRED TANNEAU/AFP/Getty Images)

A sand sculpture entitled ‘Lair of the Spider Queen’ carved by Baldrick Buckle from the UK is seen at the Creepy Crawlies Sand-sculpting Exhibition on the Frankston waterfront on December 26, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. International sand sculpture artists from around the world teamed up with their Australian counterparts to create the insect themed exhibition.   (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

A Palestinian demonstrator dressed as Santa Claus throws stones towards Israeli soldiers during a weekly protest against Israel’s separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah.   (ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

A surfer dressed in a Santa costume surfs at Kuta beach on the Indoensian resort island of Bali on December 24, 2010.  (Photo by SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

A stuntman dressed as Spiderman looks on during his performance in Mumbai. The Spiderman performer arrived in Mumbai for the first time and will visit four other cities Ahemedabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad as part of his first-ever live performances in the country.   (SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images)

A boy and his grandfather sit in a hot spring bath made from a 229 kg pumpkin at a spa facility in Nyuzen town, in Japan’s Toyama prefecture on December 19, 2010.   (JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images)

An elderly Chinese man wearing a Santa hat swims in the icy water of a frozen river in Shenyang, northeastern China’s Liaoning province. Winter swimming is especially popular amongst the elderly and retired as it’s believed to improve circulation and benefit health, and also said to increase the level of mental awareness, release stress, remove aches and pains, increase vitality and keep skin looking younger.   (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

West Highland White Terrier runs through the snow in a forest near Hilden, western Germany. Large parts of Giermany are buried under snow, causing traffic chaos and closing schools in several areas.  (PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Rabbits wear traditional Korean outfits during an event to mark the upcoming Year of the Hare at the Everland Amusement and Animal Park in Yongin, south of Seoul. The year of 2011 is the ‘Year of Hare’ under the 12-year Chinese cycle where each calendar year is named after one of the 12 key animals in turn.  (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

White lion babies Niza (L) and Nero. The twins were born by Caesarean on December 2, 2010 and are bottle-fed until they can be acclimatized in the lions’ family living at the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen.  (JOCHEN LUEBKE/AFP/Getty Images)

Lee Harvey Oswald‘s original pine coffin, which is being auctioned at Nate D. Sanders’ is seen at Nate D. Sanders’ on December 14, 2010 in Brentwood, California.   (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

Clay figures are displayed for sale in a street market in San Salvador, El Salvador on December 13, 2010. Salvadorean artisans sell clay figures of the traditional Salvadorean folklore to be used in cribs during the festive season.  (Jose CABEZAS/AFP/Getty Images)

A municipality worker clears the mud as high waves rip off paving stones on Beirut’s Mediterranean promenade as heavy winds and rain whipped across Lebanon. The storm grounded flights, knocked down billboards and caused nationwide traffic jams in the first winter storm to hit the country after months of drought.   (ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images)

The world’s most famous polar bear Knut yawns in his enclosure at the zoo in Berlin. Meteorologists forecast fresh temperatures and some precipitations for the German capital.  (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

An Indian cricket fan, wearing a Santa Claus mask, cheers for his team during the fourth One Day International (ODI) match between India and New Zealand in Bangalore on December 7, 2010.  (DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Nikica, a two-ton hippopotamus, swims through flood waters, in Plavnica, south of the capital Podgorica. The hippopotamus had to leave her flooded pen in a private zoo after a similar evacuation in January floods.  (SAVO PRELEVIC/AFP/Getty Images)

Runners dress as Santa Claus take part in the 2010 Santa Dash in Liverpool, north-west England, on December 5, 2010. The annual race sees thousands of competitors run the 5km course through the streets of the city center.  (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

A member of the ONG Sierra Club wearing a polar bear costume demonstrates against the countries who according to them are avoiding the climate change issue, in a beach in Cancun on December 3, 2010, in the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-16). The November 29 to December 10 summit aims to advance efforts towards a post-2012 climate treaty after the near-disaster of the December 2009 Copenhagen summit.   (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images)

A couple uses a pushes a sledge to transport a flat screen television through the snow on December 2, 2010 in Berlin, as the capital was covered overnight with a blanket of snow.  (Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

A Bactrian camel has covered its mouth in snow on December 2, 2010 at the zoo in Frankfurt/M., western Germany. Snow blanketed the country, bringing good winter sports conditions, but also disturbing the traffic.  (ARNE DEDERT/AFP/Getty Images)

Dai Haifei, 24, from China’s Hunan province, looks out from his egg-shaped mobile house where he has been living for the last two months, located near his office in Beijing on December 1, 2010. The house cost about 1,000 USD to build, and is made of bamboo strips and mattress, covered by a layer of heat preservation and water-proof material, with patches of bags stuffed with processed wood peels and grass seeds that could grow grass when spring comes, covering the house like a quilt.   (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

A military policeman stands guard during the raid in the Morro do Alemao shantytown on November 28, 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After days of preparation, Brazilian security forces early Sunday launched a raid against a slum where between 500 and 600 drug traffickers are holed up and refuse to surrender. About 2,600 airborne troops, marines and members of elite police units were taking part in the operation targeting a lawless group of slums dubbed Complexo de Alemao.   (Photo by JEFFERSON BERNARDES/AFP/Getty Images)

A monkey drinks from a can in front of an ancient temple during the annual ‘monkey buffet’ in Lopburi province, some 150 kms north of Bangkok on November 28, 2010. More than 4,000 kilos of fruits and vegetables were offered to monkeys during the annual festival to help promote tourism in the area.  (PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/Getty Images)

Son Yeon-Jae of South Korea performs during the rhythmic gymnastics individual all-around qualification & team final rotation 2 during the 16th Asian Games on November 25, 2010. Kazakhstan won the gold medal, Uzbekistan the silver and Japan the bronze.  (Photo by Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images)

View taken of the illuminated ferris wheel in Lille, northern France, on November 25, 2010.  (PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)

‘Lala’, the Cape Penguin wearing a Christmas costume takes part in a Christmas event at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama.  (TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

A diver wearing a Christmas costume feeds fish during a Christmas event at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, on November 23, 2010. The aquariums Christmas activities run from November 13- December 25.  (TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

A Christmas tree made entirely of recycled bicycles is unveiled at the Rocks on November 19, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The bikes and parts for the tree were provided by recycling group, CMA Corporation, and will remain on display until 28 December when it will be returned to the corporation for recycling.  (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

A squirrel climbs on a tree at the Yildiz park in Istanbul, on November 21, 2010.  (MUSTAFA OZER/AFP/Getty Images)

Cast members from Cirque Du Soleil kick off their final season of the holiday show ‘Wintuk’ by posing for pictures before renaming 33rd Street Wintuk Way’ in front of Madison Square Garden in New York November 17, 2010 . The show runs until January 2,2011.   (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Penguins dressed in Santa Claus costumes parade during a promotional event at the Everland amusement park in Yongin, south of Seoul, on November 16, 2010. Everland, South Korea’s largest amusement park, organized the event to inform the opening of its Christmas festival season.   (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman gestures as she stands beside a stork in St James’s Park in central London on November 15, 2010.  (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Competitors take part in a match of Quidditch, Harry Potter‘s magical and fictional game, during the 4th Quidditch World Cup in New York on November 13, 2010. Quidditch, the brainchild of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, has taken flight in some 400 colleges and 300 high schools in North America, getting its start in 2005 at Middlebury College, Vermont. Hundreds of competitors took over a Manhattan park to participate in the game’s fourth world cup.   (Photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

A carnival enthusiast celebrates on November 11, 2010 in the streets of Duesseldorf, western Germany. Carnival revelers across the country and mainly the Rhine region celebrated the launch of the carnival season at 11 minutes past 11 o’clock.  (ROLAND WEIHRAUCH/AFP/Getty Images)

A model poses with a 24.78 carat fancy intense pink diamond during a Sotheby’s auction preview on November 10, 2010 in Geneva. The rare pink diamond mounted on a ring that comes from a private collection is valued at up to 38 million dollars (28 million euros) and will go on sale on November 16 in Geneva. The gemstone, rated among a type that accounts for just two percent of diamonds, was last seen on the market about 60 years ago.   (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

A group of 30 brides race to find a designer shoe that fits among hundreds of shoe boxes during ‘ If the Shoe Fits’ the Wedding Central’s Ultimate Wedding Showdown at Madison Square Park November 9, 2010 in New York. The brides-to-be will race to Madison Square Park in New York City and try to find a specially marked pair of very high-end designer shoes. The winner will receive a fabulous pair of designer shoes to strut down the aisle on her wedding day, a $5,000 prize pack from Wedding Central Experts, and $5,000 cash towards her dream dress, honeymoon or whatever her heart desires.   (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

British constructor Perry Watkins drives in the world�s smallest car during a press presentation prior to the ‘Motorshow’ fair in Essen on November 8, 2010. His car is only 41 inches high and has a 150 ccm Cart engine. The Motorshow takes place in Essen from November 27 until December 5, 2010 with Dragster, Tuningcars and -parts, Hot Rods Oldtimer and Youngtimer are on display.  (PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)

British constructor Perry Watkins drives in his car build like a restaurant table during a press presentation prior to the ‘Motorshow’ fair in Essen on November 8, 2010. The Motorshow takes place in Essen from November 27 until December 5, 2010 with Dragster, Tuningcars and -parts, Hot Rods Oldtimer and Youngtimer are on display.  (Photo by Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images)

A crane lifts the head of what will be the world’s largest statue of Jesus Christ in Swiebodzin, western Poland, on November 6, 2010. Father Sylwester Zawadzki told AFP that the statue he is constructing will be finished by November 21. ‘The statue will be a total 58 metres (190 feet) high from the base and 24 metres wide at the arms,’ added Jan Zawadzki, foreman on the project and brother of the priest.  (JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Jambo, an interactive, animatronics gorilla, created by Animated Extras walks past Gorilla sculptures at the launch of ‘Wow! Gorillas’ project on November 2, 2010 in Bristol, England. A series of life-size gorilla sculptures are set to appear on the streets of Bristol in a mass public art event to celebrate Bristol Zoo Gardens’ 175th birthday. The sculptures also aim to raise funds and awareness of the threats facing gorillas and other apes in the wild, as well as celebrating the Zoo’s birthday with the people of Bristol and encouraging civic pride.  (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Octopus Paul II, successor to the tentacled tipster that wowed the world with his uncanny knack of correctly predicting World Cup football games, swims in his aquarium as he is presented to the media in at the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, western Germany. The new cephalopod, also named Paul in honour of his world-famous predecessor who passed away, was lowered gently into his tank in a ceremony carried live on national television.   (ROLAND WEIHRAUCH/AFP/Getty Images)

Sitting Hen by artist Tae-Geun Yang is seen as part of the Sculpture by the Sea outdoor sculpture exhibition along the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk on October 28, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The 14th annual exhibition brings together works by sculptors from over 11 countries and will draw over 400,000 people over 18 days.  (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

A baby Guanaco is nursed by her mother Hannah (R) in their enclosure at the zoo in Berlin, November 2, 2010. The South America native Lama female calf was born in the zoo on last October 17.  (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

A Lebanese man pours wine into a giant glass as Lebanon sets a new Guinness world record for the largest wine glass, measuring 2.4m in height and 1.65m in width, during the Vinifest wine festival in Beirut on October 29, 2010.   (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images)

People dressed as chickens stage a dancing protest against animal cruelty on behalf of PETA in front of Times Square McDonald’s in New York, October 28, 2010. PETA staged the demonstration to protest against alleged cruel slaughtering methods in the US to kill chicken to make McNuggets, during which PETA claims the chicken is still conscious when they are sent to the knife.  (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Contestants sit with their carved pumkin creations on October 27, 2010 at the Helix Hotel in Washington, DC. The Helix Lounge’s Pumpkin Carving Contest gives would-be carvers a pre-scooped pumpkin, carving tools and two hours to fashion their scariest Jack-O-Lantern for a chance to win a free night’s stay at the hotel.   (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Colored leaves can be seen in the tree tops of beech trees in the Schlaubetal near Bremsdorf, eastern Germany, on October 24, 2010. The 227 square kilometers wide Schlaubetal region shaped of lakes and moorlands, was named natural park in 1995.  (Photo credit should read PATRICK PLEUL/AFP/Getty Images)

A hunting bird chases and catches its prey, a hare, during a traditional hunting festival in the Kyrgyz village of Bokonbayevo, 250 km of Bishkek, on October 24, 2010.  (VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/Getty Images)

A man dressed as a zombie sits next to a woman on a park bench during the Sydney Zombie Walk on October 24, 2010 in Sydney, Australia.   (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

A baby monkey named Miwa (top) rides a young boar named Uribo in the Fukuchiyama City Zoo, Kyoto Prefecture on October 19, 2010. Both have been sheltered by the zoo since June after losing their mothers.  (Photo cby KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Chris Stevens of New Richmond, Wisconsin, positions his pumpkin weighing 1,810.5 pounds, being billed as the new world record holder Oct. 21, 2010 at the New York Botanical Garden in New York.  (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

A man stands with his daughter next to arranged pumpkins during the World’s largest pumpkin exibition at Ludwigsburg Castle on September 19, 2010 in Ludwigsburg, Germany. During the annual Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival at the Ludwigsburg castle grounds they have a traditional pumpkin race that highlights the German pumkin season.  (Photo by Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images)

Motorist Gilbert rides on a motorcycle with his pet dog Bogie as they travel on a road in Manila on October 20, 2010.  (TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images)

Participants compete during the Fisherman’s Friend Strongmanrun race 2010, on Oct. 17, 2010 in la Bresse, eastern France.  (FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP/Getty Images)

A 1.58m tall humanoid robot of Japan’s Advanced Industrial Science and Technology sings and dances with performers at the Digital Contents Expo in Tokyo on Oct. 17, 2010.  (YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

A dog plays in a public fountain on October 15, 2010 in Nice.  (Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)

A chihuahua wears a knitted sweater and scarf during a dog fashion show in Tokyo on Oct. 11, 2010.  (YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

A Convention goer stands next to Ork from Warhammer 40,000 during the 2010 New York Comic Con at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. New York Comic Con, which runs through the weekend, is the largest pop culture event on the East Coast, hosting the latest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, and movies .   (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

A competitor crawls through mud during the Merrell Down and Dirty Mud Run at Orchard Beach October 3, 2010 in New York. Thousands of competitors took part in the race which included military obstacles, running, wading in the water, crawling through mud and scaling a wall covered with soap.   (Photo by DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

A dog smells a Common Kingfisher bird, who lost consciousness after hitting a window, in the countryside near Warsaw. The bird flew away a few seconds later.  (JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images))

A baby female Masai Giraffe who has been named Shani, scratches beside her mother Naema, after being born three weeks ago at the Los Angeles Zoo.   (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)

Competitors leave the start line during a special group photo shoot, with the Harbour Bridge in the background, at the ‘Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay’ in Sydney. An official world record was set at the event for the fastest ever 4 x 100m stiletto relay, which saw women in teams of four running in stilettos with a minimum height of 3 inches, to help raise funds to find a cure for breast cancer   (GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images)