Guinness World Records: The strangest new feats

Leaping llama and a colossal cat are among the winning entries

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(Image credit: Guinness World Records)

A North Wales llama with a passion for the high jump and a supersized moggy from West Yorkshire are just some of the high achievers in the latest edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

"There's something in here for everyone, from space travel, planetary science and the animal kingdom to remarkable human bodies, spectacular pets and superlative highlights from the past year in sports," says Craig Glenday, the book's editor-in-chief.

Here are some of the strangest inclusions:

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Full body burn

Among the more curious characters in the book's 4,000 fabulous feats are Josef Todtling, who has set the record for the longest distance pulled by a horse while on fire: the Austrian was dragged 1,640ft while doing a "full body burn".

Longest cat

Then there is the world's longest recorded cat. At 3ft 10.6in, Ludo is three times the size of the average kitty. The massive Maine Coon is said to sometimes frighten people "as they're more used to seeing dogs that size".

High-jumping llama

If high-jumping llamas are your passion then you'll be gratified to learn that Caspa from North Wales has sprung his way into the record book by jumping over a 3ft 10in hurdle. His owner says that Caspa is "a real show off".

Rotating feet

Schoolboy Maxwell Day has merited inclusion because he can rotate his feet by 157 degrees. The 14-year-old from Enfield, North London, says it "isn't painful" to perform the feat and says he wears insoles in his shoes to keep his feet straight.

Massive mouth

When dentists tell 47-year-old German Bernd Schmidt to open wide he does just that – he can open his mouth to an impressive 3.46in wide. To win the title, which was ratified by a dental surgeon, he placed metal rods between his upper and lower incisors.

Tattooed pensioners

Finally, the ink industry will be heartened to hear that Florida pensioners Charlotte Guttenberg and Chuck Helmke are the most tattooed senior citizens. Guttenberg, 67 has covered 91.5 per cent of her body over the last ten years, while Helmke, 76, has 93.5 per cent of his body covered in tattoos.

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