World's Biggest Animals

Say hello to this gargantuan specimen named Hercules, purportedly the Guinness Record holder for World's Biggest Dog. Hercules is an English Mastiff and has a 38 inch neck and weighs 282 pounds.With "paws the size of softballs", the three-year-old monster is far larger and heavier than his breed's standard 200lb. limit. Hercules owner Mr. Flynn says that Hercules weight is natural and not induced by a bizarre diet: "I fed him normal food and he just grew, and grew, and grew”.
Radar, a Belgian draught horse, is the World’s Tallest Living Horse. This huge horse, at 6ft 71/2in from hoof to shoulder, is from Mount Pleasant, Texas. At 2,400lb, he has a giant appetite to match, putting away 20 gallons of water a day and 18lb of grain.
As big as a small elephant, Big Cow Chilli and he's described as a gentle giant. Chilli the giant bullock stands at 6ft 6ins and weighs well over a ton. Despite his grand stature, Chilli only grazes on grass during the day and enjoys the occasional swede as a treat.
The Liaoning Provincial Agricultural Museum is appealing to the Guinness Book of Records to recognise a 900 kg (1984 pounds) pig which died on February 5 as the biggest pig ever. When the pig died it was 2.5 metres long, had a waistline of 2.23 metres and a tusk of 14.4 centimetres long. According to XU Changjin, a farmer of Wafangdian city, the pig was only 5 years old. He kept his pig in a good built sty and gave it quality food all its life.
At 646LB this Mekong Giant Catfish is the largest freshwater fish in the world. With nearly nine feet long (2.7 meters) and as big as a grizzly bear, this huge catfish caught in northern Thailand may be the largest freshwater fish ever recorded. Although there are many claims and rumours about the world’s largest freshwater specimens, especially from misguided anglers. However, in the eyes of scientist's the Mekong Giant Catfish has taken pole position with the recorded capture of this huge 646LB specimen by local fishermen in 2005. Many anglers over look the fact that some larger fish that can be caught in the worlds rivers, such as Sturgeon, migrate between river and sea, and therefore not considered to be freshwater species in the true sense of the word.
Hercules might be the biggest dog in the world, but the tallest according to the Guinness World Records is Gibson, a Harlequin Great Dane, who is 42.2 inches. The 170-pound Dane is more than 7 feet tall, taller than most NBA basketball players.
Jungle Island in Miami is home to a liger (a hybrid cross between a male lion and a female tiger) named Hercules, the largest non-obese liger. The liger is recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest cat on Earth, weighing in at 900 lbs.
It took 90 minutes to land, 13 men to heave it out of the water... and weighed 55 stone when they finally got it to the scales. So it's little wonder that when Ian Welch first hooked the record stingray, it almost pulled him into the river. The angler, from Aldershot, Hampshire, was fishing in Thailand when he landed the ray, which is the biggest freshwater fish to be caught with a rod, with over 7ft long and wide, with a tail of 10ft.
More likely to eat than be eaten, this giant whale shark was caught off the coast of China by hardcore fishermen who managed to harness the ten-metre, eight-tonne whopper. Whale sharks are the world's largest living fish, it is estimated that they can reach an 18 metre length. They live in warm water along the coast and open seas and spend most of their time near the surface.

Go See the Titanic, in Tennessee

Just because it sank almost 100 years ago, doesn’t mean you can’t visit the famous Titanic. One of the best way to do it is to travel to the Titanic Museum, in rural Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
The world’s largest museum attraction, this 50% scale replica of the Titanic is actually just the front bow of the famous ship. Located in Pigeon Forge, this new tourist attraction cost $24 million and took over one year to build. But it has plans of attracting around 1 million visitors a year.
Unlike its sister museum, in Branson, Missouri, The Titanic of Pigeon Forge is not a Hollywood style museum, it’s an interactive experience that features all the tragic elements of the Titanic story. As soon as they enter the museum, visitors are offered a boarding pass with the name of one of the original passengers, and are greeted by in-character stewards and ship officers, always ready to offer information about the ship. There is even a section where visitors can sink there hand in a tank of -2 degrees Celsius cold water, the temperature the water was when the Titanic sank.
The Titanic Museum of Pigeon Forge also has a replica of the beautiful White Star liners Grand Staircase, as well as 400 artefacts from the original Titanic, including a life vest, and a tooth, recovered from survivors.
Even though the Titanic didn’t make it to America, it continues to fascinate its inhabitants, and the owners of the Titanic Museum hope this will make their investment profitable.

Colourful Events In Pictures

Lei Zhiqian rides a modified bicycle across the Hanjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. The bicycle, equipped with eight empty water containers, was modified by Lei's instructor Li Weiguo, who hopes to put his invention onto the market

A man practises yoga in middle of a busy road in Guangdong province, China

This is the world's most expensive model car. The Bugatti Veyron Diamond Ltd is on sale for two million pounds - twice as much as the real thing. Liverpool-based designer Stuart Hughes took two months to create the intricate 1:18 scale model in partnership with Swiss luxury model car maker Robert Gulpen. Weighing in at 7kg, it has been created with platinum, solid 24ct gold, and a 7.2ct single cut flawless diamond on its front grill. The 10 inch car also boats functional steering and a highly detailed engine. In a limited edition of three, owners also get a certification of authenticity, an aluminium case and photo documentation of the manufacturing process

A 200-foot crop circle has appeared in a field of broad beans near the ancient Stoney Littleton Longbarrow near the village of Wellow in Somerset.

A photo issued by Warwickshire County Council of a medieval copper badge emblazoned with three lions found lodged in a stone wall in Parkside, Coventry, which is thought to date back to the 13th century but clearly shows the Coat of Arms of England. Caroline Rann, a member of Warwickshire County Council's archaeology projects group, found the emblem - believed to be part of a horse harness - ahead of a building project. The archaeologist hopes it will be a lucky omen for England's World Cup campaign

An England flag in the sky above Mirfield, West Yorkshire, which was spotted by football fan Ted Wood

Lightning strikes during a thunder storm in Beijing. The Beijing Capital International Airport suspended flights due to a thunder storm that hit the Chinese capital

A large funnel cloud touches down west of Albert Lea, Minnesota, USA

A resident scoops up mud inside her flooded house in Draguignan, south eastern France, a day after rising water from unusually heavy rains that hit the region caused a river to overflow

Local residents look at a sinkhole near Qingquan primary school in Dachegnqiao town, Ningxiang, Hunan province, China. The hole, 150 metres (492 feet) wide and 50 metres (164 feet) deep, has been growing since it first appeared in January and has destroyed 20 houses so far

A giant Buddha statue is seen in front of a cloud, appearing to be deep in thought, at Thailand's biggest water reservoir, the Pasak Cholasit Dam in Lopburi province. The dam is only nine per cent full due to drought. Water resources in Thailand are at their lowest water levels in nearly two decades

Doody calls: Steve Wilson, a worker with DoodyCalls Pet Waste Removal holds a plastic bag of money in St. Louis, USA. On a recent call, he noticed money sticking out from doggie doo and after cleaning the bills, placed them in a plastic zip-locked bag and returned what turned out to be $58 to the customer. The money was torn, but the serial numbers were identifiable, which means the bills could be returned to a bank and replaced with new money

These council workmen could do with a spelling lesson - after painting the word 'SHOOL' on the road outside a primary school. Contractors omitted the 'C' outside the gates of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School in Lawrence Weston, Bristol

Fans hold up a sign reading "Kim-Jong-Il thinks I'm at work" during the Brazil v North Korea game at the FIFA World Cup 2010 in Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

A family attempts to get tickets for the match between England and Algeria outside the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa

An England fan has come up with a tasty alternative to the World Cup, by carving this 15in replica of the trophy out of butter. Chef and sculptor Simon Smith spent 20 hours painstakingly creating this lifesize copy using just a Stanley knife and nine pounds of butter over a chicken wire and florists' oasis frame

A German fan shows off her patriotism during the match between Germany and Serbia at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

A burqa-clad Afghan woman has her picture taken as she registers for parliamentary elections at a voter registration centre in Herat, Afghanistan

An artist performs during an annual fire festival in the Ukrainian capital Kiev

Some 112 Australian skydivers break their national record for the most number of freefallers in a formation, in Perris Valley, California

A kingfisher with a fish in it's bill is part of the exhibition 'Moments of Wilderness' at Moritzburg Castle in Moritzburg, Germany. The exhibition runs from 19 June to 15 October and visitors can view 40 mounted animals from all over the world by taxidermist Peter Morass from Innsbruck, Austria

Global Street Foods... Only a few examples.

This image of buskers in a Melbourne laneway
Unlimited supplies of samosas, chicken, cool drinks and other favorite Indian fare are found at any Beach—a onetime hippie haven that still draws sun-loving, fun-loving travelers from around the world.
Visitors needn’t speak Khmer in order to understand the menu of this street-side food stand in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world. Austria eats the most per capita, followed by Spain and Denmark.
A strainer full of noodles, fresh off an open fire, commands the total concentration of a cook in Bangkok. The skill of such street chefs, and the aroma of their creations, proves irresistible to many passersby.
Chinese street foods, like this “bouquet” of skewered grasshoppers, often raise Western eyebrows. But insect eating isn’t as unusual as you might imagine. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more than 1,400 protein-rich insect species are regularly enjoyed by humans around the world.
A cook prepares ceviche in the seaside town of Máncora, Peru. Popular throughout Latin America, ceviche is made by using the juice of citrus, in this case limes, to pickle and "cook" a mix of raw fish and seafood.
Eatery with many dishes at a street hotel in Singapore.
A Shanghai street vendor serves up a freshly fried helping of the city’s favorite snack—dumplings. The treats are ubiquitous in Shanghai, available in many flavors and combinations.
Only the best of the wurst are served at this German imbissstand. Merrymakers at this Sachsenhausen festival devour bratwurst, bockwurst, and other sausage delicacies while washing them down with beer.
Chilung's Miaokou Night Market has an old temple at its center, but the main focus here is feasting. The market’s yellow lanterns illuminate a mouthwatering array of traditional Taiwanese snack foods, including savory noodle soups, oyster omelets, snails, sticky rice, and tripe. Taiwanese and tourists alike say no visit is complete without a fruity “bubble ice” dessert—black plum is a local favorite.
Glasses filled to the rim with mint, and a healthy helping of sugar, stand ready for the preparation of Morocco’s distinctive green tea. The beverage refreshes the spirit on a hot day in Marrakech, but it’s far more than a thirst quencher. The tea’s preparation and enjoyment are an essential part of the Moroccan culture and a “must-try” experience for any visitor.
Competitive eater Brad Sciullo (center) holds aloft his trophy after winning the Annual Cannoli Eating Contest during the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy September 12, 2008 in New York.

Serving with a smile, a Vietnamese vendor taps a colonial legacy to create an irresistible street cuisine. Banh mi sandwiches, like these in Nhatrang, feature French baguettes filled with a tasty variety of meats and vegetables. They are eagerly consumed across Vietnam, especially for breakfast or lunch.