The longest beard belonging to a woman was that of Vivian Wheeler of Wood River, Illinois and grew to 27.9 centimetres (11 inches).

The longest ear hair belongs to Radhakant Bajpai of Naya Ganj, Uttar Pradesh, India, measuring 13.2 centimetres (5.19 inches).

Most Worms Eaten in 30 Seconds

MARK Hogg swallowed 94 worms in 30 seconds on the set of an American TV show in October 2000.

Most Cockroaches Eaten

KEN Edwards of Derbyshire ate 36 cockroaches in one minute on the set of The Big Breakfast, London, on March 5, 2001.

Most Big Macs Consumed

DONALD Gorske of the USA holds the record for the most Big Macs consumed. By March 7, 2002, Donald had consumed a total of 18,250 - eating 708 in 2000 alone. He began his quest in 1972 with nine Big Macs a day.

Snail-Sucking (Live)

Armand Forcalquier, of Marseille, France, holds the record. In a contest held on Feb 12, 1992, Armand sucked down 1,238 live snails in a little over 4 hours. "It was not easy," Armand boasted after he learned the record was his. "They cling to their shells, but they can't get away from me."

Nose Stuffing (Limburger Cheese)

Hans Kleiber, of West Berlin, holds the record. In a contest held on May 1, 1986, Hans managed to stuff 13 ounces of limburger into his nostrils in less than a minute. Hans' closest competitor gagged on nine ounces and was disqualified.

Raw Kidney (Eating)

Alice Caldwell of Butte, Montana, holds the record. On Oct 22, 1991, Alice gobbled up more than 14 pounds of raw veal and lamb kidneys. "Kidneys are a good source of protein and vitamins," Alice told us. "If you cook them, you lose some of the vitamins. As you can see, I don't care about the record - I care about my health."

Cockroach (Largest)

Rita Carlson, of Pasadena, CA, claims the record for having raised the world's largest cockroach. Her record-setting roach is over a foot long and weighs close to two pounds (1992). "Plenty of protein," Rita told us, "and plenty of good, natural vitamins helped to make this roach into a champion. You should have seen it when I first found it crawling around my kitchen."

Socks (Continuous Wear)

Andy Schwartz, of Glen Ridge, NJ, claimed the record in 1989. In a sworn statement, Andy's wife declared that he had worn the same socks every day for twenty years and 114 days. In 1983, shoe stores throughout New Jersey banned Andy from their premises. Since then he has purchased his shoes through the mail. Andy plans to remove the socks and take a look at his feet in 1999.

Tapeworm (Longest)

Sally Mae Wallace of Great Grits, Mississippi, holds the record. On Sep 5, 1991, doctors extracted 37 feet (continuous) of tapeworm from Sally. "About after 20 feet of that thing had come out of my mouth," said Sally, "I just knew I had the record. I was really filled with joy."

Tongue (Hairiest)

Selma Ruby, of Dallas, Texas, holds the record. Selma's tongue is fully covered with hair(1992). "I've been thinking about having it removed by an electrolysist, though lately people have been telling me that it's beautiful."

Underarm Hair (Length)

Florence Floss of Ban, Idaho, holds the record. On July 15, 1992, the hair growing out of Florence's left armpit stretched to a length of 34 inches. This was more than enough for a record, but Florence hopes to have a yard of hair dangling from her armpit soon. "I shave the other armpit," Florence reported.

Callus Collection

Florence Franklin of Peoria, IL, holds the record. As of Sept 12, 1992, Florence had over 200 pounds of callus (sheets of hardened skin) in her collection. "I shave it off people, they don't mind. Some people even autograph the big pieces."

Infestation of Mites (Group)

This record belongs to the 3,859 residents of Kildare, Montana. In 1989, visiting doctors certified that every person in the town was suffering from scabies, a skin disease caused by mite infection. "The mites seemed to be jumping from one person to another," the mayor of Kildare told us, "so we decided to get together and go for the record."