They’re wet and just wild about breaking the world record for the largest number of people ever to shower together.

Temperatures soared as 152 people – many girls in bikinis – washed their way into the record books on Bournemouth beach. They lathered up under a giant six-metre shower structure.

The bid organised by Lynx beat the previous record set in America two years ago when 145 people showered together in Illinois.

Anna Orford, the official adjudicator for Guinness World Records, said: ‘The people of Bournemouth have to be applauded for getting into the spirit of the day and taking a shower together.

‘Their reward is a new record for the most people showering simultaneously at the same venue. Congratulations to everyone involved.’

Festival goers will also be given the chance to enjoy the the ultimate shower experience – including music from top DJs – when it goes on tour to V Festival at Hylands Park next weekend. (Daily Mail)

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As a photograph it looks fairly unremarkable – a tortoise nibbles at the grass in front of a Boer War prisoner and guard.

But the picture helps to mark the reptile as the oldest animal on the planet.

Jonathan, the tortoise, is believed to be 178-years-old and was about 70 at the time the black and white picture was taken.

He was photographed during the Boer War around 1900, and his life has spanned eight British monarchs from George IV to Elizabeth II, and 50 prime ministers.

It was taken on the South Atlantic island of St Helena, where Jonathan still lives today, along with five other tortoises David, Speedy, Emma, Fredricka and Myrtle, in a plantation.

The previous oldest tortoise was widely thought to be Harriet, a giant Galapagos Land tortoise, who died in 2005 aged 175 in Australia.

Despite his old age, locals say he still has the energy to regularly mate with the three younger females.

A spokesman for the island’s tourist board said Jonathan is owned by the St Helena government and lives in the specially built plantation on the governor’s land.

He said: "Jonathan is the sole survivor of three tortoises that arrived on St Helena Island in 1882.

"He was already mature when he arrived and was at least 50-years-old.

"Therefore his minimum age is 178-years-old. He is the oldest inhabitant on St Helena and is claimed to be the oldest living tortoise in the world.

"He lives in the grounds of Plantation House which is the governor’s residence with five other tortoises who are much younger than him.

"Apparently he remained nameless for the most part of his residence in St Helena until he was named by Governor Sir Spencer Davis in the 1930s.

"He feeds on the grass of the main paddock.

"Jonathan is still very active despite his age and adores attention, he is a real poser.

"He seems to be sightless in one eye, but does not let that slow him down."

It is thought Jonathan, from the species Testudinipae cytodira, was brought to St Helena from the Seychelles as a mature adult in 1882.

His remarkable existence has come to light after the photograph was discovered as part of a collection of Boer War images taken by a man named L.A. Innes who had a studio in the British overseas territory’s capital Jamestown.

The pictures were recently sold at auction for £4,000 by Andrew Smith and Son auctioneers near Winchester, Hants.

Further investigation by the auctioneers revealed the tortoise in the picture was Jonathan who was still alive.

St Helena has a population of more than 4,200. Its greatest claim to fame came when Napoleon was exiled there in 1815.

He was held prisoner there until his death in 1821 and is buried there.

Another tortoise, Timothy, who was a ship’s mascot in the Crimean War, died at his home at Powderham Castle, near Exeter, Devon, in 2004, aged 160. The castle’s Rose Garden had been his home since 1935. (Daily Telegraph/Orange News)

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A computer science professor in China claims he has artificially bred the world’s smallest frog.

Hu Gansheng, 56, says his tiny frogs are so small they can only be seen clearly through a magnifying glass.

But he added that he was reluctant to tell his colleagues at the Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, of his achievement.

"I am afraid my leaders and colleagues would say I am not devoted to my work, although I did all this in my spare time," said Hu.

The professor says his frogs are smaller than a mung bean at only half a centimetre long, but can leap more 10cm.

"This type of new frog is very small, but very active. They love sports," he explained.

Hu said the small frog was a cross-breed between several local frogs.

"Last year, I went to the suburbs and caught several types of frogs, and dedicated myself to cross-breeding them to make new frog types," he said.

Hu now plans to breed more mini frogs to sell as novelty pets. (Orange News)

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He’s named after one of Santa’s flying reindeer – and Blitzen the collie is certainly living up to his billing.

Putting a new spin on ‘walkies’, the four-year-old rescue dog appears to be soaring through the air as he leaps and twists athletically in the water.

Owner Stacy Clark, 44, says he reaches 6ft – topping the 5ft 8in world record for a canine jump.

‘He hasn’t been trained to do it,’ said the mother of two, of Marykirk in Aberdeenshire. ‘It’s entirely his thing.

‘The children splash water in the air and he just loves to try to catch it.

‘We call it his dancing. People will stop and stare when he’s doing his leaps. It’s what he does all day long, he loves water and he loves playing with the kids.

‘We would be amazed if he had broken a record. To us, he’s just a lovely dog and very much part of the family now.’

These amazing pictures were taken yesterday as the family enjoyed a holiday at Loch Morlich in the Cairngorms.

The Guinness World Record for the highest dog jump is 5.8 feet, achieved by a greyhound in 2006.

The dog, named Cinderella May a Holly Grey, made his great leap at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge National Finals in Missouri, USA.

Guinness World Records said Blitzen would need to repeat his feat before an adjudicator to earn the world record.

But for now, he is enjoying his month-long holiday in Loch Morlich with Mrs Clark and her husband Austin, 44, from Marykirk in Aberdeenshire, and their children, Mitchell, 11, and Kendra, 9.

Blitzen was adopted by the family after being rescued from a life on the streets with a homeless man, who was no longer able to care for him. (Mail Online)

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A motorcycle the length of a tennis court has been ridden into the record books by plumber Colin Furze.

Measuring an incredible 22 metres (72ft) long, the converted 125cc scooter took a month build and can carry up to 25 people on board.

Colin Furze, 31, assembled it in his mum’s backyard in attempt to gain another Guinness World Record. The Linconshire plumber already holds the record for the fastest mobility scooter, which he built and designed to hit a remarkable 71mph.

To set the record he took the behemoth to the Saltby Airfield in Granthan and rode it for a mile along the runway hitting a top speed of 35mph.

‘When I first got on it I thought it would never work and at a slow speed it’s almost impossible to keep upright,’ explained Collin after the stunt.

‘But once you get going it becomes a bit easier, although it is a real strain on your arms as it has such heavy steering.

‘It wobbled a huge amount as I drove along and apparently the back of the bike was weaving around all over the place.

‘This motorbike was so heavy and difficult to drive I think it would be impossible to make a longer bike. I think this record will stand for a very long time.’

Currently the official figure for the longest motorbike in the world stands at 14 metres, but that is sure to be broken once the video along with signed witness statements are produced to the Guinness World of Records. (wrapup)

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A one-year-old boy in India has broken a world record after being born with 34 fingers and toes.

Akshat Saxena had seven fingers on each hand and ten toes on each foot, according to a spokesman for Guinness World Records.

The child, from Uttar Pradesh in northern India, has since had a series of surgeries to amputate the excess digits. Akshat was born last year without thumbs so doctors are working to reconstruct these out of the fingers they have removed.

His mother Amrita Saxena said: ‘I was so happy to see my baby as it was our first child.

‘But later, when I saw his fingers, I was shocked and surprised.’

The condition is known as polydactyly, a genetic disorder which can be inherited and gives rise to excess digits.

Most commonly, the extra digits appear on the little finger side of the hand.

Mrs Saxena said it was a family friend who convinced them Akshat was extremely special.

She said: ‘He read on the internet about the baby born in China with 31 fingers.

‘Then he said that my boy has broken the record of having 34 fingers. At first, I was not convinced at all. It was hard to believe that my son has broken the record.

‘But later, he along with my husband and my younger sister registered the data in the Internet.’

The record was previously held by a six-year-old boy in China who had 15 fingers and 16 toes.

The child, who his family refused to name, also had surgery to remove his extra digits. He now has ten fingers and ten toes following a six-and-a-half hour operation at a hospital in Shenyang, Liaoning last March. (Daily Mail)

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This gold-plated superyacht is said to be the most expensive on the planet — worth a staggering £3 BILLION.

The British-designed vessel is adorned with 100 tons of gold — covering more than half its surface.

The 100ft craft, which has been billed as the world’s most unique yacht, has sleeping quarters covered in platinum and a statue made from the bone of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The deck, dining areas, rails and anchor were also made from precious metals including platinum.

The History Supreme — designed by Liverpool jeweller Stuart Hughes — puts even Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s swanky yacht in the shade.

The billionaire’s 533ft Eclipse, which has its own missile defence system and escape submarine, is the world’s biggest private yacht — but at £750million it is a snip compared to this creation.

Stuart, 40, who took three years to build the History Supreme for a Malaysian businessman, said: "It was probably the most mammoth task ever."

Stuart — who also made a £5million diamond-wrapped iPhone — added: "I’ve covered all sorts of things in gold but this has got to be my most ambitious project yet. This will never be topped.

"The businessman just approached us and asked us whether we could do it. He wanted a plane doing as well, but the thing would never take off if we did.

"So he said, ‘Can you do the yacht?’ and I said, ‘We’ll give it a crack.’ Then it was pretty much a case of can you make this gold, can you make that gold?

"We just did what we were told and are delighted with the result."

The yacht was built in Italy and completed in Malaysia two weeks ago. (The Sun)

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Thrillseekers test out the world’s steepest rollercoaster which has a staggering 121 degree freefall drop.

The Takabisha ride isn’t set to open to the general public until next Saturday.

But brave guinea pigs put it through its paces at the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park in Fujiyoshida, west of Tokyo, Japan.

It cost £23million to build, is 43 metres tall and is 1,000m long. (The Sun)

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If you’re looking for somewhere with plenty of room, it’ll be slim pickings at what architects of this new home are claiming is the narrowest property in the world.

The home – complete with bedroom, lounge, bathroom and kitchen – is just under 60inches (152cm) wide and is so narrow that the builders have abandoned a traditional staircase in favour of a ladder.

Each of the four storeys goes back nearly 40ft with a room on each floor of the apartment, crammed into an alley between an old tenement block and a tower block in Warsaw, Poland.

‘I saw the gap and just thought it needed filling. It will be used by artists,’ said architect Jakub Szczesny.

The first resident will be Israeli writer Etgar Keret after British historian Norman Davies turned down the chance to live there.

The world’s official narrowest house, The Wedge, on the island of Great Cumbrae off Scotland’s North Ayrshire coast, measures just 47 inches at the front – but spreads to 22ft as it moves back from the road.

It was sold as a holiday home in 2000 for £27,000.

‘Ours is the same all the way through, so we are narrower for longer,’ said one of the Polish design team.

Another house that has hit the headlines for lacking width can be found in Brighton. The house owned by Iain and Rachel Boyle is only 6ft wide and 21ft from front to back.

The couple, who run a publishing business, bought the building in the Hollingdean area of the city for £8,000 13 years ago.

They spent another £15,000 turning it into a stylish pièd-a-terre and now rent it out.

America also has a famously slim property – 75 1/2 Bedford St in New York, which is a mere 9.5ft wide and 30ft deep.

It went on the market for $4.3million this May and was once home to Cary Grant, actor John Barrymore, poet Edna St Vincent Millay and cartoonist William Steig – none of whom, clearly, ever suffered from claustrophobia.

Now a well-known stop-off on the tourist trail in Bohemian Greenwich Village, its fame is a far cry from its past use as a shoemaker’s shop and a sweet factory. (Daily Mail)

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No matter how hard you huffed and puffed you probably wouldn’t be able to blow this many bubbles.

But Samsam Bubbleman is a professional bubble-maker and quite used to blowing bubbles and breaking records.

The self-dubbed Bubbleologist, whose real name is Sam Heath, has broken his seventh Guinness World Record – this time for the most amount of bubbles in a bubble.

The latest achievement means he has broken one of his own records yet again but this time he managed to fit 56 bubbles into a bubble.

In 2006 he first broke the record by getting 49 bubbles into a bubble.

He has also holds the record for the most people in a bubble and managed to cram 19 into a bubble in 2006.

More than a year later he smashed the same record but this time squeezed a staggering 50 people into a bubble while at London’s Science Museum.

The father-of-two has also broken records for the longest chain of bubbles, the number of bounces a bubble can do and the largest frozen bubble.

‘It’s all about having the right bubble solution. If you have the right mixture then your tools don’t matter.

‘Being a bubbleologist is almost as much about being a wind catcher as it is a bubble maker. You become quite sensitive to changes in direction and you have to move at the right time to keep the bubble together.’

The 39-year-old said he had a ‘bubble epiphany’ 22-years-ago which made him determined to create the perfect bubble.

‘I had a kind of bubble epiphany and was watching a bubble float across a field and there was a gentle breeze pushing it along,’ he said.

‘I was just mesmerised and then all of a sudden it popped and it was like it was never there.’

Samsam then set about making the perfect solution to create bubbles and has become so successful he was even once dubbed the Willy Wonka of bubbles by BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans.

In 2000 he went on to form his own company Bubblinc and now sells mixtures and equipment allowing even the most ordinary person to create the perfect bubble.

He works with a team of Bubbleologists who travel the world performing for big corporate companies, including Universal Studios, and famous stars like Paul McCartney and Peter Gabriel.

Samsam even hinted he would be performing for royalty in the near future but refused to say exactly who.

‘That’s a secret, but I can promise you, it’s big. I think one of my ultimate dreams as a Bubbleologist would be to perform at the 2012 Olympics.’

And his secret to creating the perfect bubble. ‘Yeast helps,’ he joked. (Daily Mail)

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