Phobias are frightening. But some phobias can be weird, bizarre and even funny. From Anatidaephobia (fear of being watched by a duck) to Chronophobia (fear of time), here we combine a list of the world's weird phobias.

Anatidaephobia - Fear of being watched by a duck

"Anatidae" is the Greek word for ducks, swans and geese. Anatidaephobia is the weird fear of being watched by a duck. The victims of Anatidaephobia, no matter wherever they are or whatever they are doing, feel that a duck is watching them.
This weird phobia usually grows during childhood. Ducks and geese are famous for their aggressive nature. It is believed that a fear of these creatures during childhood, as a result of biting or flapping, can result in the development of Anatidaephobia.
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Stasibasiphobia - Fear of Walking

Stasibasiphobia is the constant fear of walking or standing. It is a type of social phobia. The term covers a number of fears related to movement.
People suffering from stasibasiphobia may be afraid of falling, being attacked, walking alone at night or in a crowd.

Chronophobia - Fear of Time

Chronophobic people cope with a fear of time. The term is derived from "Chronos" meaning time. Chronophobia is usually developed in people suffering from great stress. That is why, it is most common in prisoners and old people.
Chronophobia gives a feeling that events are moving too fast. This feeling causes severe anxiety and panic. In more serious cases, shortness of breath, shaking and depression is experienced.

Gamophobia - Fear of Marriage

Does the idea of marriage makes you dizzy? If yes, then you may be a victim of Gamophobia, the fear of marriage. A gamophobic person may usually have no problem in a long term relationship, but is afraid of the idea of marriage. Such persons experience heartache and anxiety as the subject of marriage is brought up and tries everything to avoid it. It is one of the major symptoms of the phobia.
Like many phobias, Gamophobia has its roots in the childhood of the person. In the case of gamophobia, it is possible that the victim was raised up in a broken house. Where the parents were divorced or not married. Such tensions may develop into a mental condition known as Gamophobia.
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Arachibutyrophobia - Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth

Arachibutyrophobia is defined as the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth. If you're coping with this weird phobia, then you would definitely want to evade any situation where you have to eat peanut butter.
Peanut butter comes with sticky-gel-type properties. Since the roof of the mouth is drier than the rest of the mouth, so peanut butter sticks here more easily. When the butter gets stuck, you're unable to get it out in public. Thus the discomfort develops into a real phobia.
The symptoms include nausea, shaking, dizziness and sweating. Some people are so scared that they even fear the sight of a glass jar.

Related articles

• Life Phobias
• What is Peccatophobia?

06:58:00

The earth has always been home to incredible creatures. This is a list of the 10 most amazing animals which once ruled the planet earth.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Tyrannosaurus, meaning the "tyrant lizard, is probably the best known of all the dinosaurs. It lives in our imagination, with its massive jaws and threatening figure, as the perfect monster. That is probably why we named it "Rex", meaning the "King".
The Tyrannosaurus Rex, or T. Rex for short, wandered the earth about 65 million years ago. With a height of upto 16.6 ft and weighing at a massive 7 tons, the T. Rex was the largest land carnivore ever existed. Fossils of T. Rex have been discovered in rock fossils in North America, dating back to the Cretaceous Period. The last T. Rex died out 66 million years ago, much earlier than any human feet trampled land.

Sabre Toothed Tiger

The Sabre Toothed Tiger was one of the most feared enemies of prehistoric man. The sabre toothed tiger, or the sabre toothed cat, owe its name to the two magnificent large canines which extend from its mouth, making it look even more savage than modern tigers. These canines could grow to a length of about a foot.
The sabre toothed tiger roamed the earth about 40 million years ago. It was much bigger then its modern descendants and had a bear like build. It was an excellent hunter, hunting giant animals including mammoths, sloth, even prehistoric men. The sabre toothed tiger went extinct about 10000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age. Although the definite causes are unknown, it is believed that climatic changes and disappearance of prey spelled its doom.

Gigantopithecus

The ancient forests of India, China and Vietnam, were home to one of history's most special apes. The Gigantopithecus, meaning "the gigantic ape" is the largest monkey or primate ever lived. With a height of 10 ft and weighing about half a ton, the Gigantopithecus was about 3 to 4 times larger than modern gorilla.
It ruled the forests around 500,000 years ago. The giant ape lived on bamboos, occasionally feeding on seasonal fruits. It died out around 10,000 years ago as a result of climatic changes.

Terror Bird

The Titanis Walleri is probably the most fearful bird of all time. 28 million years ago, America was a ferocious place. A land ruled by fearful predators. The setting staged the evolution of a giant flesh eating bird, the Titanis Walleri or the terror bird.
The terror bird stood at a remarkable 6 ft and weighed as much as 300 pounds. They were blessed with large hatchet like bills which tore apart mammals, reptiles and other birds.
Fossils of these large prehistoric birds of prey have been collected from a former sinkhole in the Santa Fe River, Gilchrist County, Florida. No terror bird fossils were younger than 2 million years, suggesting it became extinct early in the Pleistocene period.

Tasmanian Tiger

The Thylacine was the largest known carnivorous marsupial. Thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf, was native to Australia and Tasmania. It is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century largely due to over hunting by the European settlers in the area. Other factors which contributed to its extinction includes diseases, introduction of dogs and habitat destruction. It was the last member of its genus, Thylacinus.

Dodo

The phrase: "As dead as a Dodo", is used for something that has become extinct. But what exactly is a Dodo? The dodo is a big fat bird which once roamed the islands of Mauritius in the Indian ocean. The dodo was a large, flightless bird which stood at around 1 metre. It had a large hooked beak, lived on fruits and nested on the ground. The dodo was hunted to extinction by sailors who landed on the islands. Since, the bird was found no where else, it soon died out and became extinct in late 17th century.

Pyrenean Ibex

The Pyrenean Ibex roamed the plains of France and Spain, until its extinction in the year 2000. It is one of the most famous of the recently extinct animals. They were numerous a few centuries ago, but their numbers started falling after 1900 due to intensive hunting. In 1980, about 30 pyrenean ibex were reported to exist. Then on 6 January 2000, the last specimen, a female named Celia, was found dead and the pyrenean ibex was officially declared extinct.
But this was not the end. Due to extensive cloning, scientists were able to brought them back to life, the first animal ever to be resurrected through cloning. Unfortunately the cloned specimen couldn't survive for more than 7 minutes due to lung failure.

Megalodon Shark

Megalodon, meaning "big tooth" in Greek, is an extinct shark that ruled the seas around 16 million years ago. The massive creature was twice the size of the modern great white shark and was probably the top predator of the time. It was blessed with a ferocious 2 metre wide jaw laced with teeth 21 cm long which allowed it to hunt large preys including whales and even dinosaurs.
The great shark went extinct around 1.6 million years ago during the Cenozoic Era. While the exact causes remain unknown, climatic changes are believed to play a crucial role.

Stellar Sea Cow

The Stellar Sea Cow is named after George Stellar, the man who first saw it in the waters of Commander Islands in 1741. The Sea Cow was related to manatee and dugong, only much larger in size. The sea giant grew to a length of 8-9 metres and weigh upto 3 tons.
With its large body, small head, stout limbs and whale-like tail, the sea cow resembled modern seals. The creature was once widespread in the areas around the north Pacific coast but human settlement in the area resulted in rapid decrease in its numbers and the last specimen died in 1768. This makes it one of the more recently extinct animals in our list.

Haast's Eagle

The Hasst's Eagle is the largest raptor ever known to mankind. Weighing as much as 15 kg, the Haast's eagle had a wingspan of more than 9 ft. It was estimated to attack its prey at velocity of upto 80 mph, ripping them with its large ferocious beak. The Haast's eagle was the ultimate predator of the area, preying on large creatures such as the Moa and even humans.
The reign of the giant raptor continued till 1400, until the Maori people settled in the area who hunted the moa, it's chief prey, to extinction. As a result, the Haast's eagle soon died out.

Further Reading:

There is no end to history. If you want to learn more about these extinct animals and many other ones, then this encyclopaedia can be your complete answer. It covers everything from the first microscope sea creatures to the Tasmanian wolf. Each chapter covers the animals themselves, the processes that brought them to extinction, and the modern scientific discoveries that reveal their lost words.
Buy it: Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals

20:39:00

Hadaka Matsuri, the strange Japanese festival of naked men. I’ve always been fascinated by Japan. As a kid, the first thing that used to click in my mind on the word ‘Japan’ were Robots. I thought of them as super humans living a life we could only watch in sci-fi movies. But as I learned more about them, I found out that the Robots are not the most amazing thing about the Japanese, it was their culture. The Japanese have been blessed with one of the world’s richest cultures.

One important aspect of the Japanese culture is their festivals. These festivals not only reflect their brilliant culture but also their rich historical background. Here we introduce Hadaka Matsuri, one of the three most eccentric festivals of Japan.

What is Hadaka Matsuri?

Hadaka Matsuri, Japanese for “Naked Festival”, is a strange festival which involves men only dressed in loincloths, fiercely competing to get hold of a pair of sacred lucky sticks, the “Shingi”.  Anyone who luckily gets a shingi and manages to stick it upright in a wooden box filled with rice, called the masu, is blessed with a year of happiness.

Where Is It Held?

The Hadaka Matsuri festival is now held in various cities of Japan but the biggest one takes place in the city of Okayama which is attended by more than 10,000 men from all over Japan. The city of Okayama is also the origin place of the festival.

How It all Started?

Like many other Japanese festivals, Hadaka Matsuri has its roots in the ancient culture of Japan. It all started about 500 years ago when farmers struggled to get the lucky talismans from the priests. The paper talismans, known as Go-o, were the tokens of completion of the New Year Ascetic training. The talismans are now made up of sticks which are considered to be the “sticks of God”.
These talismans, prized as lucky charms, were thought to bring good luck and it was believed that the they protect their possessor from all types of accidents and injuries, even death. As time went on, the number of people requesting the talismans increased and so as their importance. This gave rise to the Hadaka Matsuri festival as we know it today.

What's It All About?

A struggle with 10,000 men can sound a fiery job. But for the Japanese, well they can do anything for their 365 days of happiness.
The festival takes place every year in the cold season. The n@ked crowd, shouting ‘Wasshoi! Wasshoi’, wait outside the temple. Precisely at midnight, the sticks are thrown into the crowd and the men rush to grab a stick. Cold water is sprayed heavily on the raging men as they struggle ambitiously for the lucky charm. Even if you manage to grab a stick, it will be quickly snatched away by others. Its almost like the Japanese version of rugby, with no clothes. ;)

So, do you think that the Shingi is worth of a competition with 10,000 men. Speak out and like always, I'd be most eager to hear from you.
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21:48:00

Every culture and society has its own customs and rituals. These rituals have their own origins and roots. Some of these rituals are considered, weird, bizarre, insane and totally out of the screws, but not for those who practise them. For them, these strange rituals serve a special purpose. This contradiction in views is what makes the human civilization so diverse and beautiful. Below is my list of the top 5 strange rituals of the world.

Strange Birth Ritual

Sifudu (Africa)

The birth of a baby is an important occasion in all cultures around the world. The occasion is marked by prayers and blessings to welcome the new member in the family. But sometimes, these blessing ceremonies can go to strange limits. Sifudu is an important custom practised in different African tribes. On the third day of birth of the child, relatives gather at the hut, picking leaves from the Sifudu tree. A small fire is made at the centre of the hut and the Sifudu leaves are burnt to produce a thin pall of smoke. The leaves have an extremely pungent aroma that irritates mouth, nose and eyes. Then the baby is carried by a woman with his head downward in the smoke and is passed several times through the smoke and is then handed back to the mother who quickly passes the child under her leg.
It is believed that the ritual ensures that the child is never subjected to fright, timidness or shyness.

Strange Death Ritual

Suttee (India)

There's no place better known than India when it comes to talking about strange beliefs. These strange beliefs give rise some of the worlds strangest rituals. One of them is the infamous custom of Suttee.
Suttee or self cremation involves widows who voluntarily lie by her dead husband's side on his funeral pyre to be burnt alive with the corpse.
Suttee is a very old Hindu custom practised in India for many centuries until it was banned by the British in 1829.
The widow is considered a bad omen in the Hindu society. She is not allowed to attend social gatherings and everything from her touch to her presence is considered extremely impure. Although the core idea behind this strange custom is to reunite the couple in afterlife, most of the outsiders and even many Indians see this as just inhumanity.

Strange Marriage Ritual

Blackening of Bride (Scotland)

Marriage is one of the most joyous occasions in all cultures and countries. An occasion filled with laughter, joy and happiness. But it can become an occasion of craziness in Scotland.
The Scottish people are not like any other European. Their men wear skirts and they can make music out of a bag. But even more bizarre is what they do with their newly wed bride. Instead of throwing rice, the Scots welcome their bride with eggs and sauces on her face. They dub this strange ritual as the "blackening of bride".
"Blackening of bride" is a very old pre-marriage ritual practiced in Scotland. The bride is taken by surprise, or rather by shock, as the friends and family cover her with any gross they can think of. It can be anything from curdled milk, rotten eggs, and molasses to mud and syrups.

Strange Food Ritual

Burping (Egypt)

While burping is considered rude and ill-mannered in the West, the Egyptians have a different point of view. In Egypt, burping is the highest compliment a guest can remark on the quality of food made for them.
So, now you have a nice way to please your Egyptian hosts.

Strange Initiation Ritual

The Bullet Ant Gloves (South America)

Initiation is the ceremony marking the entrance into a group or community. Initiation rites are held in all cultures in order to transform a child into an adult. The most common examples include the Christian ceremony of "baptism" or the Hindu "diksha". While it may not sound like much to many people, many cultures have quite painful ways of initiation. One of the most extreme of these initiation rites are found among the Mawe people of South America. They use intentional Bullet Ant stings as part of their initiation rites. The stings of these Bullet Ants are so painful that they are compared to bullet shots, this is where the name comes from.
First the ants are collected and are rendered unconscious by keeping them in a natural sedative. Then hundreds of them are woven in pair of gloves made out of leaves. The boys are then asked to wear the gloves for at least 10 minutes. The neurotoxic of bullet ants paralysis the hands and cause intense pain, even more than the sting of a tarantula. The boys have to repeat the ritual for 20 times before they become a "warrior".

03:23:00

Take a break from your stressful everyday life and fascinate yourself at one of these strange exhibitions which amaze millions of people around the world.

Body Worlds Exhibit

This is my most favourite and probably the most bizarre in this list of the strange exhibitions. Body worlds exhibit involves real human corpses, preserved by a process called plastination and presented in unique lifelike poses. It was founded by the German anatomist Gunther von Hagens who first presented his strange exhibition in Tokyo in 1995. Gunther's 'Skinless Wonders', as he likes to call them, are a source of great criticism chiefly from religious backgrounds as they are regarded as a disrespect to human remains.

Sublah International Museum of Toilets

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak is the biggest toilet lover in the world. He is so obsessed with toilets that he even has his own toilet exhibition. The Sublah International Toilet Museum the one-of-a-kind toilet museum in the world which features every aspect of toilets. It covers the evolution of toilets with real life models and various toilet designs from around the world. He aims to educate people about the historical trends in the development of toilets and to understand and solve problems related to sanitation.

Museum of Eroticism

Paris is the first choice of exhibitionists from around the world given to its rich history and vibrant culture but no place puts on a show quite like the Musee de l’Erotisme (French for: Museum of Eroticism), the $ex museum showcasing the art and artefacts describing the evolution of $exual awakening. There are five floors and each floor portrays a  unique theme. Not surprisingly, only adults are allowed to enter.

Carsten Holler's Test Site

Carsten Höller’s largely well known sculpture is made up of five different slides that run from the upper floors of the gallery to ground level. The tallest of them being more than 52ft. Carsten Holler describes his work as a platform of interaction. Holler says that sliding down, especially from the higher levels, was an experience that helps combat stress and depression.

Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments

In the middle ages, torture was a common punishment for all kinds of crimes from raping to murder and above all heresy. The museum of Medieval Torture Instruments is dedicated to showcasing the means by which confessions were extracted from alleged criminals in the European criminal justice system 500 years ago. The museum features more than 60 terrible torture devices in a 45 minute tour which is also loaded with tutorials on how to operate each device.

00:42:00

The infamous German anatomist Gunther von Hagens is the man who has earned himself a rather weird reputation of 'Mr. Death' by turning corpses alive. He is the developer and promoter of the Body Worlds exhibit. Body Worlds features dead people engaged in a variety of everyday activities from playing chess to dancing. The skin and several layers of body tissues are peeled in order to give the audience a closer look at the secrets of human life and death.


Body Worlds Exhibit gained a huge global gaze through the 2006, James Bond movie 'Casino Royale'. 
First started in 1995, the Body World has received more than 32 million visitors making it the most popular travelling exhibit in the world. Most of the people who have ever witnessed a Body World exhibit end up asking questions about where the heck they get so many human bodies? If you're troubling with the same question then let me tell you that all the bodies at the Body Worlds come from body donors who authorise their bodies to Body World with their own consent.

The bodies at Body Worlds are prepared and preserved by a special process called plastination which was also invented by Gunther von Hagens. Plastination involves the replacement of muscle water and fat by certain plastics yielding specimens which are odourless, decay-proof and rigid allowing them to be posed in lifelike positions. While people around the world are fascinated by Gunther's unusual art, he's not famous among all of them. The Body Worlds is banned in many parts of the world including Paris and Poland. Gunther von Hagens has faced serious criticism especially from religious groups who object the display of human remains. For many religious groups, the practice is like disrespecting a human corpse.

While religious groups object Gunther's display of human forms, some organisations express their concerns over the source of the bodies. But Gunther has put down all such claims, stating that the bodies come entirely from donors. Gunther von Hagens states that the objective of the Body Worlds is to educate common man about the body leading to better health awareness. But whatever the aim be, Gunther's 'Skinless Wonders' continues to fascinate thousands of eyeballs around the world by bridging the taboos of life and death, making it one of the most strange exhibitions in the world.

Further Reading:

A complete catalog of the Body Worlds. Includes articles by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, Dr. Angelina Whalley, Charleen M. Moor & C. Mackenzie Brown, Dr. Franz Josef Wetz, and Bazon Brock. This is a comprehensive book written by people from Body Worlds itself.

Buy it now on Amazon: Body Worlds - The original exhibition of real human bodies

03:11:00

From golf ball divers to chicken sexers - this is our pick of the top 10 most unusual and odd jobs from around the world so if you're sitting in your office cursing your job, thank God you don't have to do any of these.

Cow Inseminator

The cattle industry has grown to become one of great industries of the world. The breeding of top quality cattle is a vital part of the industry which has given rise to a new science. The process is quite sophisticated and even employs computer systems for its tasks. But no computer can do the job of a cow inseminator. Imagine yourself having your arm shoulder deep in a female cow- this is exactly the job of a cow inseminator. The objective is to fertilize the cow with a donor semen. Surely an odd experience for the cow as well.

Airplane Repo

If you own an airplane and you fall behind airplane loans, then you can find yourself come face to face with an airplane repo. This odd job is filled with amazing thrills and adventures and an airplane repo lives a life of a real life James Bond. However, the risk is worth it as the job pays 10,000$ to 90,000$ a year.
If you're planning for a career as an aircraft repo, then be prepared for tough work, though. Some repo men get shot at or tossed in a foreign prison. 

Golf Ball Diver

No, don't think of it as a combination of golf and scuba diving, this is completely GOLF. A golf ball diver's job is to dive into golf course lakes in search of lost golf balls. They collect them and clean them and put them to sell. Simple enough.

Watching Paint Dry

This is probably one of the most boring jobs in the world. This man's job is to see how long it takes for a paint to dry. This can sound dull but is a very important job for paint industries.

Human Scarecrow

Do you live in the country and annoyed of people telling you have no career, then here's a job for you. You know crows are a nuisance for farmers, eating their precious crops. You can now be a solution. Dressed in loose trousers and old fashioned straw hats, here's a chance to show your worth by scaring those pesky crows as a human scarecrow. So, how do you like your new job.

Odd Job Journalist

We all know about odd jobs all around the world but here is a job for you in which you actually go through all the odd jobs in order to earn yourself some handful money. Yes, its actually the job of an odd job journalist in which you have to write about all the odd jobs around the world. This really sounds some heck of a job.

Chicken Sexer

As we all know that chicks are really cute but how will it hit you if someone asks you separate those young cute chicks according to their sex. You might find it odd but people known as chicken sexers are actually paid to separate those young cute chicks according to their sex. A pretty odd job but more than that a real difficult one I must say.

Cartoon people/Mascots

Remember when you were young and visited some carnivals with your parents, you meet one of your favorite cartoon characters. Actually these are not the real cartoon characters surely but are some people who are actually present in there. An entertainment for you but not for the one who is actually doing it.

Furniture Tester

Every single human in this world just wants to get paid for just sitting. But, there are some lucky human beings present who are actually being paid for just sitting. The furniture testers are paid for testing furniture by just sitting on them. A heavenly job which every single person in the universe would love to do but a real odd one I must say.

Fortune Cookie Writer

As a child, I always wondered who the heck is behind these fortune cookies. Now I know that there is no divinity involved but just a simple guy who calls himself the fortune cookie writer. If you also have the skills to write someone else's fortune, then don't be late for applying this FORTUNE job.

23:27:00