The Best of the Bizarre - by Barbara Fletcher



No matter which strange sights or spectacular events we witness online, each year manages to deliver something more fascinating, more sensational. And 2008 was no exception.



People wondering if the "truth is out there" sent UFO searches spiking; from strange lights over Texas to a former astronaut claiming government cover-ups of extraterrestrials, Canadians clicked for their otherworldly fix. They also searched in droves for the video of that rogue wave that leapt from a beach and washed over a highway.



Creature sightings were also up this year. There were glimpses of the ever-elusive Bigfoot and the mammoth marine discovery of a giant squid. And perhaps the creepiest find was a freaky beast known as the Chupacabra, whose name translates into "goat sucker."



From its amazing possibilities to its strange afflictions, the human body continued to intrigue Yahoo! Canada audiences. Photographer Spencer Tunick created controversy with hundreds of nudes forming various "canvasses" around the world. Long-limbed Svetlana Pankratova snagged the title "leggiest woman in the world" for the second year in a row, and Thomas Beatie became the first man to get pregnant.



Strange skin conditions also cracked the year's top 10. Remember the family stricken with "Smurf Syndrome" a condition that turns the skin blue? This sent searches for argyria soaring. Canadians were also shocked to learn of a "Tree Man" from Indonesian who had 13 pounds of bark-like growths surgically removed from most of his body.



Taking a look at this year's crop of wacky and wild stories, we can only wonder what weirdness 2009 will bring.