The world's weirdest insurance policies

The world of insurance seems like a very sensible place. We get cover for our home, contents, car, holidays and life - as a solid and serious safety net against the equally serious threats that life can pose. However, behind the serious and sensible surface of the insurance world lies an array of truly bizarre policies.

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A study by Unum has recently uncovered some of the weirdest policies. Here are ten of our favourites:

1. Alien abduction insurance
Apparently around 4,000 people are covered against this eventuality. The sensible stalwart of the insurance world - Lloyd's of London - will cover it. If you want to make a claim, all you need to do is pass a lie detector and have an independent third party witness.

2. Ant insurance (or indeed Dec insurance)
The duo recently admitted that they have a hefty life insurance policy on one another, so if one half of the double-act goes, the other has something to fall back on.

3. Leg insurance
Supermodel Heidi Klum's legs are apparently insured for £2.2. million. She's not alone here: there have also been reports that Taylor Swifts legs are insured for an incredible £26.5 million, and in 2006, David Beckham's legs were reportedly insured for £100 million.

4. Fantasy sports insurance
It's hard to imagine how you could sustain an injury playing fantasy football, but that's not actually what this covers. Instead you are covered if any of the players you have picked have injuries that force them out of the game for weeks.

5. Coconut insurance
Falling coconuts are actually more dangerous than you think - and kill about 150 people a year. In 1984 a travel insurance company insured all its guests against falling coconuts, and one customer in Sri-Lanka actually received a payout (you'll be relieved to hear it wasn't a fatal coconut injury).

6. Ghost insurance
A hotel owner in Lowestoft took out this insurance after he claimed to see a ghost in the hotel bar. The £1 million policy insured staff and customers against death or injury caused by the supernatural.

7. Moustache insurance
Former Australian cricketer Merv Hughes had his trademark handlebar moustache insured by Lloyd's of London for £200,000. He's not the only one to have his facial hair covered either. The 'whiskers club' of Derbyshire had all 40 membered covered by a policy, as did Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top (although he refused to say how much for).

8. Taste bud insurance
This tends to be a bit of a gimmick, where companies insure their chief taster's tastebuds for a small fortune to demonstrate their expertise. The companies taking part in the particular form of one upmanship include Cadbury, Tetley, and Costa Coffee. Egon Ronay was apparently the first person to buy this insurance.

9. Humour insurance
Comedian Rich Hall claimed in 2001 that he had bought insurance that would pay out £1 million if he lost his sense of humour. How he'd claim isn't known.

10. Twins insurance
Multiple birth insurance is actually far more common than you might imagine. It's not cheap though, because one in 67 maternities are for twins or more, and those buying the cover tend to be those with multiple births in the family. You need to take cover before the 11th week of pregnancy, and the cost will be based on the chances of you having twins.