A book has been published dedicated to a rabbit - that balances things on it's head.

Oolong the bunny is pictured sporting everything from banana to a tortoise between its floppy ears.

Other highlights include a tower of cookies, a tea pot, a toy car and toilet roll.

The rabbit became one of the first cult web stars thanks to its patience while its owner started posting snaps of its balancing abilities on his Japanese website.

The personal blog caught on as word spread about the quirky images and, despite being entirely in Japanese, over 2.5million people visited the site.

Owner Hironori Akutagawa started what he called Oolong's "head performance" in 1999, shooting lo-res images of his pet in the same pose - apart from the range of objects on its head.

The popularity of the site is now credited with pioneering photo-blogging in the internet age.

At one stage Hironori - who never appeared in the pics - defended accusations of cruelty by saying: "I am really surprised at the number of visitors that come to my site, but I hope no-one misunderstands the nature of my site.

"Some visitors have written me emails, accusing me of being cruel to my rabbit and that I am abusing my pet. This was never my intention when I included numerous links to photographs, showing Oolong's unique ability to hold objects on his head. This is not a site to mock rabbits, or demonstrate animal abuse."

But nature took its course for the 7-year-old bunny and perhaps the most heart-breaking image is of a snowy mound with a pair of carrots representing ears - it depicted the legendary Oolong's grave after his death in 2003.

'In almost every picture #hashhash 8' by KesselsKramer Publishing (www.kesselskramerpublishing.com) is available online or from selected bookshops priced £22 ( €24.95, $35).

MUST CREDIT PICTURES BY Hironori Akutagawa/Rex Features
Story: Dean Murray