<b>Theorem.</b> Every strange set is an ordinal. Proof. Suppose that $\alpha$ is strange. Let $\beta$ be the smallest ordinal such that $\beta\notin\alpha$. Such a $\beta$ exists, because no set can contain all the ordinals, and this does not require the foundation axiom to prove. It follows that $\beta\subset\alpha$ and $\beta$ is transitive. Thus, if $\beta\neq\alpha$, we would have $\beta\in\alpha$, contradicting the choice of $\beta$. Hence $\beta=\alpha$ and $\alpha$ is an ordinal. QED