DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast. Bobbing its head as it moves through the frosty grass, the adorable creature darts and leaps across the field as it searches for the perfect meal. The delightful animal was photographed by Swiss student Etienne Francey as he watched the stoat play in fields in his hometown of Cousset in Switzerland. The 17-year-old says: ‘Cycling along a country road near my house one snowy day, I was startled to see a stoat run across the road in front of me.
A blanket of fog is lit up by the colourful glowing lights of the city below .
An aerial view of flooding in Gloucestershire .
NEVER mind being careful not to choke on your food, this mother bird has a bigger challenge on her hands, as her ravenous offspring impatiently launches its head down into her stomach .
BASKING in smug satisfaction, a confident squirrel gives a wink to the camera .
THIS incredible shimmer of silver fish mirrors the image of that of an underwater tornado .
A kingfisher’s bright blue and orange feathers glisten in the sunlight as the bird dives into a lake .
Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .
A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .
A diver explores the crystal clear waters of the Silfra canyon in southern Iceland, which is the only place on Earth where you can dive or snorkel between two continental plates .
A Canadian couple celebrated their engagement by recreating iconic moments from the film The Notebook .