LIKE A living balloon this baitball of sardines is ready to burst when threatened by a pointy nosed sailfish. The photographs, taken off the coast of Isla Mujeres, near Cancun, Mexico, show how these water creatures work cooperatively to cut off a portion of a school of sardines swimming close to the seafloor, and drive them to the surface. American photographer Doug Perrine, 60, managed to capture the moment the sailfish manage to herd the bait into a tightly packed ball, ready to pick off for dinner one-by-one. ‘The sailfish took-turns swimming through the bait ball slashing with their bills to kill the fish, which are quickly gobbled up,’ Doug said. ‘Sometimes they light up or change to a bright colour pattern.
LEAF-ing much to the imagination, this camera trickery is blooming marvellous .
TRYING their best to wriggle away, three adorable tiger cubs receive their health checks at Chester Zoo .
FISTS fly as two gorillas take each other on in a dramatic battle .
Staring death in the face, a little field mouse bravely confronts a hungry cat .
A ROAD KILL munching Scot has chewed on everything from a dead squirrel to an unlucky crow – all in the name of art .
A young otter wades through a lake with his eyes set on an older rival’s fish .
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 .
THIS is the EXPLOSIVE moment when a 50 metre high pylon came crashing down to earth in a rural field .
SAILING peacefully across a river in the early morning light, a fisherman in China keeps a 1000 year old tradition alive .
THIS is the shocking moment a clumsy radio newsreader plunged into a freezing canal while texting her boyfriend instead of looking where she was going .
If you had to scrape the snow off your car this morning or slip-slide your way into work over icy pavements spare a thought for these little critters .
A BEAUTIFUL sight for the eyes and the imagination, these liquid sculptures take shape in many different colours and formations .