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.
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
A SERENE turquoise glow glimmers from underneath these powerful icebergs .
Splashing around in the water, a mother otter and her son are tangled in a family feud .
Some will get up close and personal with Mother Nature’s deadliest animals to get the perfect shot, posing the question, what lengths will a photographer go to for that all important picture? But in this case, the question should be what depths .
FLYING through the air, these delighted pooches pull their best poses mid-flight .
Kevin Silva, 52 from Indiana in the USA, has spent an estimated £65K ($100K) on Batman trinkets over the years, and even keeps his 2,500-item haul in his very own basement 'Bat Cave' .
Like a scene from a fairytale, THOUSANDS of fireflies create an enchanting glow as they dance in a forest .
BURSTING from the water, a beautiful but deadly Sumatran tiger jumps for food in an Indonesian zoo .
Jostling their quills into the noses of some unlucky cubs, this is the moment two feisty porcupines ALMOST defeat a pride of seven lions .
A HEIGHT-addicted airline pilot has taken pictures of the Dubai from 1,300-feet .
SURROUNDED by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other .
A photographer has travelled the length of the UK capturing lighthouses and their picturesque surroundings .