CARRYING a fully grown goat on his back, this five-year-old boy is a child shepherd in the mountains of northern Ethiopia. Away from modern civilization, children living in the Simien Mountains spend their gruelling days herding, or carrying, animals and walking miles through the rocky terrain. From the age of five these children are responsible for goats and sheep in the highlands and when they do rest, the boys and girls are schooled in classrooms made from mud, rocks and wood. German photographer Mario Gerth trekked 3,000 metres up the Ethiopian mountain range to visit this group of Tigray people and their hardy children and witness their unorthodox lifestyle.
EAGERLY BITING his nails, this little squirrel is clearly nervous of looming predators as he searches for his meal .
This is the amazing moment two white-tailed kites take an in-flight meal - exchanging prey at 100 foot high in mid air .
WELCOME to the pretty 122-inch-tall red dwelling that lays claim to the title of the UK's smallest house .
More weather chaos is heading our way, with ice and snow already hitting areas across Birmingham .
ROLLING around in the snow, these young brown bears take a break from their play fight to share a tender hug with one another .
AN ARRAY of colours, from pinks to blues and oranges, fill the night sky to create an amazing collection of interstellar patterns .
IN a galaxy not so far away lies a magical display of lights that could be the latest image from NASA .
With the vivid red smoke billowing into the sky amid the misty sand dunes, these are the blissful views provided at the break of dawn at a volcano .
A NINJA red squirrel cuts a dashing figure as the little fella jumps up to ten-feet between treetops in the Yorkshire Dales .
A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .
FULL OF STUNNING colours and swirling shapes, the furrows on these fields create a mix of mesmerising patterns .