BRIGHT eyed and bushy tailed, a rare monkey catches a ride on the back of its mum in Chester Zoo. At only 12 weeks old, buffy-headed capuchin monkey is one of the world’s rarest species of primates. Dr Nick Davis, assistant curator of mammals at Chester Zoo, said: “In the past they were abundant in the Atlantic rainforests of eastern Brazil, but sadly they’re now on the verge of disappearing from the wild because of severe destruction to their habitat and intense hunting.
BASKING in smug satisfaction, a confident squirrel gives a wink to the camera .
POPE MOBBED BY THOUSANDS OF WORSHIPPERS IN RIO - Thousands of worshippers gather to celebrate the Papal visit on Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro ,Brazil .
Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .
This starling and prairie dog will not back down an inch as they have a fearsome stand-off over who gets to eat a nut .
With luminous colours and alien- like features, these magical mushrooms look like they belong on another planet .
SWIMMING next to 40 tonne whales, dare-devil divers take the plunge with these gentle giants of the sea .
MESMERIZING night sky photographs offer a spellbinding look at the stars .
Meet the human CCTV: a PCSO with a memory for faces so sharp he has apprehended more than 130 suspects in the last year alone with his eagle eyed talents .
A kingfisher’s bright blue and orange feathers glisten in the sunlight as the bird dives into a lake .
THIS incredible shimmer of silver fish mirrors the image of that of an underwater tornado .
PERCHING on top of a gate, this young barn swallow waits patiently for his mum to return with dinner .
LYING back in the snow, these two polar bears share a cuddle as they call time out on playtime .