A grey whale and her calf greet an audience of awestruck admirers on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico. The magnificent mammals swim up to several boats full of tourists and get so close that the passengers can stroke the mother and baby whale. The special moment was photographed by lawyer Andrea Izzotti, 47, of Genovia, Italy. Andrea says: “The mother was milking her calf in shallow waters, but they are very curious animals and they came up to our boats to see the humans.
A striped marlin means business as it spots lunch and spears a small fish .
A blanket of fog is lit up by the colourful glowing lights of the city below .
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 ANGRY giraffe gave a bush-riding cyclist a scare when he stomped his £2K bike into the dirt .
SQUEEZING their furry faces through a hole in a tree, a trio of curious baby squirrels leave their nest for the first time to explore their surroundings .
A BABY-faced burglar is starting a seven year stretch in custody after being nabbed by a Jaffa Cake .
HUNDREDS of hot air balloons decorate the sky above Turkey as the rising sun illuminates the spectacular scenery below .
An Australian explorer has travelled the globe with a toy pig, known as Travel Piggy, in search of a missing cuddly companion .
HUDDLED together in the hollow of a tree, it would be easy to overlook these two sleepy owls as they blend into the trunk .
BALANCING on top of a tree, this bear cub puts her climbing skills to the test .
An osprey soars through the air at 30 miles per hour before swooping down to catch its prey from a lake .
THESE are the Disney Princesses you wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley .