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.
FROM MRS Patmore to Lady Sybil, these barking mad illustrations show the WOOF-er side of some of our most loved Downton characters .
MOUTH OPEN wide, this little stoat appears to be in mid-song as he belts out a tune for his onlookers .
RESTING his weary head on his flipper, this little seal pup takes a much needed nap after an afternoon of strenuous yoga .
This frozen lighthouse in Michigan could easily be mistaken for a still from the snow swept disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow .
TENNIS was a game made for three according to the first Victorian rule book .
This longhorn beetle demon-strates a dark side as it looks just like the devil .
A chipmunk, with his cheeks full to bursting, has no intention of leaving with an empty stomach .
An aerial view of flooding in Gloucestershire .
A pair of BEAUTIFUL rescue sea turtles spot their catch in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef .
Fetching a tiny carrot and a head-shaped snowball, a red squirrel builds the perfect snowman .
SQUABBLING over the last piece of grain, these hungry squirrels are determined to stock up on as much food as possible .