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 a floating jelly fish to a relaxed seal, Britain’s unappreciated beach life is captured above and below the water .
SNEAKING slowly into the water, this Bengal tiger plans a vicious attack on three unsuspecting deer .
FISTS fly as two gorillas take each other on in a dramatic battle .
COURAGEOUS CLIMBERS scale frozen waterfalls in Canada, as the ice threatens to collapse beneath them .
WELCOME to the Temple of Zoom where you can “experience” sliding down a Mayan temple into shark infested waters .
A DETERMINED great blue heron holds on tightly to its prey as the furry gopher attempts to wriggle free .
SWIMMING next to 40 tonne whales, dare-devil divers take the plunge with these gentle giants of the sea .
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
A cheeky chipmunk offers some of his spare food, before deciding against the idea and shoving the extra peanut into his already crammed mouth .
DIPPING his head into the vase of water, this little squirrel takes a refreshing break from an afternoon of eating .
