CATERPILLAR AND MANTIS BATTLE IT OUT

A little caterpillar fearlessly scampers down a branch and confronts a praying mantis. As the green praying mantis lifts its body and prepares for battles, the amber bug simply stares into the face of the much larger rival. Photographer Monica Anantyowati captured the tense staredown in a garden close to her home in Malang, Indonesia.

Other great stories
FIREFLIES ILLUMINATE AN ENCHANTING FOREST IN TAIWAN

Like a scene from a fairytale, THOUSANDS of fireflies create an enchanting glow as they dance in a forest .

BRITISH KINGFISHER SPLASH

BRITISH kingfishers love to cool off by creating a splash .

ROAD KILL ON THE MENU

A ROAD KILL munching Scot has chewed on everything from a dead squirrel to an unlucky crow – all in the name of art .

PLAYFUL DOLPHINS SHOW OFF THEIR AQUA AEROBIC SKILLS

These beautiful photographs show how these playful pods of dolphins make their own fun by gliding, flipping and spinning through the air whilst enjoying the sun on their backs .

GIANT CANYON SWING

FORGET Thorpe Park this summer as this is a 50 mile-per-hour ride over the Colorado River CANYON .

BACK TO BASICS HOTEL

CAMPED out in the middle of a forest, these unusual hut hotels take you back to basics .

MAN AND NATURE

LEAF-ing much to the imagination, this camera trickery is blooming marvellous .

ABANDONED CALIFORNIAN GOLD RUSH TOWN

A once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California now stands completed deserted .

RED SMOKE AT NIGHT, VOLCANO SPOTTERS DELIGHT

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 .

OSPREY FISHING IN SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

An osprey soars through the air at 30 miles per hour before swooping down to catch its prey from a lake .

SPLASHING KINGFISHER

CAUSING a splash, this determined kingfisher goes hunting for dinner .

FOSTER FAMILY FACE LOSING THEIR HOME AFTER SIGNING UP TO GOVT HOMES SCHEME

A family of foster carers are facing bankruptcy and homelessness after they signed up to a Government scheme to renovate their house to be used for disabled children's short breaks .