A professional dancer has embraced her individuality after refusing plastic surgery to remove a giant birthmark on her face. Canadian beauty, Cassandra Naud, 22, loves her unique appearance and even credits her birthmark for making her memorable in the dancing world. The pretty brunette, from Alberta, Canada, who was once told by a casting agent to digitally erase her birthmark from her headshots, says: 'My birthmark is a huge part of me. “It makes me unique and memorable, which is especially important for the career I’ve chosen.'
A PENSIONER was left with a fractured jaw after being beaten and robbed outside his home in Birmingham last weekend .
HOPPING onto the scales, these adorable baby Humboldt penguins are ready for their first weigh-in .
A young otter wades through a lake with his eyes set on an older rival’s fish .
WITH HIS PAW covering his mouth, this cheeky cub looks amused by something .
WE’RE all familiar with the heart-wrenching pictures of dogs abandoned in animal shelters, but one photographer has found an innovative way of showcasing the pooch’s personality .
A grey whale and her calf greet an audience of awestruck admirers on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico .
IN a galaxy far, far away, this collection of stunning interstellar formations will leave you STARSTRUCK .
UNDERWATER and above-water seaside shots show the best of British beach-life .
CAMPED out in the middle of a forest, these unusual hut hotels take you back to basics .
A cheeky gorilla sticks her tongue out and plays up for the camera at Bronx Zoo .
An Italian photographer travelled to Chile where he visited several star-gazing sites, home to some of the world's most advanced telescopes, located in the spectacular setting of the Atacama desert .
A photographer from the United Arab Emirates travelled to Pakistan where he captured the lives of local people in a series of expressive portraits .