A doting seal smiles at her sweet little pup as she tickles its tummy on the beach. Lying on the sand, the seal gazes down at her fluffy baby as it playfully wriggles around underneath her flipper. The heart-warming scene was captured by 46-year-old photographer Elmar Weiss on a beach in Heligoland, Germany. Elmar, of Hamburg, Germany says: "I have never seen such a loving bond between a seal and her baby before...
AN EXERCISING turtle and an ice-skating chick are hardly everyday exploits in the animal community .
AT first glance these images could easily be mistaken for photographs, but they are in-fact real life drawings created using nothing but coloured pencils .
FLOATING effortlessly on his back, this little otter laps up a rare glimmer of English spring sunshine .
NOT YOUR everyday selfie, this plucky diver poses with some of the scariest predators in the ocean .
It's incredible to think anyone could live in such horrendous squalor - yet two men have been prosecuted for keeping their homes in such revolting conditions that it was no longer fit for their animals .
BEAUTIFULLY lit by the dim glow of lanterns, a cave in Iceland is transformed into the perfect wedding venue .
RACING through the mountain range on horseback, the Kazakh people practice their ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles .
A disabled sheep is enjoying a new fleece of life after receiving a specially-designed wheelchair .
A trio of ants are locked in a tug of war over a fly as they pull the bug by its legs .
WITH the phosphorescent blobs and mesmerising patterns, these spectacular images may look like the hall marks of an enchanted forest but it is in fact the scene of thousands of dancing FIREFLIES .
A DETERMINED great blue heron holds on tightly to its prey as the furry gopher attempts to wriggle free .
WITH a paw in the air and his tongue hanging from his mouth, it is clear to see that this little groundhog is struggling to wake up and leave behind the comfort of his burrow .