A DETERMINED great blue heron holds on tightly to its prey as the furry gopher attempts to wriggle free. With all its tiny might, the rodent manages to pull its paw free from the clutch of the huge heron's beak. This moment was caught by professional photographer Daniel Dietrich, 44, in Point Reyes, California. Daniel, originally of New York, says: “The blue heron first attempted to spear the gopher with its beak while the rodent retreated into its burrow.
A pair of BEAUTIFUL rescue sea turtles spot their catch in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef .
WIDE EYED with a huge smile across her face, this little elephant is a picture of happiness .
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 .
HOTSPOT MEDIA - MILEY MASH-UP: MILEY CYRUS’ naked wrecking ball vid has been lampooned in this side-spitting photo-mashup .
HOTSPOT MEDIA - FUNKY BUMP: FROM MIRROR bellies to rainbow bumps these pregnancy casts of stone and bronze could be the funkiest way to preserve your bump for posterity .
If you had to scrape the snow off your car this morning or slip-slide your way into work over icy pavements spare a thought for these little critters .
THIS alien-like bug would look more at home in outer-space but it can actually be found wriggling around here on Earth .
BOXING DAY has come early for this pair of feisty squirrels, as their Christmas party quickly turns sour .
Fetching a tiny carrot and a head-shaped snowball, a red squirrel builds the perfect snowman .
HUDDLING under a leaf, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls take shelter from the rain .
A lazy otter finds the ideal spot to soak up the sun and sleep off his lunch .