Pinning a purple flower into her bleach blonde hair, pretty Ava admired herself in the mirror. She had every reason to be proud. In the space of a year, she had lost an incredible 17 stone. Her weight dropped from 37st 1lbs to 19st 7lbs, and she slipped into a dress before gazing at her newly svelte figure. With her smokey eye makeup and black skater dress, she could have been glamming up for a night on the tiles with her girlfriends. Instead, it was Halloween, 2013, and Ava was hiding a huge secret. Born a boy named William, it was the first time she had ever dressed as a girl – and everything fell into place.
HUDDLED together in the hollow of a tree, it would be easy to overlook these two sleepy owls as they blend into the trunk .
FLEXING his muscles and staring straight at his opponent, this bodybuilding squirrel is the nuts .
ARM extended and head flung back, this little chipmunk performs a loose-limbed yoga move .
STRIKING photos capture nature at its most raw and powerful during Earth’s most electrifying event .
The lighthouses of Brittany, from Brest to Le Conquet, stand tall on France’s north-western coast against stunning scenery .
While often referred to as the kings of the jungle, gorillas - for all their might - are notorious hydrophobes .
Hot on the heels of a little rabbit, this cheetah is on a mission to catch his prey .
FULL OF STUNNING colours and swirling shapes, the furrows on these fields create a mix of mesmerising patterns .
TUGGING on the wing of his sibling, this needy owl is after some attention .
Fetching a tiny carrot and a head-shaped snowball, a red squirrel builds the perfect snowman .
A BEAUTIFUL sight for the eyes and the imagination, these liquid sculptures take shape in many different colours and formations .