STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow. With his chin resting on his paws, the furry giant looks like he has a lot to think about in Wapusk National Park, located in northern Manitoba, Canada. These photographs were taken by 39-year-old professional photographer Alberto Ghizzi Panizza, while on a seven day trip to the park. At times Alberto, of Parma, Italy, was just three metres away from the polar bears.
MEET the little lion of suburbia with a mane that makes him look like a mini-king of the jungle .
A cricket perches on an unusual seat after crawling up the snout of a crocodile .
A little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post .
A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species .
A pair of snarling foxes go paw-to-paw and brawl after unexpectedly crossing paths .
A diver attempts to control rising numbers of lionfish by feeding the venomous species to Caribbean reef sharks .
An adorable little squirrel wakes from a nap and pops out his tongue for the camera .
LEAPING for joy five-feet above the waves this baby whale cutie is saying HELLO to its family after being lost .
Exploding out of the water, a great white shark performs a backflip during a hunt for seals .
From squids to Star Wars, these flipping marvellous creations are pancake portraits .
BURSTING from the water, a beautiful but deadly Sumatran tiger jumps for food in an Indonesian zoo .
ROLLING around in the snow, these young brown bears take a break from their play fight to share a tender hug with one another .