A young mum has told how a phantom pregnancy almost destroyed her dream of having a second child. Pretty Tracie Shannon was desperate to have another baby with her husband James, 25, but was devastated to learn the "bump" growing inside her was actually a kind of tumour. Having already endured two miscarriages in her quest to provide her first son Taylor, three, with a sibling to complete their little family, Tracie was overjoyed to learn she was pregnant again. But despite experiencing all the usual signs of pregnancy, from a swollen tummy to morning sickness, her hopes were crushed when she went for a scan at 11 weeks. Tracie, 26, from Cirencester, Gloucs, had been eager to see the first scan of her unborn child, but instead a "snowstorm" appeared on the ultrasound monitor
A middle spotted woodpecker swoops into her nest and feeds her young in a forest in Trentino, Italy .
SLEEPING within touching distance of wild African animals might not be everyone's idea of a relaxing break .
A group of otters put on a show of aqua aerobics, as they raise their flippers perfectly in sync .
BALANCING on top of a tree, this bear cub puts her climbing skills to the test .
NEW DELHI, A woman activist of India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party crosses a police barricade near the residence of ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi during a protest against the recent rape of a five-year-old girl in New Delhi, India, April 21, 2013 .
EXPERTLY camouflaged, this clever panther chameleon knows how to catch its prey by surprise .
STARING open-mouthed into the camera, this shocked fish looks out of place in the middle of its angry friends .
THIS is the EXPLOSIVE moment when a 50 metre high pylon came crashing down to earth in a rural field .
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 .
HOTSPOT MEDIA - MILEY MASH-UP: MILEY CYRUS’ naked wrecking ball vid has been lampooned in this side-spitting photo-mashup .
A little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post .
Surveying its surroundings, a tiny harvest mouse climbs the stem of a dandelion .