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. The groundhog takes a moment to stretch before quickly becoming aware that he's not alone. The adorable scene was captured in the Tonale Pass, a high mountain pass in Trentino Alto Adige, Italy, by freelance photographer Maurizio Lancini. The 39-year-old, of Rodengo Saiano, Brescia, Italy, says:"I spotted the entrance to the burrow so decided to hide nearby and wait for the groundhog to appear.
HOTSPOT MEDIA - WAVE-ING GOODBYE TO RUSH HOUR: WHILE most workers endure commuting chaos by road or rail everyday, one entrepreneur has come up with a novel way to get to the office - by KAYAK .
PRANKSTER Dom Joly was so livid when he was slapped with a parking ticket that he took to Twitter to vent his anger – only to discover he was the victim of his own gag! The comic got a taste of his own medicine when he was tricked by a fellow joker for the first time in a decade .
WRAPPED up in classy headscarves, these adorable pooches are the picture of sophistication .
The dog having been pulled from the car - A police officer smashed a window in the blue Chrysler car to free the dog which was in visible distress .
THE THOUGHT OF BECOMING shipwrecked on a remote destination would fill most holidaymakers with dread .
ROLLING around in the snow, these young brown bears take a break from their play fight to share a tender hug with one another .
A rare manuscript of one of Charlotte Bronte’s earliest poems went under the hammer today and fetched nearly £100,000 – double what it was expected to get .
DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .
CLINGING onto nothing but ice, this brave climber reaches heights of 1000 FEET as he scales frozen solid waterfalls .
A DETERMINED great blue heron holds on tightly to its prey as the furry gopher attempts to wriggle free .
THESE LOVE BIRDS can’t keep their beaks off each other as they share a very public display of affection .
LINED up one by one on a deer’s back, these little birds give their wings a break as they catch a ride across London .