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. Brit photographer Simon Phillpotts captured a family of red squirrels darting about in the freshly fallen snow, looking frantically for somewhere to hide their nuts. The adorable squirrels were caught on camera near Hawes, North Yorks., as the country surrenders to the annual traffic and travel chaos caused by widespread snowfall. Simon braved the freezing temperatures to grab these amazing shots of the squirrels as they frolicked in the snow, jumping into drifts and hunting for grub amongst the white stuff. Simon said: "They were just running around, burying nuts - they don't stop, even in winter.
The aurora lights captured in Blair Nebraska, America - WITH electrifying purple and illuminous green brightening up the night sky, this is the rare moment a flash of 'sprite' lightening was captured on camera .
At first glance what might look like ordinary rusty bridge and road railings, are in fact amazing works of art .
PICKING up a tiny tea-pot with its paws, a little red squirrel struggles to prepare its morning tea .
A once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California now stands completed deserted .
HOPPING onto the scales, these adorable baby Humboldt penguins are ready for their first weigh-in .
SITTING quietly at the edge of the lake, these two baby bears watch and learn as the adults hunt for fish .
A chipmunk, with his cheeks full to bursting, has no intention of leaving with an empty stomach .
ROLLING across a 65-metre-high viaduct in the Alps, the red carriages of the Bernina Express add a splash of colour to the spectacular snow-covered Swiss surroundings .
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 .
This is the amazing moment two white-tailed kites take an in-flight meal - exchanging prey at 100 foot high in mid air .
These adorable pictures show the moment two cuddly red panda cubs take their first look at the outside world and are weighed for the very first time .
A cricket perches on an unusual seat after crawling up the snout of a crocodile .