SOARING through the air, this is the moment a hungry tawny owl arrives home with dinner. After swooping down from a branch to catch its prey, the owl safely hands over a field mouse to his family in their nest. The breathtaking photographs were captured by Italian photographer Jacopo Rigotti, 24, after he spent weeks photographing the majestic birds in South Tyrol, Italy. “My home is surrounded by forests, rivers and mountains and I am always in close contact with many species of owls,” says Jacopo, of Trentino, Italy.
A diver attempts to control rising numbers of lionfish by feeding the venomous species to Caribbean reef sharks .
A trout manages to escape the jaws of a hungry cormorant - only to find itself back inside the bird's long beak .
A brave leopard kicks back and relaxes in the sunshine - just inches from an enormous crocodile .
STRETCHING his little legs in the air, a smiley leaf-tailed gecko breaks free from his old, scaly skin .
MASKED intruders look sinister but really they are a gang of urban exploring pranksters .
WITH A wide smile plastered across his face, this little gecko is ready for his close up .
LYING back in the snow, these two polar bears share a cuddle as they call time out on playtime .
COURAGEOUS climbers descend 400 metres as they manoeuvre their way through thick walls of ice .
An aerial view of flooding in Gloucestershire .
