BASKING in smug satisfaction, a confident squirrel gives a wink to the camera. After spending a morning stealing a stash of nuts and seed from his squirrel friends, he sits down to enjoy his well-earned lunch. The pictures of this cheeky squirrel were captured by emergency services worker Claire Hartley, 35, on a trip to Hartsholme Park, near Lincoln. “Several squirrels had been competing to get as many nuts as possible,” says Claire, of Lincoln.
Sprawled out on top of a log, this sleeping leopard takes a relaxing break from his daily routine .
A once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California now stands completed deserted .
PAWS for thought as you feast your eyes on this rare bear bathing session .
HUDDLED together on a branch, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls soak up the sun .
SURROUNDED by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other .
STARING eagerly into the camera, this little toad is full of curiosity .
BEHIND the doors of this building, with its stacks of mattresses and discarded remains of wheelchairs, lies another victim of austerity cuts .
A diver looks like a minnow as she swims alongside a gigantic whale shark, the largest species of fish on the planet .
WITH A wide smile plastered across his face, this little gecko is ready for his close up .
LIKE A living balloon this baitball of sardines is ready to burst when threatened by a pointy nosed sailfish .
