FRIENDLY TOAD READY FOR HIS CLOSE UP

STARING eagerly into the camera, this little toad is full of curiosity. He bobs his eyes above the water and surveys the scene, ready for his close-up. These photographs were captured by French marine biologist Mathieu Foulquie, 39, after he spotted the friendly toad in the resurgence of a little river near Montpellier, France. Mathieu, of Montpellier, France, was investigating underwater in a river named 'la Bueges' when he put his hand on the river bed and the toad grabbed his fingers.

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SIBLING RIVALRY

SURROUNDED by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other .

£34m TAX FRAUD RACKET JAILED

A man who conned tax officials out of £34 million and funded a lavish lifestyle of luxury hotels and restaurants has been jailed for one of the longest sentences in British criminal fraud history .

LEAPING WOOD MOUSE

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STAG SHOWS OFF IMPRESSIVE HEADDRESS IN LONDON'S BUSHY PARK

A proud stag attempts to impress the females by donning an enormous fern headdress in London's Bushy Park .

HEROIC BURNS SURVIVOR BECOMES FIREFIGHTER

An American man who suffered horrific third-degree burns to 70 percent of his body in a childhood accident has faced his fears by becoming a firefighter .

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: SWIMMING WITH SHARKS

Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .

ARTY ELEPHANTS

EXTRAORDINARY elephants create beautiful paintings in Thailand .

SHOOTING IN WALSALL, TWO DEAD

Two people have been arrested after a man and woman were shot dead at a house in the Midlands in the early hours of this morning .

CATERPILLAR AND MANTIS BATTLE IT OUT

A little caterpillar fearlessly scampers down a branch and confronts a praying mantis .

MENINGITIS BOY TAKES FIRST STEPS ON PROSTHETIC LIMBS

An eight-year-old boy who lost his legs and left hand to meningitis is standing tall after learning to walk on his prosthetic limbs .

I LOST HALF MY WEIGHT AND BECAME A WOMAN

Pinning a purple flower into her bleach blonde hair, pretty Ava admired herself in the mirror .

DINNER TIME

TWO Little Owls perch on a fence as they enjoy their dinner .