I'M READY FOR MY CLOSE UP NOW, MR NUTKIN

Red squirrels are well known for their intelligence and curiosity but when one snapper caught this furry little guy trying to take his own self-portrait he couldn't help but be taken aback. Professional wildlife photographer Simon Philpotts had only turned his back for a moment during a session spent snapping a new colony of red squirrels near his home in Wensleydale, North Yorks. But as he headed into a nearby hide to set up some equipment, he spotted one furry-tailed photographer commandeering his camera. After climbing up the tripod and sniffing about the rig, Simon captured the sneaky scamp seemingly attempting to take a picture of himself - placing his foot on the shutter release and sticking his nose into the lens. Simon, 38, said: "We are getting a lot of squirrels at the moment and they are very curious. This little one decided to climb up my tripod and basically try and take my camera apart. At one point it looked like he was trying to take a self portrait.

Other great stories
MOTHER'S FEAR AFTER SUICIDE DAUGHTER’S STALKER RELEASED

A mother is living in fear after the stalker she holds responsible for her daughter's death is back on the streets, after serving just one year in prison .

COUPLE RECREATE ICONIC SCENES FROM THE NOTEBOOK

A Canadian couple celebrated their engagement by recreating iconic moments from the film The Notebook .

I WON'T GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT MY STAB VEST, SAYS ATTACK VICTIM

A man who was stabbed ten times in a frenzied and random attack has told how, two years on, he is too scared to leave his house without his STAB VEST .

LAZY FROG

KICKING back and relaxing with his arms outstretched, this chilled-out frog appears to be loving life as he takes some time out on a water lily leaf .

CHEEKY GORILLA

A cheeky gorilla sticks her tongue out and plays up for the camera at Bronx Zoo .

MAN SPENDS £100K TO LOOK LIKE KIM KARDASHIAN

A man has spent almost £100K on lip fillers, Botox and designer clothing in a bid to look like Kim Kardashian .

TROUBLESOME PYLON MEETS EXPLOSIVE END

THIS is the EXPLOSIVE moment when a 50 metre high pylon came crashing down to earth in a rural field .

SUN ALLERGY MUM NICKNAMED 'VAMPIRE' BY KIDS

While most Brits look forward to long hot summer days, a mum-of-six will be staying in the shade - as she is allergic to the sun .

BOOM SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE THE ROOM

WELCOME to the 125 decibel boombox bus that could damage your hearing if you party too close to its giant speakers .

PARKING UP THE WRONG TREE - ROBIN RELIANT FOUND HANGING IN GARDEN

This Robin Reliant appears to have taken a wrong turn after it ended up 15 feet high up in a TREE .

CAVE ROOM HOTEL

THIS unique holiday accommodation allows you to enjoy a full Flintstones experience .

FROZEN WATERFALLS

COURAGEOUS CLIMBERS scale frozen waterfalls in Canada, as the ice threatens to collapse beneath them .