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
ENDANGERED GORILLA BORN AT TWYCROSS ZOO

A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species .

IT'S A WATERING CAN-VAS

AS graffiti goes, this giant mural of a sweet little girl tenderly watering a tree beneath her is a far cry from what you usually see emblazoned across cities .

WOMAN REJECTED BY ADOPTION AGENCY DUE TO PREGNANCY PHOBIA

A woman has spoken of her heartbreak after she was rejected by an adoption agency because of her pregnancy phobia .

GOLDEN EAGLE FESTIVAL

RACING through the mountain range on horseback, the Kazakh people practice their ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles .

BOSTON BOMBING AFTERMATH - 17TH APRIL

At least three people have been killed and more than 100 injured, some seriously, in two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon .

VIBRANT TIME-LAPSE VIDEOS CAPTURE BLOSSOMING FLOWERS

VIBRANT bursts of colour fill the screen as beautiful flowers blossom in these time-lapse videos .

SURPRISED SQUIRREL

OPEN mouthed and wide eyed this little squirrel appears startled .

TEEN GIRL TRUCKER YOUNGEST IN UK

Blonde teen Jess Stubbs has certainly got girl power - as Britain’s youngest TRUCKER .

TRANS WOMAN'S £100K TRANSFORMATION FUNDED BY ONLINE FANS

A transgender woman has revealed how she was able to fund her transformation using £100K gifted to her by online admirers .

APPY CAMPING: COOKING STOVE CHARGES SMARTPHONES

Here's a APPY solution that should brighten up a wet weekend away camping - a wood powered stove that also recharges your smartphone .

PRAIRIE DOG AND STARLING STAND-OFF

This starling and prairie dog will not back down an inch as they have a fearsome stand-off over who gets to eat a nut .

16ST POLE DANCER FIGHTS BACK AGAINST ONLINE TROLLS

A talented 16st pole dancer who was once dubbed a 'disgusting human form' by online trolls is fighting back to show her bullies that big is beautiful .