With luminous colours and alien- like features, these magical mushrooms look like they belong on another planet. These mesmorising pictures, however, capture the beautiful variety of fungi here on Earth. The incredible images were taken by Australian photographer Stephen Axford, 62, after he became familiar with the importance of fungi in everyday life, and decided to document it twelve years ago..
A lazy otter finds the ideal spot to soak up the sun and sleep off his lunch .
LYING back in the snow, these two polar bears share a cuddle as they call time out on playtime .
Recovering from a rare form of breast cancer, Deborah Barnett, 43, of Stoke-on-Trent, thought she'd made it through the worst, but she was betrayed by former colleague Sandra Ramsay, of Mow Cop Road, Mow Cop, Stoke-on-Trent .
SNEAKING slowly into the water, this Bengal tiger plans a vicious attack on three unsuspecting deer .
An adorable red squirrel says goodbye to the summer as he shelters from the rain underneath a small blue umbrella .
PERCHING on top of a gate, this young barn swallow waits patiently for his mum to return with dinner .
A mother told she had terminal cancer by doctors who ignored her pleas for help 13 times has made a miracle recovery following the UK's first operation of its kind .
ROLLING across a 65-metre-high viaduct in the Alps, the red carriages of the Bernina Express add a splash of colour to the spectacular snow-covered Swiss surroundings .
A good samaritan who came to the aid of a rape victim has told how they were turned away from the Salvation Army because "they only help men" .
PILES of trash provide a living for thousands in Nairobi, Kenya .