Jostling their quills into the noses of some unlucky cubs, this is the moment two feisty porcupines ALMOST defeat a pride of seven lions. The porcupines, after leaving their spikey mark, hurry away from the pack of big cats. But they are unable to escape when the pride's alpha male lion arrives and devours the retreating spine covered rodents. Amateur photographer and software tester Philip Eglise witness the battle during a trip to the Kalahari Desert, South Africa .
DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .
Lying angelically with a range of expressions etched on their tiny faces, little bundles of joy are innocently captured in their first few days in these adorable photographs .
This is the moment a nimble red fox and a lumbering Alaskan brown bear were locked in a tense stand-off .
When Kylie Holgate discovered her fiancé was having an affair, her world came crashing down .
A woman who starved herself to look like Cheryl Cole has told how she shrunk to just under 5st 13lbs after developing anorexia .
An Australian explorer has travelled the globe with a toy pig, known as Travel Piggy, in search of a missing cuddly companion .
A little caterpillar fearlessly scampers down a branch and confronts a praying mantis .
An elegant snowy owl spreads her wings and glides effortlessly above the snow covered field .
A baby sperm whale assumed the role of a friendly giant when faced with two awestruck divers .
SAILING peacefully across a river in the early morning light, a fisherman in China keeps a 1000 year old tradition alive .
THESE BREATH-TAKING photographs show the natural beauty of Iceland's most famous waterfall .