SLEEPY GROUNDHOG

WITH a paw in the air and his tongue hanging from his mouth, it is clear to see that this little groundhog is struggling to wake up and leave behind the comfort of his burrow. The groundhog takes a moment to stretch before quickly becoming aware that he's not alone. The adorable scene was captured in the Tonale Pass, a high mountain pass in Trentino Alto Adige, Italy, by freelance photographer Maurizio Lancini. The 39-year-old, of Rodengo Saiano, Brescia, Italy, says:"I spotted the entrance to the burrow so decided to hide nearby and wait for the groundhog to appear.

Other great stories
ADORABLE POLAR BEAR CUBS PLAY-FIGHT IN THE SNOW

A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .

BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS BROUGHT TO LIFE

BREATHING life back into old photographs, these black and white images are transformed by colour .

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 .

INTIMATE PORTRAITS OF AFRICAN TRIBES

A German photographer travelled around Africa where he met and photographed members of tribes in a series of intimate portraits .

GENTLE WHALE SHARK GIANTS FEED UNDER FISHERMAN’S BOAT

A group of whale sharks gather to feed underneath a fisherman’s boat off the coast of Papua, Indonesia .

FOUND NEMO

A curious clownfish peaks through the tentacles of a sea anemone .

WOMAN RECORDED VIOLENT BF STRANGLING HER AND THREATENING TO KILL HER WITH A KNIFE- WHEN HE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER SHE SAW HIM JAILED

Gabrielle Dale, 26, was subjected to seven years of coercive control and physical abuse at the hands of her violent boyfriend Sean Owen, 29 .

WORLD’S MOST BLINGED-OUT CAR

FEAST your eyes on the £500K coin-covered Range Rover that could be the world’s most blinged-out car .

STUNNING SUMATRAN TIGER CAUSES A SPLASH

BURSTING from the water, a beautiful but deadly Sumatran tiger jumps for food in an Indonesian zoo .

STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHS CAPTURE TORONTO'S BEAUTY IN PUDDLES

A Canadian photographer has captured crystal clear mirror images of Toronto's architecture reflected in puddles - simply by using his iPhone .

HUBBY SAVED ME FROM BEING MAULED BY NEIGHBOUR’S FRIEND WHO TORE CHUNK OUT OF MY CHEEK AND LEFT ME SCARRED FOR LIFE

A mother-of-one has revealed how a neighbour’s friend ‘mauled’ her face, leaving her scarred for life .

REAL FRANKENSTEIN'S LAB

WELCOME to the real Frankenstein's lab where carefully pickled creatures are left to stew in jars .