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.
HOTSPOT MEDIA - MILEY MASH-UP: MILEY CYRUS’ naked wrecking ball vid has been lampooned in this side-spitting photo-mashup .
EAGERLY BITING his nails, this little squirrel is clearly nervous of looming predators as he searches for his meal .
A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species .
WENDY Randall, 16, from Kent is now training to be a bodybuilder after recovering from anorexia .
A Birmingham man inspired by sci-fi film Wall-E, has created a one- wheeled vehicle, controlled by signals from his BRAIN .
A GIRL nicknamed JAWS by bullies who taunted her because of her underbite is em-bracing her new post-surgery life .
A professional dancer has embraced her individuality after refusing plastic surgery to remove a giant birthmark on her face .
WRAPPED up in classy headscarves, these adorable pooches are the picture of sophistication .
THIS alien-like bug would look more at home in outer-space but it can actually be found wriggling around here on Earth .
This was the chaotic scene when the driver of a 4x4 vehicle became periously trapped under his vehicle for an HOUR when it overturned after a crash on a busy motorway .
A former size 30 comfort-eater ditched her husband and lost over 10st after he called her a 'fat cow' .
A mother-of-four has revealed how her daughter tragically took her own life after being subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of her ex-partner .