Sleepy: A hippopotamus family take a quick rest in Maasai Mara in Kenya
With plenty of people making last ditch efforts to buy a card or flowers this Mother's Day it is clear we can learn a lot from the animal kingdom.
Because while we rush around to make last minute plans these pictures show the heartwarming closeness between animal mums and their loved ones.
From an African baby hippo hitching a ride on its mum's back, to a lemur cradling its young, these loving shots have been released by an award-winning British photographer.
Pride and joy: An ostrich tries to keep its pride together as the sun goes down in Maasai Mara, Kenya
Motherly love: A mother koala gives her baby a lift in Kangaroo Island, Australia
Top photographer, Steve Bloom, 59, travelled to every continents to capture mothers and their pride and joy.
He said: 'I was attracted to the relationship between mothers and their babies.'
'In the wild each animal must fight to survive, but mothers have to think about their precious young as well as themselves.
A lick-le bit of love: Three tiger cubs are lavished with affection from this African lioness seen in Maasai Mara, Kenya
Hold on tight: A baby ring-tailed lemur is smothered by its loving mother (left) and a baby orangutan holds on to its mother
I flipping love you: An Emperor penguin offers an outstretched flipper to help its offspring in Coulman Island, Antarctica
Care: A lioness carefully carries its young by the neck (left) while two snow monkeys huddle to fend off the cold
'Despite the pressure they are under, like the hard-pressed mothers they are, they still find quality time for their young.
'These pictures show that no matter how hard things are even in the perilous animal kingdom, families still make the effort to bond together.
'In fact it is these very bonds that can make the difference between life and death and allow each species to continue to survive down the generations.
Hopping mad about you: A ring-tailed lemur mother carries its young to safety in this picture taken in Berenty, Madagascar
Mothering: An albatross feeds its young while an African elephant walks alongside its calf
Pandering to its child: This panda keeps a close eye on its child in Sichuan, China
'In this sense I think many of us humans can learn a lot from the creatures shown in these pictures.
'I compiled the best of the shots that show this in my book My Favourite Animal Families.'
He travelled across Africa capturing tigers, lemurs and monkeys with their offspring whilst he also covered Asia, Australasia and even Antarctica to get these stunning shots.
Bear hug: This brown bear mother keeps its young cubs close by in Katmai National Park, Alaska
Helping hand: A mother giraffe gives its baby a push in the right direction while a polar bear looks out for its two youngsters in the snow
Mother's Day: With Mother's Day just around the corner British photographer Steve Bloom has released pictures like this one of an African elephant with its calf
Fending off the cold: These polar bears huddle together at Cape Churchill in Manitoba, Canada
Monkeying around: A baby gorilla (left) doesn't seem to take its mother's close grip too seriously while an orangutan hitches a ride on its mum's shoulders
-Up to 500 bees swarm over huge predators -Vibrate wings mercilessly to 'cook' hornets to death in 'bee ball'
By Rob Waugh
Honey bees should have no chance at all against the ferocious Japanese hornet - the predators are an inch long, and watching the two battle is like watching infantry racing hopelessly towards a tank.
But the tiny creatures can actually triumph - by swarming over their foes in such numbers that hornets are 'cooked' inside a ball of bees.
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The defence mechanism is known as a 'hot defensive bee ball'. When hornets attack, they kill all the worker bees, before 'looting' a nest for larvae and food. So the bees developed the defence mechanism to stop the predators.
The bees swarm over the hornets in groups of up to 500, and start vibrating their wings until the temperature reaches 47 degrees centigrade. The heat is fatal for the hornets.
Researchers in Japan watched the bees as they assaulted an inch-long hornet - pulling them off the ball as they attacked and scanning their brains to see how they coordinated their attacks.
The scientists, Takeo Kubo of the University of Tokyo and Masato Ono of Tamagawa University sampled bees at different points during the assault - and found that bees engage higher brain functions as they swarm into the ball.
The bees coordinate their attacks, sharing information about heat in the ball - which could be a trigger for the bursts of brain activity.
Pipsqueak! The brave rodent turns the tables on the predatory pussycat the moment he is released from its jaws
This is the moment a cornered mouse stood up to a predatory cat and pulled off an extraordinary escape from a life-threatening situation.
When a fierce feline named Tom trapped a wood mouse in his jaws and carried him into the garden in Reigate, Surrey, it looked as though the tiny creature's game was up.
But the wily creature turned out to be a real-life Jerry, and refused to accept his destiny as dinner for the peckish puss.
Furry foes: The battle between the two animals looks just like the mismatched rivalry between cartoon heroes Tom and Jerry
Instead, 'Jerry' took inspiration from the Warner Brothers cartoon caper and turned the tables on his tormentor the second he was released from Tom's teeth, squaring up to the baffled cat.
Homeowner Stephanie Evans said she was amazed to come outside to see a mouse escape from the clutches of her cat Tom.
'He put the mouse down and instead of running away the mouse just fronted him,' she said. 'Tom was so shocked he just stood there.'
Fur flew as the pair fought for a long ten minutes, with Jerry even landing a scratch on Tom's nose as he fought for survival.
True to his animated roots, the sneaky mouse disappeared under a fence at just the right moment, running rings around the confused cat.
Beaten by a whisker: Stephanie Evans and her affronted cat Tom after his failure to ensnare jumped-up Jerry the wood mouse
But the brave rodent was not intimidated into fleeing the area - he was found by a neighbour biding his time in a greenhouse next door.
'He was probably waiting patiently to smash a flower-pot over the cat's head,' said the neighbour.
Tom and Jerry has been a hit with audiences since it was created in 1960, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
The animation centres on a long-running battle of wills between Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse, who constantly outwits his much stronger opponent, as their confrontations inevitably end in scenes of slapstick violence.
Their rivalry is seen as one of the most famous in American cinema, with the show winning seven Oscars - the most ever collected by an animated series.
In 2000, the series was named as one of the greatest television shows of all time by Time magazine.
-Alida can run and play with dog as he follows her while carrying oxygen -She can survive briefly if tubes come loose from tank on golden doodle -Family moved 2,000 miles so she could be with specially-trained animal
A sick little girl is being kept alive thanks to her best friend – a dog who carries her oxygen tank on her back.
Alida Knobloch’s faithful canine companion Mr Gibbs has been specially trained to shepherd the three-year-old, who breathes though a tube most of the time.
He follows her closely as she plays in her family's ten-acre land in Louisville, Georgia, uses the slide or even rides her bike.
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Faithful friend:Alida Knobloch, who breathes through a tube, with dog Mr Gibbs who carries her oxygen tank Alida, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI) when she was just eight months old, is able to breathe without the tube.
But it is very difficult for her and Mr Gibbs is on hand for when she needs the oxygen. It also means she can move around without having to carry the heavy canister herself.
Often the pair move about in tandom as she plays while breathing through the tube and he runs alongside her.
The tubes can be reinserted into the tank if they come out. But it is not that easy for a toddler to do and her parents prefer them to be removed only when they are close to hand.
Her rare condition was only discovered in 2005 and has just 800 documented sufferers worldwide, it causes diseased pieces of the lungs to filter oxygen through extra layers of cells making it hard or almost impossible to breathe.
For Alida, and her parents Aaron and Debbie Knobloch, it meant that even a walk in the park was very difficult because equipment was too heavy for the youngster to be able to carry herself.
As parents they wanted to do something to help their daughter navigate life despite having a tube trailing her at all times.
The couple found out about 'service dogs' from a TV programme and realised an animal trained to help the blind could be trained to help Alida.
They found help in the shape of golden doodle - a retriever crossed with a poodle - dog Mr Gibbs and even moved 2,000 miles from their native Utah so Alida and Mr Gibbs could be together.
The family realised there was a long waiting list for service dogs and didn't want to take one away from someone else who might need it more on the list.
Now - thanks to trainer Ashleigh Kinsley - Alida and Mr Gibbs love nothing more than playing and running around together with the dog literally acting as Alida's life saver.
Alida loves Mr Gibbs so much she said: ‘He's my best dog.’
By her side: Mr Gibbs beside Alida as she plays the part of as princess in a school play
Always around: Mr Gibbs follows Alida down a slide as she momentarily breathes without her oxygen tubes
Family: Mr Gibbs and Alida with her parents Aaron and Debbie Knoblach and her baby sister
Mrs Knobloch, 39, a nurse, said Alida and Mr Gibbs were growing up together and learning all the time.
She said: ‘Alida never complains about her condition, at the moment we she does have a habit of trying to pull out her tubes though, we have to tell her that's not a good idea.
‘She loves Mr Gibbs and he loves her too. We're trying to make life easier for her and she's just now starting to realise she's different, but as the bond between her and Gibbs gets stronger, we think things will get better.
‘As a pair they do work well together, Mr Gibbs has the oxygen tank on his back and then Alida has his leash.’
Loving: Alida, who suffers from a rare condition called neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy, has learned to rely on Mr Gibbs, who - in turn - has become a doting and attentive dog
Trip: Alida and Mr Gibbs on a family holiday to Florida where they were dwarfed by a giant Woody toy, right
Having fun: Alida, who was diagnosed with the condition at age eight months, lies on the floor with Mr Gibbs
Mrs Knobloch said Alida was born premature and when they first brought her home she was given oxygen as a precaution.
She said: ‘She was on oxygen just to make sure she would make it through, but by eight months doctors became worried she still needed it.
‘It was then that they told us she had NEHI, it's so rare that it was only discovered in 2005 and there have been only 800 cases worldwide.
‘There is some good news because the damaged tissue in Alida's lungs is not growing so as her lungs grow and the healthy tissue increases we've been told that eventually she may be able to do without the oxygen during the day.
‘Alida knows she is different, she calls the oxygen her 'O' and she tells us if needs more because she can feel if she is getting low.
‘Mr Gibbs is still a young dog and obviously Alida is still too young to give him too many commands but the pair of them are growing up together.’
Mrs Knobloch is now working with the chiLD foundation charity to raise $30,000 to help families both in the US and the UK with research into the new disease.
Dad Aaron said: ‘We're trying to provide some independence for her, and then, after we saw this programme on TV, we thought, 'What about a service animal?'.
‘He's still learning, he's very much a puppy in some ways, playful and gangly. But when he wears the vest, he's all business and does really well, even in public.’
‘We have to train him to follow Alida's directions, he follows our instructions, but getting him to listen to a three-year-old is harder. But he's getting used to her.’
Happy: Mr Gibbs gives Alida hope despite the incredible hardship she must endure
Every order the family gives, Alida has been taught to echo, and the dog is starting to accept her as his charge, the pair even managed to negotiate the crowds on a recent family holiday to Disney World.
The family is currently raising funds for research into NEHI.
To donate to the cause, visit www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/sweetalida/nehi.
These cackling creatures look like they’re having such a laugh we only wish they’d let us in on the joke.
Even the tiniest little fish appears to have a funny bone as his eyes light up with glee. The wise old owl - not known for his sense of humour - looks like he's having a hoot.
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make us smile, and this chuckling duckling proves the rule applies even when you are one of the little things. Owls have been let in on the joke too, twit-twoo-hooing at the punch line...
Feline good: This mirthful moggy looks as if he's about to burst with laughter Some-fin funny?: Even the littlest fish finds something to laugh about
Monkeying around: These orangutans look like they might fall out of the tree if they laugh any harder
A real hoot: They're not known for their sense of humour, but something must have tickled this owl
Twit-twoohoo: Another owl swaps twittering for tittering
Horsing around: Someone must have told him the one about the horse who walks into a pub and the barman asks 'Why the long face?'
Snorting with laughter: The joke was so funny this elephant had to sit down
Quacking good joke: This little duckling shows you're never too young to lark about
Cackling canine: Someone must have told this whooping wolf a shaggy-dog story
Two-year-old Chihuahua Lexi was pulled from the mouth of the animal but was left with a huge wound in her neck
Vets saved the pet's life after emergency surgery near Basildon in Essex
By Martin Robinson
Recovery: Lexi only survived after she was wrestled from the fox's jaws by her plucky owner Vicky Reeves, pictured
A brave pet owner has been left sickened after her beloved dog's throat was ripped open in a 'horrific' attack by an urban fox.
Vicky Reeves was forced to wrestle two-year-old Chihuahua Lexi from the jaws of the animal in her back garden in Laindon, Essex.
The 29-year-old heard screams and ran out to find the fox had jumped over the fence and was attacking Lexi - leaving the dog with severe bite wounds to her neck.
'It was horrific,' the mother of three said.
'The fox had got hold of Lexi and I tried to pull her off, but the fox pulled even harder and wasn’t scared of me at all.
'I eventually pulled Lexi free, but the side of her neck had been ripped open.'
Ms Reeves rushed the dog from her home to a Basildon vet where she was stitched up and put on antibiotics.
Injured: Lexi, pictured, underwent emergency surgery to repair a large rip in her throat
The Chihuahua spent three days recovering at the surgery after the attack last week.
Shaun Plunkett, deputy practice manager at Cherrydown vets said: 'It was a dreadful attack.
'If her owner hadn’t rushed her here, she might not have survived.
'Dog owners need to beware of foxes because they’re getting more and more urbanised.'
Ms Reeves today warned other dog owners about the danger of foxes.
Lucky: The urban fox was not scared at all when Lexi's owner came to protect her, leaving the dog with deep wounds
She said: 'I was really shocked a fox could do this. Lexi could have been killed.
'Now people are using wheelie bins, foxes are finding it harder to track down food so they’re getting desperate and people need to watch their dogs.
'People must not encourage foxes by feeding them, because they’ll keep coming back.' Attacks by urban foxes on animals and even humans are on the increase.
In May 2010 nine-month-old twins Lola and Isabella Koupparis had to spend a week in hospital after a fox crept into their cots at their home in Hackney, east London, and savaged their arms as they slept.
Last year sleeping London student Mario Castilli woke up with a shock to find a fox biting him on the face while he lay in bed in his attic bedroom.
Scores of small dogs, kittens and other pets have also been attacked or killed in recent years in Britain's towns and cities.
As the old saying goes, it's usually rats that skulk around drain pipes.
But any rodents hoping to muscle in on Eggnog the owl's residence may get a nasty peck on the nose.
The breed of Little Owl has commandeered the pipe as his day perch after staff at the Silverband Falconry in the Lake District placed him inside.
'He happily sits there for large parts of the day and would probably sleep there as well,' said Ann Toon, the wildlife photographer who captured the image.
Snug fit: Eggnog the owl would gladly 'sit all day' in his cosy drainpipe, according to staff at Silverband Falconry in the Lake District 'He is happy in the drainpipe as he feels safe and secure from any prying predators looking for a nice snack,' she added.
Named after the alcoholic drink loved by some at Christmas, little Eggnog may look cute but has a fiery personality, staff say.
'Eggnog is probably the grumpiest Little Owl we have,' Richard Cooper, director at the falconry, said adding: 'though he is very lively and he is always watching what you do.
'He particularly likes to show off how flexible his neck is at shows and demonstration we do.'
What a hoot: Little Eggnog is said to be happy in his drainpipe as he feels safe and secure from any prying predators looking for a tasty snack
The owl is native to the UK and can grow to a height of 21cm, making a drainpipe the perfect refuge. Little Owls are known to prefer snug hiding places, according to the falconry.
They also make good pets. Florence Nightingale was the proud owner of one called Athena, after it’s Latin name Athene noctua.
He fast became her companion travelling everywhere in her pocket.
Pet owls are also popular in India thanks in part to the Harry Potter franchise. The demand, often on the black market, has resulted in an endangered owl crisis.
I can't take you anywhere! Libby's owner holds her head in her hands as the dog took a bathroom break in the middle of competing at Crufts dog show in Birmingham, England
There were possibly better moments that this pooch could have picked - and places a little more private.
Libby, a five-year-old cross-breed, was taking part in the agility course at Crufts dog show this weekend. Her performance was going well - as she raced along beside her owner, running through tunnels and jumping over fences.
However after around a minute on the course, the dog stopped just in front of some posts - for a bathroom break.
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Flying high: The cross-breed Libby started off the agility course at the dog show with considerable pace
The commentators saw the funny side and quipped: 'A dog's got to do what a dog's got to do. What a shame. Disqualified - and it was a good run too.'
The dog's female owner was left looking a little red-faced as she scooped up the mess after an attendant handed her a plastic bag.
The pair then left the arena after being disqualified from the competition.
Top dog: The cross-breed called Libby was performing in front of a crowd of 6,000 at the National Exhibition Centre in England
Unrehearsed: Libby the dog and her owner were disqualified from the competition
The Crufts dog show ran from March 8 until today at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in the English Midlands.
The agility course is open to large, medium and small dogs as well as teams and pairs. The finals take place across all four days of Crufts and are attended by audiences of up to 6,000 canine enthusiasts.
Crufts was started in 1891 by an English entrepreneur Charles Cruft and is described as a 'celebration of all dogs'.
When you spend your life tearing through chunks of meat, you're bound to get a bit stuck between your teeth - not to mention the inevitable plaque build-up that follows.
But it's not a hygiene hazard that has escaped this Siberian tiger.
Showing off his impressive dental skills, he makes use of a handy branch to give his gnashers a good floss.
Banishing that bacteria: This Siberian shows he knows a thing or two about plaque prevention by using a branch to floss his teeth at Tiergarten Schnbrunn zoo in Austria Doing so regularly can help prevent gum disease and gingivitis which can cause bad breath and tooth decay.
Photographer Jutta Kirchner, who captured the action in the big cat's enclosure at Tiergarten Schvnbrunn zoo, in Vienna, Austria, said: 'I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
'I've never seen an animal actively try to clean its teeth and I thought it was amazing.
'But I suppose they get things stuck in their teeth just like anyone else and find it just as irritating as the rest of us.'
Prancing on ice: Two of the zoo's Siberian tigers enjoy play time in the snow in another picture taken by Jutta Kirchner
Jutta has previously photographed Siberian tigers playing in the snow at the zoo.
The Siberian tiger lives mainly in the Sikhote Alin mountain region in east Russia.
In 2005, there were under 400 adult Siberian tigers left in the region, with an adult breeding population of about 250.
The population has been stable for more than a decade thanks to intensive conservation efforts.
Top dog: The Amour Amour dog collar weighs in at 52 carats and is encrusted with 1,600 diamonds
If diamonds are a girl’s best friend and man’s best friend is the dog, then somewhere in that mix, dogs and diamonds meet.
Enter the decadent array of collars available for wealthy pet owners who dote upon their dogs called La Collection de Bijoux.
The collars are coated with precious jewels – mostly diamonds and sapphires –and range from $150,000 to a staggering $3.2million.
Carats and canines: The collar is the most expensive in the world, and costs an astounding $3.2million
A-listeter: No doubt the collection of jewels has a certain appeal to the jet-setting crowd
Created by I Love Dogs Diamonds, each collar is custom-made and takes eight to 12 weeks to complete.
The most extravagant is the 52-carat diamond collar, dubbed the world’s most expensive.
It features three tiers of diamonds in a chandelier design and features a staggering 1,600 diamonds on the collar.
And though most pet owners would do anything for their canine companions, the $3.2million price tag may be a bit rich for most owners.
Royalty: The Amour De La Mer features 600 hand-set diamonds and an 8.5-carat sapphire and must make any pet feel like a prince (or princess)
We're woof it: Though the prices are high, who could say no to faces like those?
For those with a more regal taste, the Amour De La Mer features 600 hand-set diamonds and an 8.5-carat sapphire that is not unsimilar to a very famous royal engagement ring.
And for $900,000, it too, costs a pretty penny. The Amour Amour was dubbed ‘the Bugatti of dog collars’ by a Forbes editor.
Pampering at a price: Every collar is custom made and encrusted with hundreds of diamonds
Fur real: Many collars feature ostrich leather bands, an opulent choice
Sleepy: A hippopotamus family take a quick rest in Maasai Mara in Kenya 
Motherly love: A mother koala gives her baby a lift in Kangaroo Island, Australia
Care: A lioness carefully carries its young by the neck (left) while two snow monkeys huddle to fend off the cold 
Pandering to its child: This panda keeps a close eye on its child in Sichuan, China
Sleepy: A hippopotamus family take a quick rest in Maasai Mara in Kenya 
Motherly love: A mother koala gives her baby a lift in Kangaroo Island, Australia
Care: A lioness carefully carries its young by the neck (left) while two snow monkeys huddle to fend off the cold 
Pandering to its child: This panda keeps a close eye on its child in Sichuan, China
