Human face on back of rare spider found!

A rare spider that has the markings of a human face on its back has been discovered at an English nature reserve.

The hairy arachnid is a lichen crab spider and is so scarce that only 41 of them have been spotted in Britain since 1890.

Despite its hairy appearance and grumpy-looking 'face' on its abdomen, the eight-legged creature is harmless to humans.

The spider - Philodromus margaritatus in Latin - gets its name because it is usually found on lichen covered tree trunks and its body is camouflaged to resemble its surroundings.

They grow to about the size of a 20 pence piece and consume small insects such as ants that they chase after at relatively high speeds.

Mark Singleton, who works at the RSPB nature reserve at Arne, near Wareham, Dorset, said: 'This is the first one that has been found in Dorset in 35 years.

'It is something of a rarity. If this were a bird, the queues would be stretching round the car park. But it's not, it's a spider with a slightly amusing abdomen.

'We found it in the electricity box a few feet from our work centre and got quite excited when we realised what it was.'

Rather oddly, the spiders are not widespread in the UK and have only been spotted in southern England and northern Scotland before.

They are, however, widespread in central and western Europe.

Children swim inches from monster Polar bears!!! Very brave!

It's a heart-in-the-mouth moment that would have most parents running for help.

The massive carnivores loom menacingly over their bite-size pool companions in these remarkable pictures.

But there's more to the scenario than meets the eye, in fact the children are separated from certain death by 10-inch thick plexiglas.

Both children and bears are actually very safely taking part in an amazing initiative by the owners of Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, in Ontario, Canada, in a attempt to promote awareness about the amazing animals.

The sanctuary takes in only bears rescued from the wild and through letting visitors get so close they hope to foster understanding and reduce hunting in the wild.

Former director at the centre and keen photographer Gerry Robichaud took the amazing photographs of the moment bear meets man in the safety of the tank.

He said: 'You do get some very surprised reactions from visitors when they first see the bears and the children in the pool.

'When you're in the water and up by the glass next to these animals it barely seems like there is anything protecting you, when in fact there's a 10-inch think barrier.

'We get various reactions from the children, some of them can't wait to get in the pool and others really don't want to. It's the adults you have to watch out for, some of them jump in still with all their clothes on.

'The two bears in the pictures are actually females, Aurora and Nikita, both who we took in as rescue animals.

'They came to us a cubs after a tribe told us about them because their mother had been shot by a hunter near Winisk, near the Hudson Bay in the far north.'

Gerry, 59, said the aim was to give the bears as much stimulation as possible in their 100m by 200m enclosure.

He said: 'I have been in the water myself when the public have not been here and actually realised one of the bears was stalking me, she was hiding and keeping very low in the water. It was quite an odd feeling.

'I have lived in the far north with the people up there myself and documented their lives, it's a different world up there.'

Sea captain who nodded off on Antarctic beach gets a wild wake-up call

Resting on a deserted beach the last thing sea captain Jerome Poncet expected was a huge blubbery local to join him for a spot of sunbathing.

But that's exactly what happened when a four-ton male elephant seal caught him cat napping near his territory in South Georgia.

The Frenchman had piloted his boat Golden Fleece to Britain's most remote colony, near Antarctica, with an expedition team of six wildlife photographers on board, and found the local inhabitants more than happy to pose for pictures.

Mr Poncet, 55, even attracted a flock of King Penguins as he caught forty winks. Pictures show how at one point he had a massive wild elephant seal on one side and a large group of curious penguins on the other.

The group had travelled thousands of miles to capture the explosive rutting season of the colossal elephant seal males.

After they arrived the team set out to picture the dramatic fights between the bulls.

Free from his duties, the captain, who has lived for most of his life in the Falkland Islands, decided to rest on St. Andrew's Bay. But as he snoozed near the water one inquisitive elephant seal hauled itself towards him - ending up just a few feet away.

Czech wildlife photographer Vaclav Silha, 60, from Prague, led the expedition and turned to see the amazing showdown before him.

'Jerome is such a deep sleeper he didn't seem to notice the huge male come over to inspect him,' he said. 'The seal must have wondered what this strange creature was.

'I didn't wake him because from it's body language it was clearly just interested and wanted to investigate.

'Also, the animals only become aggressive when provoked. Jerome has been sailing to Antarctica for over 30 years, so he understands many of the species very well. I knew he was safe from having a heart attack if he woke up and saw this beast in front of him.'

Mr Silha added: 'It got better as a group of King Penguins joined in, and even some sea birds.

'I'm glad he fell asleep because it gave me a great view of some amazing wildlife.

'And it was a great moment for a picture that he can hang on his wall forever.'

During their rutting season South Georgia is home to up to 400,000 elephant seals and an astonishing 450 000 King pinguins.

The pod being watched by the team contained 3000 individuals alone.  It attracts wildlife photographers around the world because of the diversity of species in huge numbers.

'You have to be careful not to approach the animals on the island so that you don't disturb them,' mr Silha explained.

'But they are not afraid of humans and many will approach human visitors just to have a look. Humans look very different to any other creature there, so we must really stand out.'

Successful full-sized elephant seal males can lead harems of hundreds of females.

It's a frog eat frog world out there!

Bullfrogs don't mess about when they're hungry - and even cannibalism isn't ruled out.

This huge chap appeared out of a swimming pool duct in Maryland, USA, with a pair of legs sticking out of his mouth that quite clearly belonged to one of his cousins.

Husband and wife Tad and Karen Bacon saw the greedy amphibian swallowing a smaller member of his species while cleaning their pool.

And they quickly managed to capture the bizarre sight on camera before the bullfrog jumped back into the water to devour the rest of his meal.

Karen, 50, said: 'I heard my husband screaming 'Get your camera, you are not going to believe this!'

'When I go over to him I was stunned by what I saw. It made me a bit squeamish and totally fascinated at the same time. I still have a hard time looking at the picture.

'All I kept thinking was how did he get something that large in his mouth.

'I was only able to get off a few shots before he jumped into the bottom of the pool.'

Mrs Bacon, from Parkton, in Maryland, added: 'This particular species is a bullfrog, which is native to Canada and the United States.

'They will actually eat any small animal that they can stuff down their throats, including snakes, small birds, rodents other frogs and toads.

'They hibernate underground in the winter and usually live near ponds and streams.'

Bullfrogs can grow up to six inches in body length, although some have been recorded as large as eight inches. Their legs can be up to ten inches long.

The species is thought to prey on anything it can overpower and fit in to its stomach - this can range from rodents to turtles, snakes birds and bats.

The frog strikes by lunging at its prey and engulfing it in one go - any meal that does not fit in in one go is usually forced in with its forearms.

Known for its voracious appetite, it has dramatically affected the natural ecology of countries that it has been introduced to.

Moment brave young wildebeest stood up to a lioness who wanted him for dinner

A series of amazing pictures shows how a young wildebeest overcomes the odds to successfully beat off a hungry lioness before submitting to the king of the jungle.

The migration of wildebeest through swirling Kenyan rivers always loses many victims to drowning, but this fawn manages to battle its way across and haul itself through the mud towards safety.

Unfortunately, the youngster's brave bid for survival has attracted the attention of the lioness who waits patiently on the riverbank for the exhausted fawn to emerge.

But even though the poor wildebeest is on its last legs, he somehow manages to fend off his aggressor with a series of head butts that startle the attacker into retreat.

But his success is short lived. A huge male lion at least five times the wildebeest's weight has been waiting in the wings and decides to show the shame-faced female how it should be done... with the inevitable outcome.

The incredible moment three lionesses killed a crocodile after it tried to attack a cub

Three lionesses pounced on a crocodile in an extraordinary scene after the reptile tried to attack one of the pride's cubs.

The protective females instinctively leapt into action to fend off the aggressive predator.

With organised precision, the lionesses surrounded the croc and launched a ferocious volley of blows.

During the encounter the crocodile managed to bite one of the big cats but was soon killed by the pride.

The rare scenes were captured by Tony Goldman while on a safari trip to the Duba Plains, in Botswana, with his son.

Tony, 58, a cardiologist, said: 'The lionesses had just killed a buffalo and suddenly a crocodile ventured about 100 yards out of the water towards them to snack on the meat.

'One of the smaller cubs was in the path of the crocodile and it started to advance towards the cub in a menacing fashion before trying to attack it.

'This resulted in an eruption from the three nearby lionesses who went for the croc in an organised fashion.

'I expected the croc to back off but it didn't and there was a tremendous fight with the croc biting one of the lionesses.

'There was a commotion and dust flying everywhere before the lionesses finally overpowered the invader.

'The whole thing lasted about 15 minutes and was only witnessed by my son, our driver and myself.

'We were really lucky because the driver had driven like a maniac to get there in time after we heard about the buffalo kill.'  Father of two,Tony, from Benoni, near Johannesburg, South Africa, added: 'On my subsequent safaris I've mentioned this experience to rangers with more than 20 years in the bush and no one has ever seen lions take down a crocodile.

'It is most certainly a very rare wildlife occurrence that we were lucky enough to see and photograph.'

The lion and tiger cubs that herd sheep

These adorable lion and tiger cubs appear to have confused their future roles of Kings of the Jungle to that of a pair of sheepdogs instead.

The cute cubs have taken to chasing after the sheep on their ranch and rounding them up in a style akin to One Man and his Dog.

The cheeky pair even crouch down in the long grass and pounce towards the herd to control them.

But comically, their owners say the cubs are just as scared of the sheep as the herd are of them - which doesn't bode well for their futures at the top of the food chain.

The white lion, a four-month-old named Mohlatsi, lives at the Ranch Hotel, in the Limpopo Province in South Africa.

His tiger companion, affectionately nicknamed Tigger, is spending six weeks at the location in transit from a breeding programme to another conservancy.

Mohlatsi, whose name means 'the lucky one', is already known for entertaining guests at the hotel by frolicking on the golf course.   He even has his own Facebook page and Twitter feed dedicated to his antics.

But despite looking like a harmless pet, Mohlatsi is still a wild animal and spends most of his days safely tucked up in his large enclosure with the adult lions.

He is one of more than 30 lions housed in a conservancy as part of a breeding programme.

Mohlatsi's life is being documented by Marc Dryden-Schofield, a 31-year-old photographer from Johannesburg.

He said: 'He's a very cute little guy. He's very playful, which cubs are at that age, and is a real favourite around the ranch.

'He's been joined for six weeks by a little tiger cub, who is moving between a breeding programme and another conservancy.

'They're very inquisitive and like to chase the sheep, which are understandably very wary of them so they do make a good pair of sheepdogs!

'Strangely enough though, the cubs are also a little wary of the sheep, and are quite afraid of them at the moment.

'At this age they can be very playful but still have very sharp claws, so they can get a little dangerous when too excited.

'Mohlatsi has about another five months of running around like this before it gets a little dangerous for the guests.

'He'll grow up to be a wild animal - nothing pet like at all. He will be used to people and interaction but will still be able to hunt if required.

'I can imagine at some stage, a few of those sheep will become dinner.'

The moment a rampaging leopard was shot dead after attacking six people

This is the moment a leopard’s eight-hour attacking spree came to an end, when two bullets were shot into the big cat’s chest from point-blank range.

Police officer Vikas Dhas was forced to use his pistol after the leopard pounced on a man who was leaving a bar in Karad, in India, at lunchtime.

The animal had strayed into the small town and, confused, frightened and frustrated at not being able to escape, attacked half a dozen people yesterday.

Locals in the town, which has a population of 60,000, had noticed the male leopard on a tin roof in the early hours of yesterday morning – at about 4am.

‘I wasn’t sure if I had seen right,’ one local said. ‘I thought it could be a cat or a dog.’

Once people realised the animal was a leopard they panicked and chaos reigned.

‘There was pandemonium like we've never witnessed before,’ said one woman.

The animal managed to sneak into an empty house, but locals upset him by throwing rocks through the doors and windows.

‘A few people hurled stones inside and the leopard came out and started attacking anyone who came before him,’ said resident Vasant Devdige.

The leopard leapt out of the building, growling wildly, because ‘it was scared out of its wits due to the din and chaos around,’ according to Mr Devdige.

At the sight of the animal, the people who had gathered around scurried to safety.

Cornered and confused, the leopard went on an attacking spree, targeting whoever came its way.

Six men were then attacked but escaped with injuries on their face, neck and shoulders.

Local police turned up and fired two rounds in the air to scare the leopard.

‘When this did not help, they used sticks and stones to attack the leopard,’ said another villager who watched the drama that lasted over 30 minutes.

‘That’s when the animal pounced on Hanumant Mane, who was just stepping out of a beer bar, pinning him down at a street corner.’

Mr Dhas then rushed in and shot the leopard at close range with his service revolver.

He said: ‘The leopard was on his chest as I closed in on the scene. It growled at me once and grabbed the victim’s neck.

‘That's when I whipped out my service revolver and shot the leopard close to its chest.

'The only thought that crossed my mind as I pointed my gun at it was to save that man. I didn’t want to kill the leopard.’

Cat makes friends with goldfish that could be supper and regularly kiss the goldfish!

The average cat seldom looks upon a fish as anything more than a potential supper.

But four-year-old Kaiser has developed a rather closer – and more lasting – relationship with Fishy the goldfish.

He regularly leans into the goldfish bowl to help himself to a kiss and a drink of water.

Owner James Armstrong, 45, a landscape gardener from Newcastle who bought Kaiser from a cat shelter, said: ‘We often joke that he likes fish-flavoured water.

'It happens with such regularity I think the fish enjoys the company.’

Meanwhile, a cat that went missing for 11 years was miraculously reunited with her teenage owner on Christmas Eve - making the furry feline a surprise Christmas present for her overjoyed family.

Chloe Hill was just six years old when she was given tiny kitten Salem as a present from her mum, Karen.

But she was heartbroken when the little cat disappeared just weeks later after slipping through an open door.

The family spent weeks searching the neighbourhood for their kitten, but never spotted their beloved pet.

They eventually feared the much-loved moggie was gone forever and got on with their lives.

Yet on Christmas Eve the RSPCA called the family from Halesowen, West Midlands to say Salem had been handed in and an emotional reunion followed.

Overjoyed Chloe, now 17, said: 'I just couldn't believe it when I saw Salem again. I never thought she'd come back after all these years.'

Wandering Salem was handed in to the RSPCA in Birmingham which identified her owner from her microchip.

'It was such a great surprise, especially on Christmas Eve, it really made my Christmas,' Chloe added.

Mrs Hill, a hair salon owner, thought she was being 'pranked' when an RSPCA rescue worker first phoned to say they had found Salem.

The pet had vanished less than two months after the mum had taken her in from a rescue centre in 1999 as a pet for her daughter.

'Chloe was heartbroken at the time,' recalled Karen. 'We'd only had her for a few weeks when she went missing, but she absolutely adored her.

'Salem had just slipped out the front door one day and ran off. I don't even remember getting her chipped, but we must have done as that's how the RSPCA found us.

'I couldn't believe it when we got the call to say she had been found. I thought it was a joke at first, as we'd forgotten all about her.

'We rushed over to the pet store on Christmas Eve and spent £100 on litter trays and food.'

Where Salem has been living for the last 11 years is set to remain a mystery, but she was handed in to the RSPCA by an anonymous pensioner who had been feeding her.

Mrs Hill added: 'When the RSPCA called they said Salem may have been a stray all that time, so I was a bit worried. But as soon as I saw her she looked in really good condition.

'Someone must have been looking after her for all these years - she's completely house trained.'

Hannah Ross, an RSPCA veterinary nurse who treated Salem, said: 'This is the longest time period we've seen when reuniting pets.'