Best Animal Pictures Of 2012

A sloth gatecrashes a holiday snap in the jungle. The youngsters were on an International Student Volunteers expedition and had been helping cut paths in the dense woodland on Costa Rica. After completing their back-breaking charity work, they decided to have a group picture taken as a keepsake. But what they didn't expect was this inquisitive sloth slowly lowering himself down into the frame as the group posed for the camera. Manuel Ramirez, who is an anthropologist and tour guide for International student volunteers, had decided to take the snap, but he was not aware that a fame hungry sloth was waiting above (Caters)

This stunning photo shows the moment a herd of elephants disturbed hundreds of red-billed queleas, small birds that weigh just 10g each, at a watering hole in East Tsavo, Kenya (Caters)

This remarkable image, called 'Gannet Jacuzzi' was the winner of the 2012 British Wildlife Photography Awards. The image was shot by Dr Matt Doggett at a remote location off the north coast of Scotland

Anzac the joey and Peggy the wombat became best friends after sharing a pouch together at the Wildlife Kilmore Rescue Centre in Victoria, Australia. Worker Lisa Milligan said the unlikely friends are comforted by each other's movement and heartbeat (Rex)

This incredible photo shows an otter appearing to seek guidance by praying. The snap was taken by Hertfordshire-based photographer Marac Andrev Kolodzinski. Marac had to wait over two hours in the freezing cold before he captured the moment (Caters)

Two green turtles, Shelley and Casey, share a 'high-five' underwater. The photograph was taken by Australian snapper Troy Mayne, 39, at Moore Reef, on the Great Barrier Reef. He has written a series of 20 books featuring the turtles and Wally the Maori Wrasse (Caters)

A school of dolphins become fascinated by a penguin at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, in California. Fozzie, the African penguin, was busy minding his own business when his antics suddenly proved mesmerising to one of the dolphins. Before long he was joined by a friend, and then another, and then another. Nancy Chan managed to capture all four dolphins seemingly entranced by little Fozzie, who seems oblivious to all the attention (Caters)

A mischievous marmot has a taste of life on the other side of the lens. Tired of being photographed, the cute creature took the opportunity to take some pictures itself after spotting an unattended camera. Stefan Meyers, was taking photographs of the alpine marmots in Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain, when the bizarre scene unfolded. The 67-year-old from Germany looked on intrigued as the notoriously shy creature approached his camera, stood on its hind legs and looked through the lens. Stefan quickly grabbed his friend's equipment to capture the moment and was shocked further still as other marmots later joined in the fun (Caters)

Aye-aye captn!: Spangles, the crossed-eyes kitty, became an internet sensation after his owner, 25-year-old Mary Buchanan of South Carolina, regularly posted photos of the three-year-old cat in a variety of different costumes to Facebook

Buggy hell! These ants look like they need a change of career from worker ants to circus ants as they perform a series of daredevil tricks. The incredible stunts range from balancing giant seed pods from a Mimosa tree above their heads to dramatically clinging on to each other in diamond formation on a tiny plant. The images were taken by Eko Adiyanto, 40, who used a special macro technique to get up close and personal with the creatures (Caters)

A diver coaxes a high five out of a shark. Eli Martinez, 40, was interacting with the apparently laid-back lemon shark in the balmy waters off the coast of The Bahamas. The normally ferocious fish swam straight towards the Texan, before turning at the last second and leaving her outstretched fin for the high five (Caters)

Fancy a dip? This cheeky giraffe takes a dip in a swimming pool in Tanzania to cool off from the hot weather. Workers at the Kilimanjaro Golf and Wildlife Estate said the giraffe thinks he's a cross between a guest and a horse and is often up to mischief trying to play football, polo and taking a dip in the swimming pool (Caters)

This extraordinary picture captures the moment a harmless gannet seems to be being stalked by a ferocious shark. As the oblivious bird gently paddles across the waters surface it looks like a sinister shadow is rising up from the deep like something out of the film Jaws. But in fact the shadow was actually a trick of light and what looks like the moment a bird becomes lunch is actually just its own shadow. The photograph was taken at the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam by amateur photographer Joe Beerens, 55, from Holland (Caters)