What lies beneath.... Diver braves the waters to swim with deadly 26-foot anaconda

By ADAM SHERGOLD

It lurks just inches below the surface coiled and ready to strike - and yet you wouldn't know it was there. These remarkable images show the enormous 26-foot (eight metre) anacondas of Mato Grosso in Brazil searching for prey in the murky depths. They were captured by brave diver and snake enthusiast Franco Banfi, 53, who joined the beasts in their natural habitat armed only with a camera.

Ready to strike: Brave diver and snake enthusiast Franco Banfi captured this image of an enormous anaconda snake lurking beneath the surface of a river in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Hunting: This anaconda scans the surface of the water looking for prey such as mice, fish or birds

Enormous: This coiled anaconda was about eight metres in length. Swiss diver Franco Banfi captured the photographs on a ten-day visit to the Mato Grosso do Sul region in Brazil In another shot, Banfi gets up close to a huge anaconda that is lying on the riverbank and glistening in the ferocious tropical heat. Thankfully for the photographer, it had just gobbled up a capybara rodent and wasn't interested in devouring him as a second course. Banfi, a father-of-two from Switzerland, said: 'As the snake had just eaten it didn't take much interest in us. 'Everything is possible but I don't think it would have eaten us. I was very close, I could have touched it if I wanted to.'

Say cheese! Banfi, 53, goes up close to take an underwater shot of one of the anacondas. He saw six huge female snakes during his time in Brazil He saw six different female anaconda snakes on his ten-day trip to the Mato Grosso do Sul region, right in the heart of South America. The region is known for its diverse natural beauty and attracts thousands of visitors every year. The name literally means 'Thick Forest of the South' and it's easy to see why. Banfi added: 'At the first moment it's scary because you don't know the animal and everybody says it's dangerous. 'But after a while you understand that nothing happens if you respect the snake. 'I have never been so close to a snake like this before. But I think a small poisonous snake is more scary than a big one. At least you can see the anacondas clearly and know what they're doing.'

On the prowl: The bright sunlight suggests this anaconda is close to the surface and about the attack

Elegant: This smaller snake glides through the waters source: dailymail

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How Bob the busking cat is heading to Hollywood: The enchanting bestselling story of a stray moggy who saved a man's life is set to be a movie

By ALICE AZANIA JARVIS

Cool cat: James Bowen and Bob the cat's enchanting story has made him a bestseller A bright afternoon in London’s Covent Garden and the cobbled streets are choc-a-bloc. Office workers rush to and from lunch, tourists mill around, and shoppers pop in and out of the smart boutiques. In the middle of them all sits a cat wearing a jaunty Union Jack neckerchief. Surrounded by a crowd of 30 open-mouthed spectators, Bob, a tubby ginger tom, smiles beatifically.

Best-seller: James Bowen's book about stray cat Bob (pictured together) who he adopted has sold more than 250,000 copies and is being considered for film by the same agent who brokered Marley & Me Next to him, his owner James Bowen stands with his battered acoustic guitar, belting out a series of Oasis songs. Every now and then, he stops playing and bends down to Bob. ‘Come on, Bob, high-five!’ he says. Bob twitches his whiskers, raises a paw, and taps James’s outstretched hand. The crowd coos. A smart-looking lady in a pink dress and jacket pops a £20 note in the cap at Bob’s feet.

Tripled his earnings: After Bob refused to leave Mr Bowen alone, he decided to take him busking and before long he was making almost three times his usual earnings as the pair attracted more and more fans It’s not every day that you see a cat sitting calmly in Central London, apparently unfazed by the blaring sirens, passing cars and general hubbub — but Bob is no ordinary cat. Bob, you see, is a star. He has his own Twitter account (with 12,000 followers), his own Facebook page, even his own fan group, the Street Cats, who send him photos, scrapbooks and presents. Oh yes, he also has his own bestseller and is in ‘talks’ with a Hollywood agent about taking his story to the big screen. Well, it’s Bob’s owner, James, who is leading the discussions, but he’s in no doubt that he owes it all to his cat.

'Owe everything to Bob': Mr Bowen, who was recovering from drug addiction, said Bob helped him turn his life around after he refused to leave him alone, even travelling on public transport before Mr Bowen decided to keep him James’s book, A Street Cat Named Bob, a feelgood story that chronicles how the 33-year-old busker and one-time homeless heroin-addict turned his life around with the help of his cat, has sold more than 250,000 copies and been translated into 18 different languages. So far, the book has made James around £30,000 — a figure that is likely to rocket now there’s a film on the horizon.

Continue busking: Mr Bowen said he and Bob (pictured) will continue busking in Covent Garden Mary Panchos, the literary agent who discovered James and Bob selling The Big Issue, previously brokered the film deal for Marley & Me, a book about a mischievous dog who forms a special bond with his human family. The film version, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, made almost $15 million on its first day. source: dailymail

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Foreign tourists pose with an elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume

Foreign tourists pose with an elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume for a group photo during a promotional event to mark the Christmas season at a school in Ayutthaya province on December 24, 2010. The event, where the elephants passed out presents to the school's students, was held as part of a campaign to promote Christmas in Thailand.


An elephant dressed as Santa Claus distributes candy to students during Christmas celebrations at Jirasart school in Ayutthaya, 70 km (44 miles) north of Bangkok, December 24, 2010.




An elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume gives out gifts to students to mark the Christmas season at a school in Ayutthaya province on December 24, 2010. The event was held as part of a campaign to promote Christmas in Thailand.



Elementary school students at Jirasartwitthaya school in Ayutthaya, Thailand, reach out to receive presents from elephants dressed as Santa Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. The Christmas event has been held for at least five years at the Thai school where the majority of the students are Buddhist.



Thai mahouts dressed as Santa's helpers gather outside Jirasartwitthaya school in Ayutthaya, Thailand, prior to a show featuring elephants dressed as Santa Claus Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. The Christmas event has been held for at least five years at the Thai school where the majority of the students are Buddhist.




An elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume performs by standing on its hind legs before giving out gifts to students to mark the Christmas season at a school in Ayutthaya province on December 24, 2010. The event was held as part of a campaign to promote Christmas in Thailand.



A Thai mahout, dressed as Santa's helper, watches outside Jirasartwitthaya school in Ayutthaya, Thailand, prior to a show featuring elephants dressed as Santa Claus Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. The Christmas event has been held for at least five years at the Thai school where the majority of the students are Buddhist.


Elephants dressed in Santa costumes in Thailand


source: Daylife
photo: Gettyimages

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Surf's up! Dogs show they can ride the waves too in a swell canine calendar

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Smug mug: July features Betsy the bulldog posing on the board


It's barking mad!

These pictures of surfing dogs show that pooches can ride the waves just as well as their human surfer counterparts.

Part of a 2011 Surf Dogs calendar, the photos feature mainly rescue animals, dubbed SurFURS by the photographers.


March's model is Stanley. He wore a blue life jacket as he rode to shore on a pink and white board


November's sur-fur is Toby, who eschewed the life jacket for a pink collar and lead



Barney caught a wave while standing up on his blue board and wound up as the calendar's cover boy


Husband and wife team Dina Demeo-Grover, 51, and†John Grover, 58, from San Diego, have taken their best shots to produce the novelty item, with proceeds going to various charities, including ones that support spaying and neutering pets.

It's the fourth annual Surf Dogs calendar and, they insist, the original.
Just in time for Christmas, the 2011 calendar is available for purchase on Amazon.com.


May features Dozer in a red life jacket. In the background is some of San Diego, including the famous red-roofed Hotel del Coronado


January features a not-too-happy looking pooch named Toby, wearing a orange life preserver as a wave comes up from behind


There is no missing February's pretty girl Nani in her neon life jacket as she rides the breaker


April features a slightly stricken looking dog named Kona, ears pinned and leaning back



For September, King glides in lying on his stomach as a frothy wave crashed behind him




source: dailymail

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March of the penguins: Up close and personal with the quarter of a million who inhabit Britain's furthest flung colony

By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE

Kings of the road: Penguins at a breeding colony on the beach at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia, loiok almost as if they're wandering along a road


P-p-p-posing for their close-ups, these are the penguins who live on the remote island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic.

And while pictures of the inhabitants of Britain's most outlying colony are common - these are possibly the most stunning ever taken.

British photographer, Nick Garbutt, became very friendly with his subjects after travelling to witness the massive colony, made up of around a quarter of a million birds.


In one image, taken in natural harbour Salisbury Plain, he can be seen directly in front of two king penguins.

In others, they troop to the shore and back to feed their hungry offsprint, while one pair put on a spectacular display of courtship - almost creating a mirror image of each other.

The king penguins are shown to be intimate creatures, and greet each other by rubbing their stomachs together and arching their beautiful gold crested necks.



Going walkabout: The king penguins continually make their way to the short and back to feed their young


Garbutt, from Cumbria, took a three week voyage on a ship called the Vavilov.

He sailed from Ushuaia in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego, to the Falklands and from there to the remote island.

The voyage also took him to the Yalour Islands and Peterman Island off the Antarctic Peninsula.


Getting to know you: Photographer Nick Garbutt was allowed to get quite familiar with the king penguins on South Georgia


'There was curiosity on both sides,' said Nick.

'I also felt exhilaration from being surrounded by the sounds, smells and sight of such a large mass of birds.

'It was a really immersive experience.'

Nick was able to take the amazingly intimate shots through careful observation and physical rigour.


Spectacular scenery: The penguins are pictured against the backdrop of Gold Harbour, in South Georgia


'Birds were constantly moving between the colony and the sea with different individuals and groups were going back and forth.

'Often when one sets off, others seem to follow and they trudge the same paths as previous birds.

'Every so often little lines of penguins form as they plod down to the water's edge. I watched this for a while with several groups, then inched my way in on my belly towards the line they were walking.


On the beach: Penguins prepare for a spot of fishing in the clear blue seas of the South Atlantic


'I was able to approach to within a metre and the penguins just walked by.

'Sometimes they'd be inquisitive and look at me and occasionally even look at their reflection in the wide-angle lens.

'It was quite overwhelming to be surrounded by all these birds that were also so bold and confiding as subjects.

Nick was also struck by the lonely beauty of the South Georgian landscape - an emerald wilderness thousands of miles away from motherland Britain.

'The island wildness left me feeling insignificant,' said Nick. 'As if I was standing on the edge of existence.'
King Penguin colonies are present all year-round on South Georgia.


It really is a bit crowded: An estimated quarter of a million King Penguins in the penguin breeding colony at South Georgia


During winter months the penguins have the beaches to themselves. From early spring, which falls in November, they share the beaches with huge colonies of elephant seals.
There are several king penguin colonies on South Georgia.

Salisbury Plain is second largest colony on the islands, with over 250,000 birds in total.

South Georgia is a British Dependent Island administered from the Falklands.


Elsewhere: An Adelie Penguin is caught in a spectacular shot on an iceberg in the Yalour Islands, which Nick Garbutt also visited as part of his tour of the South Atlantic

source: dailymail

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Surf's up! Dogs show they can ride the waves too in a swell canine calendar

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Smug mug: July features Betsy the bulldog posing on the board


It's barking mad!

These pictures of surfing dogs show that pooches can ride the waves just as well as their human surfer counterparts.

Part of a 2011 Surf Dogs calendar, the photos feature mainly rescue animals, dubbed SurFURS by the photographers.


March's model is Stanley. He wore a blue life jacket as he rode to shore on a pink and white board


November's sur-fur is Toby, who eschewed the life jacket for a pink collar and lead



Barney caught a wave while standing up on his blue board and wound up as the calendar's cover boy


Husband and wife team Dina Demeo-Grover, 51, and†John Grover, 58, from San Diego, have taken their best shots to produce the novelty item, with proceeds going to various charities, including ones that support spaying and neutering pets.

It's the fourth annual Surf Dogs calendar and, they insist, the original.
Just in time for Christmas, the 2011 calendar is available for purchase on Amazon.com.


May features Dozer in a red life jacket. In the background is some of San Diego, including the famous red-roofed Hotel del Coronado


January features a not-too-happy looking pooch named Toby, wearing a orange life preserver as a wave comes up from behind


There is no missing February's pretty girl Nani in her neon life jacket as she rides the breaker


April features a slightly stricken looking dog named Kona, ears pinned and leaning back



For September, King glides in lying on his stomach as a frothy wave crashed behind him




source: dailymail

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