It's often said that pets and their owners can start to look alike, but these adorable photographs take the old mantra to a new extreme. They are the work of Svetlana Valyiskaya (27), from St Petersburg, who snaps pets in everyday poses in her spare time from her job as a commercial photographer. The vibrant costumes and scenes, which Svetlana designs herself, have made the photos a hit in her native Russia – and it's not hard to see why. She said: “I really love animals, they are loyal, faithful and true and always interesting to work with – plus they never criticise the photographs afterwards”. (Photo by Svetlana Valyiskaya/Mercury)

After 12 years photographing models, musicians, and celebrities, Brad Wilson decided that he wanted to photograph something a little more unpredictable: wild animals. Photo: Serval. (Photo by Brad Wilson)

These zoo animals take on an altogether more sinister look after posing for a set of moody black and white portraits. Alex Teuscher has brought out the dark side in a range of exotic creatures with his artistic project which took two years to complete. Photo: White tiger. (Photo by Alex Teuscher/BNPS)

New York's famed Empire State Building hosted new guests on Saturday night as images of endangered animals were flashed across its facade.

“Sniff out the Appenzell Cheese”. Alexander Hunter, 30, of Greenwich, Conn., took this photo in Appenzell, Switzerland, in September 2014. (Photo by Alexander Hunter)

Nikolai Tolstyh takes photos of paper animal silhouettes in a natural setting. The combination is surprisingly perfect: the surroundings provide both color for the cutout and a scene to frame the animal.

Brazilian Tapir Tique is treated to a nice cold shower by the zoo keeper at Taronga Zoo on January 8, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 43 degrees around Sydney today. (Photo by Marianna Massey)