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)

There’s an innate relationship between children and the animal kingdom. Our children sing songs about animals, the have toy animals, they have books about animals and they dream about animals. Capturing this unique connection is Indonesian artist Elicia Edijanto, who depicts small, vulnerable children alongside creatures of the wild like elephants, wolves and bears. Created in stark black and white imagery, and using only watercolors, Edijanto creates dreamlike-scenes that are both tranquil and contemplative.

Mounted cop in action on Tremont Street in Boston, Massachusetts, 1920 – 1929 (approximate). (Photo by Leslie Jones)

A South Sudanese People Liberation Army (SPLA) soldier patrols the streets in Malakal on January 21, 2014. (Photo by Harrison Ngethi/AFP Photo)

Revellers pose during the 24th Street Parade dance music event in Zurich, August 29, 2015. (Photo by Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)

Street vendors carry chickens for sale at Kawran Bazar in Dhaka, Bangladesh January 25, 2017. (Photo by Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters)

A vendor holds a fried spider along a street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 10, 2017. (Photo by Samrang Pring/Reuters)

A man rides a motorcycle along a street in the snow in Altay, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous region, February 9, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)