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)

These beautiful photos capture the tender moments between two young boys who share a unique bond with animals. Elena Shumilova, from Andreapol, Russia, began taking pictures of her sons Yaroslav and Vanya in early 2012 when she received her first professional camera. The pair were immediately accepted by the animals from a young age and their incredible bond continues to strengthen as they get older. Elena, 32, was able to capture images her boys playing with such animals as rabbits, dogs, cats and ducks as they become totally immersed in their communication with their furry friends. (Photo by Elena Shumilova)

Yuandudu, a camera-shy panda cub, covers her eyes in Beauval ZooParc in France in November 2021. The three-month-old and her twin are fed once each by their mother every day, taking 150-200g of milk per feed. In between they have one bottle feed per day from the specially trained keepers who were sent from China to supervise their birth and early care. (Photo by Eric Baccega/Naturepl.com/LDY Agency)

Israeli fashion design student from the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design Danit Peleg (R) assists a fashion blogger to wear an outfit from her graduate collection during a conference on 3-D printing in Tel Aviv, Israel September 3, 2015. Peleg, 27, says she spent over 2000 hours to create her graduate collection which is made solely from home 3-D printers. International fashion bloggers, taking part in a project supported by “Stand With Us Israel fellowship”, a non-profit organisation, attended the conference and tried on Peleg's clothing before listening to her talk about her collection. (Photo by Nir Elias/Reuters)

A bride waits to take her wedding vow during a mass marriage ceremony in which, according to its organisers, 111 Muslim couples took their wedding vows, in Ahmedabad, India January 26, 2017. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)

Frida, a rescue dog belonging to the Mexican Navy, with her handler Israel Arauz Salinas, takes a break while participating in the effort to look for people trapped at the Rebsamen school in Mexico City, on September 22, 2017, three days after the devastating earthquake that hit central Mexico. (Photo by Omar Torres/AFP Photo)

Jolon Clinton, 15, (L), and her sister, Halcy, 17, take photos of a fissure near their home on the outskirts of Pahoa during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, U.S., May 14, 2018. (Photo by Terray Sylvester/Reuters)

A bicyclist with a bike painting on her face rides past the Museum of the Future, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, November 6, 2022. Thousands of people take part in annual Dubai Ride on the skyscraper-lined super highway that cuts through the center of the city. (Photo by Kamran Jebreili/AP Photo)