Military policemen take part in an operation at Cidade de Deus favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on February 01, 2018. (Photo by Mauro Pimentel/AFP Photo)

A reveller from Salgueiro performs during the second night of the Carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 13, 2018. (Photo by Sergio Moraes/Reuters)

A reveller takes part in the “Free Parade” during LGBTIQ Pride Month in Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil on June 12, 2022. (Photo by Diego Vara/Reuters)

A child coated in silver body paint, smiles during the “Loucura Suburbana”, or Suburban Madness pre-Carnival parade, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, February 8, 2024. (Photo by Bruna Prado/AP Photo)

Raquel Poti poses for photographers during the “Amigos da Onça” street party on the second day of Carnival on February 10, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

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)

When you look at the picture of a furry pig that resembles a sheep from a distance, you may think that this may be the result of the work of some crazy scientist that tinkered with the pig’s genome. However, in this case, this is not true. Mangalica is a natural breed of pigs, which were bred in Europe for their lard. This breed of pigs is very unique, since the only other breed of pigs which had a long coat was Loncolnshire Curly Coat, which is now extinct. In the past, these pigs were quite popular, since they were able to produce a lot of lard. However, when the demand for pig lard dwindled, the population of these pigs rapidly decreased, making it a “rare breed”.

Carnival revellers take the metro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 19, 2023. Shaking the ground to the beat of their drums, Rio de Janeiro's famed carnival parades returned Sunday in a swirl of glitter, sequins and samba, the festival's first full-on edition since Covid-19 and Brazil's bitterly divisive elections. (Photo by Carl de Souza/AFP Photo)