Animateca

This ghostly figure in the undergrowth is actually a rare albino hedgehog. The tiny animal is being cared for by Melanie James at the Bank Mill Nursery and Nature Reserve in Cumbria. Ms James, 31, said she was completely taken aback when her two African pygmy hedgehogs produced an albino baby. "I was totally surprised when he was born. Only one in ten thousand hedgehogs are born totally white with red eyes," she said. The little creature, could never be released because he would have no camouflage in the wild. A nocturnal animal, he is just over 11 weeks old and eats a diet of meal worms and cat biscuits.   From Wikipedia: Albinism (from Latin albus; extended etymology ), more technically hypomelanism or hypomelanosis, is a form of hypopigmentary congenital disorder, characterized by a lack of melanin pigment in the eyes, skin and hair (or more rarely the eyes alone). Albinism results from inheritance of recessive genes. The condition is known to affect mammals, fish, birds

Look closely at these animal couples, you'll see them hugging, flirting or kissing each other - just like people in love.   © http://www.flickr.com/photos/fanz/134271077/

© Rich Lipski / The Washington Post In celebration of St. Patrick's in Manassas, Virginia. © 1988 Frank / AP Munster Zoo, Germany. © Toru Yamanaka / AFP White Whale show in Yokohama, Japan. © Martin Meissner/AP Hippopotamus Helzinker, Germany. © Sakchai Lalit / AP "Elephants Day Ceremony", in the province of Chiang Mai, Thailand. © David Moir / Reuters © Libor Zavoral / AP Macaque in the Decin Zoo, Czech Republic. © Arif Ali / AFP Pakistani peafowl in the city zoo Lahore. © Joerg Koch / AFP Newborn penguins in Munich zoo. © Xinhua, Li Yong / AP Five young albino lions in the Harbin Zoo, China. © Irshad Khan / AFP Baby Bears in the national park in Srinagar, India. © Tara Todras-Whitehill / Reuters Chicken flu Vaccination in Egypt. © Craig Sanders / AP Bee, California. © Sayyid Azim / AP British millionaire Richard Branson, the head of Virgin Group, during a charity in the case of the Nairobi.