This animal slap, er snap, shows the amazing moment a brave diver high-fived a SHARK.

Eli Martinez was swimming off the coast of the Bahamas when a lemon shark started making its way towards him.

But the usually ferocious fish turned away at the last minute, leaving a fin outstretched for a friendly greeting.

Eli, who is the editor of Shark Diving magazine, said: "It was beautiful being on the seabed with all these majestic sharks.

"I’ve been on many shark dives, so wasn’t fazed at all by the presence of them.

"This particular shark I had encountered before. She is very laid-back, so I knew if I held my hand out she would come over.

"At first she was swimming straight towards me, but I didn’t expect her to turn at the last moment.

"She tapped my palm with her fin like we were high-fiveing.

"Luckily my friend who owns an underwater camera captured it all on film for me to show the grandkids."

And brave Eli said he never felt in any danger during his close encounter.

The American revealed: "I love interacting with sharks, and spend hours with them at a time.

"We were almost dancing at times.

"They are very calm creatures unless they feel threatened.

"So as long as I didn’t do anything to alarm her she was always safe to be around." (wrapup)

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A 105-year-old woman hanged herself after telling her family she was tired of waiting to die.

Friends said great-great-great-gran Anastasia Khoreva had been depressed after being struck down with a lung infection.

The pensioner waited until her family had left the house then used a clothes line to fashion a makeshift noose in her bedroom.

Anastasia, from Darsun, Russia, had lived through the Russian Revolution, two world wars and the mass executions of communist tyrant Joseph Stalin.

One neighbour said: "It’s a strange thing to do at her time of life but she used to say she was fed up with waiting for death — so she wanted to go and meet it."

A family member added: "She’d tried once before saying she’d had enough, but that time we managed to stop her.

"This time we weren’t so lucky." (The Sun)

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Now that’s what you call a high-stakes gamble in Monaco.

Daredevil Mich Kemeter teeters on an inch-wide length of cord, a dizzying 200 feet about the skyline of Monte Carlo.

The principality – more famous for its casinos and Grand Prix motor race – provided a stunning backdrop for adrenaline junkie Mich, 23, to perform the dangerous craze of highlining.

The stunt involves rigging up a tightrope above some of the world’s most terrifying locations, then inching along the line.

The 23-year-old managed to across the 50 metre line twice while his friend and professional photographer Mathias Tauchner captured the escapade on camera.

Amazingly, Mich said he didn’t find the stunt nerve racking at all.

He said: ‘I know exactly what I can do, I know the limits of my mental fitness and I always try to find new ways to keep my cool.

‘I crossed the line just two times on that day and I did the first ascent of the new bolted Line. All without falling.

‘I did wear a safety harness, safety comes first.

‘But while the harness would hopefully save my life if I fell, I could still I could still risk serious injury if I slipped – so I’m always very careful.

‘I’ve highlined above some superb locations including Yosemite National Park, but Monaco is one of my favourite places to do it.

‘It is one of the most beautiful places on this earth and Monaco also has the world’s highest life expectancy at almost 90 years.’ (Daily Mail)

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An Australian pole dancer took first place at the International Pole Championship – despite having only one arm.

Deborah Roach won the disabled division of the championship, which was staged in Hong Kong.

"I actually got into an underground Goth scene in my teenage years because I didn’t fit into normal society," she said.

"And I loved dancing the night away on the dance floor, and that led to stage dancing in clubs."

She took up pole dancing after being inspired by a circus themed double act she saw at a club she was dancing in back in 2006.

In 2009, she won a pole dancing competition against able-bodied dancers which spurred her to quit her job in IT and become a personal trainer. (wrapup)

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A guinea pig called Truffles has successfully broken the world long jump record for his species.

Truffles has been confirmed as the new Guinness world record holder with a 30cm leap.

Lured only by his favourite cucumber snack, he broke the existing record by nearly 10cm.

Truffles’ owner Chloe Macari, 13, from Fife, decided on the record bid after reading about it in the Guinness Book of Records.

Mum Angela said: "Chloe knew Truffles had always jumped so tried it out – she followed what they had done and set two boxes up at the same distance as the record.

"He jumped that no problem and continued to break the record."

Chloe got in touch with Guinness World Records to find out how to get Truffles’ flying feat officially recognised.

And she then repeated the stunt with official witnesses appointed and cameras and camcorders at the ready. (wrapup)

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This is the moment a cornered mouse stood up to a predatory cat and pulled off an extraordinary escape from a life-threatening situation.

When a fierce feline named Tom trapped a wood mouse in his jaws and carried him into the garden in Reigate, Surrey, it looked as though the tiny creature’s game was up.

But the wily creature turned out to be a real-life Jerry, and refused to accept his destiny as dinner for the peckish puss.

Instead, ‘Jerry’ took inspiration from the Warner Brothers cartoon caper and turned the tables on his tormentor the second he was released from Tom’s teeth, squaring up to the baffled cat.

Homeowner Stephanie Evans said she was amazed to come outside to see a mouse escape from the clutches of her cat Tom.

‘He put the mouse down and instead of running away the mouse just fronted him,’ she said. ‘Tom was so shocked he just stood there.’

Fur flew as the pair fought for a long ten minutes, with Jerry even landing a scratch on Tom’s nose as he fought for survival.

True to his animated roots, the sneaky mouse disappeared under a fence at just the right moment, running rings around the confused cat.

But the brave rodent was not intimidated into fleeing the area – he was found by a neighbour biding his time in a greenhouse next door. (Daily Mail)

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A Cornish woman who tests sex toys for a living has declared that she has the "perfect" job.

Nat Garvey has tried out more than 1,000 sex toys and saucy outfits since landing the £25,000-a-year job two years ago.

Working from home in Truro, the 24-year-old says the job satisfaction would be hard to match in any other career.

"I have tried all different weird and wonderful toys – plus some pretty bad ones. My job is fun, different and fulfils my needs. I couldn’t ask for more," she said.

Miss Garvey believes she represents the needs of ordinary women across the country as the sex toy industry continues to boom.

"I’m not a sex addict. I’m representing normal girls who, like me, also need to buy these toys," she said.

"Sex toys aren’t taboo any more. I saw the job ad online and initially applied for a laugh.

"My family and friends all know what I do for a job. My friends think I have the best job in the world and I think it is perfect." (Orange News)

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IT sounds like a tall story — but these amazing snaps feature a real-life family who kept a giraffe as a pet.

South African couple Colin and Theony McRae adopted the animal after it was found close to death in the wild.

And the huge animal, named Fenne, lived with them as it grew from 5ft at birth to a massive 10ft age two.

She slept on the veranda of their countryside ranch, and joined the couple and their four children as they ate and played.

The outsize pet would come running when her name was called, just like a dog.

And friendly Fenne would even try to join the family inside the house — although she struggled to get through doorways.

Theony, 52, explained: "Even when she was getting too big to really fit, Fenne would still come to visit us indoors.

"She would duck down and come right in when she felt like it, she had to really get her head down.

"We had to kick her out the house sometimes because she was rather clumsy inside because hoofs on tile floors do tend to slip.

"We were very cautious that she wouldn’t break her leg.

"On carpet she was alright, and sometimes she would step right over furniture to get around.

"But she didn’t bump her head on things, she was very careful to bend down."

Tour guide Theony also told how their animal pal’s curiosity could make for some odd situations.

She explained: "She was very affectionate, Fenne would come right up to you so you had to be careful.

"Being a young animal she was quite clumsy, you had to be careful of her standing on your foot.

"She weighed more than a person so you would really feel it if she stood on your foot.

"I remember one night a guest of ours was having a bath, but left her bedroom door unlocked.

"Fenne was curious, so she pushed the door open and got right inside to say hello.

"This lady was so surprised and amazed by this encounter.

"Living with Fenne was filled with magical moments like this." (wrapup)

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A former soldier has been sentenced to 6,060 years in prison.

Pedro Pimentel Rios was extradited from the US to Guatemala last year to be held to account over his role in the 1982 slaughter of 201 people in the Central American country.

Ex special forces soldier Rios, 55, was involved in what became known as the "Dos Erres" massacre after the northern Guatemala hamlet where the killings took place.

The violence was one of the bloodiest atrocities of the country’s 1960-1996 civil war.

Dozens of soldiers ransacked the village, searching homes for weapons and systematically slaughtering men, women and children.

Soldiers bludgeoned villagers with a sledgehammer, threw them down a well and raped women and girls before killing them, according to court papers.

The sentence is largely symbolic as the maximum time a convict can serve under Guatemalan law is 50 years.

The country’s civil war claimed at least 200,000 lives and the US-backed army was responsible for most of them, said a subsequent truth commission. (The Sun)

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Bidders will get the chance to possess a town of their very own next month when a little-known place called Buford in Wyoming goes up for auction – population: 1.

Residents won’t have any problem with noisy neighbours or overcrowding in this town, as the total population consists of just petrol station owner Don Sammons.

Mr Sammons, also the town’s mayor, plans to retire from running his gas station and convenience store next month and move away – presumably to somewhere with a bit more buzz.

‘It was a great life for me and for my family,’ the town’s only resident told the Wyoming Tribune.

‘I don’t believe putting up for sale would do it justice. I needed to find someone who is an expert in selling unique and one-of-a-kind items.’

The town, which includes a three-bedroom house, 10 acres of land and a 1905 schoolhouse, is the smallest in the US.

Amy Bates, who is handling the auction, said: ‘Buford is a business opportunity and has a romantic lifestyle of growing a town.

‘We’re going to have a variety of people attracted to this property, based on what it would mean to them.’

Mr Sammons concluded: ‘It is a sad day, but it also will be a very interesting day and a new chapter in my life. I’m ready for it.’

The auction will take place on April 5. (AP/ Wyoming Tribune Eagle)

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