Animals vs Cameras

Animals: majestic, beautiful creatures co-existing in harmony with each other and the environment. However, throw a camera in the mix and it all goes a bit haywire: they either start angling for a fight, or try to steal the equipment for themselves (clearly, they've done some sort of deal with David Attenborough as he doesn't seem to have to deal with this nonsense).

We've found our favourite examples of animals taking on cameras, resulting in some unmissable footage.

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BIRD STEALS EGG CAMERA AND FILMS PENGUIN COLONY

The latest and greatest in the history of animals messing about with expensive film equipment, this one happened when a striated caracara bird spotted a spy egg-cam, and decided to take it - not something the film crew were intending. However, a great side effect of the theft was this stunning aerial footage of a rockhopper penguin colony. It looks a bit like the stuff you get when Glastonbury's on the TV, doesn't it? Must have been a rock(hopper) festival. Yep, we went there.

OCTOPUS STEALS CAMERA

If you've got eight arms, it's no surprise if you're a bit light-fingered - and so it proves, as this cephlapod grabs a camera out of a diver's hands, before swimming off. Five minutes later, and after the creature was distracted by a speargun (that would distract us, to be fair), the camera was retrieved. Imagine the varieties of selfies he could have taken (a seven hand wave and grin, for example) if he'd had a little bit more time with it. Shame.

MONKEY TAKES SELFIES

Speaking of selfies, this cheeky monkey took a camera from the award-winning photographer David Slater and proceeded to take hundreds of self-portraits, including this utter beauty. We bet he sent this straight out to all his pri-mates on Faceboo-oo-oo-ah-ah-k...

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SEA TURTLE FINDS LOST CAMERA

It's not all narcissism and theft in the animal kingdom; this amazing footage was retrieved from a camera which was long thought lost, but which was inadvertently recovered by a sea turtle. The camera washed ashore in Florida, with pictures dating from six months previously. It was then found by the sea turtle after a few months who, in the act of trying to eat it, turned it on and recorded himself swimming. After washing ashore some further months later, the owner was then located; it transpired that he had indeed lost it whilst diving and thought it was long-gone. See, we told you Finding Nemo was factually correct: sea turtles are legends.

PENGUIN SELFIE

Second only to the monkey selfie earlier, this gentoo penguin was clearly up for a scrap, attacking a GoPro camera, which - luckily for us - went off at exactly the right moment to record a beak-in-motion-close-up. In conclusion: it would be quite a frightening experience to be eaten by a gentoo penguin.

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EAGLE FLIES WITH CAMERA ON BACK

In this case the bird was happy to get up-close-and-personal with a camera, taking this flight above the French Alps with a GoPro camera attached to its back, capturing some stunning footage in the process.

CRAB STEALS CAMERA

If you're going to set up your camera next to a crab hole, you shouldn't be surprised if the little fellows pop up and try and nab it. And that's exactly what happened to this YouTube user in Fiji.

BEAR TAKES FOOT PHOTO

Bears are normally quite bashful creatures (so we are told, we don't truthfully have much first-hand experience unless that bear is called Paddington) but this one in California took exception to a camera set up nearby, grabbed it, and inadvertently took a selfie of its foot. If he'd snapped a few more, he could have taken the Footsie 100.

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CABAZONE ATTACKS CAMERA

Prepare yourself. This one is short, sharp and WOOOOAHHHH there it is.

LION STEALS CAMERA

We've all seen The Lion King, we know the score. Lions are the king of the jungle, so they can take what they like. And if that happens to be your incredibly expensive camera equipment, then so be it. A lucky side effect is the taking of close-up big cat action: it's furry entertaining.

EAGLE STEALS CAMERA

Birds really seem to like stealing things (we shouldn't generalise perhaps, but the evidence is damning) and this sea eagle in Australia took a liking to a camera set up in the outback to film crocodiles and proceeded to fly with it for 70 miles. When recovered, Rangers managed to retrieve three thirty-second films - so get ready for an eagle-eye view of the great Aussie outback (and a lot of close-ups of feathers when the positioning was a bit off - look, they're not trained camerabirds OK?)

RACOON STEALS CAMERA, THROWS INTO WATER

This guy deserved everything he got - good for you little fella.

FALCON FLIES WITH CAMERA ON BACK

Last, but certainly not least, here was a willing volunteer, as a falcon agreed (we assume they got their permission and got the relevant paperwork signed) to have a camera mounted on its back. The resulting footage has been used for a scientific study into the physics of falcons' flight while hunting: it seems they use 'motion camouflaging', zigzagging their flight paths to confuse their prey. Incredibly cool.