The best animal moments of 2015

From the country’s spokesdog to a painting brown bear, animals have upped their game this year

Any round-up of the year would be far from complete without a comprehensive look at what animals have achieved this year.

Some captured the world’s attention through their artistry, some broke skateboarding records, all were undoubtedly newsworthy.

Man’s best friend certainly expanded his horizons this year, with one pooch writing his name into the Guinness World Record books.

(Independent)

Yes, Otto the Bulldog made history in the competitive world of skating by establishing the long-sought after record for 'Longest human tunnel travelled through by a dog skateboarder'.

In more serious news, the BBC threw out the broadcasting rulebook by bringing a dog onto its news channel.

The dog in question’s authority was questioned after a brief appearance from Daniel the Spaniel later this year, however Bounce was put firmly back at the top of the canine hierarchy when coming back on to underline his role as ‘Spokesdog’.

The bear community is still to nominate its equivalent, yet one brown bear is beyond doubt their most celebrated artist. Juuso, from Finland, has probably sold more artwork than you and is certainly a better model too.

Paint me like one of your French bears. -Juuso, probably

In other ursine news, one scared both itself and a homeowner when they met in the latter’s front garden, while another’s trip to the supermarket ended in panic after being locked in the building.

(Youtube)

Other highlights include a GoPro-stealing seagull, Penguins inspired by their animated brethren from Madagascar and a fox who makes a mean bacon sandwich.

It’s hard to tell if anyone had a more joyful reaction to an animal’s appearance though than Steve Backshall, who interrupted his interviewee with absolute glee after spotting a blue whale.

2016 certainly has a lot to live up to.