The week in wildlife

A bison bull ( Bison bison ) and a black-tailed prairie dog ( Cynomys ludovicianus ) come face to face in Oklahoma Photograph: Science Photo Library/Barcroft Media Photograph: Science Photo Library/guardian.co.uk A Tasmanian devil ( Sarcophilus harrisii ) walks down a simulated country road at Taronga zoo's new Tasmanian devil breeding centre in Sydney Photograph: Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Greg Wood/guardian.co.uk A heavily oiled bird is rescued from Barataria Bay's water which are laden with oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP Photograph: Gerald Herbert/guardian.co.uk The RSPB announced this week that a pair of purple herons have hatched eggs – a UK first – on the Dungeness peninsula in Kent Photograph: David Featherbe/RSPB/PA Photograph: David Featherbe/RSPB/guardian.co.uk An elephant walks away from a waterhole in Addo National elephant park, near Port Elizabeth in South Africa Photograph: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Patrick Hertzog/guardian.co.uk Three newborn male red river hog ( Potamochoerus porcus ) piglets suckle from their mother at Edinburgh zoo Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA Photograph: Danny Lawson/guardian.co.uk A butterfly is caught in a spider's web Photograph: Hazir Reka/Reuters Photograph: Hazir Reka/guardian.co.uk Long-billed vulture chicks huddle at a breeding centre in India. It's the first time the endangered birds have been bred successfully in captivity on the subcontinent Photograph: AP Photograph: guardian.co.uk A checkered keelback waits for a catch in Guwahati city, north-east India. Early monsoon rain has created ideal breeding conditions for the non-venomous water snakes this year Photograph: STR/EPA Photograph: STR/guardian.co.uk An adult Mexican grey wolf ( Canis lupus baileyi ) keeps watch at the endangered wolf centre in Missouri, where five pups will eventually be reintroduced into the wild Photograph: Tom Gannam/AP Photograph: Tom Gannam/guardian.co.uk One of the entries for our Name a Species competition : the beautiful, coral-like jellyfish Haliclystus auricula Photograph: Donna McCoy/mccoyphoto.com Photograph: Donna McCoy/guardian.co.uk An endangered finless porpoise ( Neophocaena phocaenoides ) basks in Chinese waters. The toothless whales are now believed to be closer to extinction than previously thought Photograph: ori2uru/Flickr Photograph: ori2uru/guardian.co.uk Arboreal ants showcase the "velcro" technique they use to ensnare their (relatively) massive prey Photograph: ECOFOG/CNRS Photograph: ECOFOG/guardian.co.uk A cheetah cub perfects the art of prowling at the Fiela Funds cheetah sanctuary in Bloemfontein, South Africa Photograph: Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Yuri Cortez/guardian.co.uk Southern right whales ( Eubalaena australis ) use the sheltered bays of South Africa's Cape coast for calving – providing spectacular nature viewing for tourists Photograph: Franck Robichon/EPA Photograph: Franck Robichon/guardian.co.uk Two parrots in flight during an exotic bird show at Madrid's zoo Photograph: Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Dominique Faget/guardian.co.uk A giant whale shark swims past a research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists are tagging the giant animals to study their fate in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Photograph: Eric Hoffmayer/AP Photograph: Eric Hoffmayer/guardian.co.uk