A spider “photobombed” a live BBC news bulletin when it crawled across the screen to catch an insect.

The spider, which appeared to be a giant in the shot, invaded the early morning edition of Reporting Scotland when it crept across the lens of the roof camera. Newsreader Graham Stewart looked unperturbed as the spider grabbed the insect before retreating.

He later tweeted: “Never mind the pandas: giant hungry spider invades Reporting Scotland at breakfast time!”

New arrival the size of a matchbox

One of the world’s rarest turtles has hatched at a British zoo and is currently the size of a matchbox.

The tiny six-week-old Vietnamese box turtle, a critically endangered species, weighs just half an ounce (14g). It hatched after being kept at a constant temperature in an incubator at Bristol Zoo Gardens for 85 days.

The turtle is so precious that it is being kept off-show from zoo visitors in a climate-controlled quarantine room. Once old enough, it will join the six adult box turtles in the custom-built Asian turtle breeding room in the zoo’s reptile house.

Academic life created in Lego

An archaeologist who recreates scenes from academic life using Lego figures has gained thousands of followers on Twitter.

Donna Yates photographs the characters from the “Research Institute” set in different poses and posts the pictures to the Lego-Academics account.

They include a photo of female Lego figures celebrating the weekend with drinks, with the tongue-in-cheek caption: “Work Life Balance: The academics enjoy Friday drinks... because they know they will be working through the weekend.”

Tiger selfies banned in New York

New York’s internet romeos will have to find new ways to attract mates now that it is illegal to pose for photos with a tiger, lion or other big cat.

The practice is popular on online dating sites but denounced by wildlife advocates as potentially dangerous to both man and beast. A law signed this week by governor Andrew Cuomo prohibits direct contact between members of the public and big cats at travelling animal shows and fairs.

So-called “tiger selfies” have emerged as popular profile photos on online dating sites, with users – generally young men – looking to stand out by posting a photo of themselves with the big cats.

Choking driver saved by officer

A US police officer saved a motorist in Kalamazoo, Michigan, who was choking after stopping her for driving through a red light.

Officer Jason Gates realised the woman could not breathe when he approached her vehicle, so he hit her on the back to try to clear her airway. When that did not work, he performed the Heimlich manoeuvre which dislodged a piece of sausage and bread from her throat.

The department said the woman started crying and thanked Mr Gates for saving her life. There was no confirmation from police if they ticketed her for the traffic offence.

Mountain lion on loose was hoax

Officers spent hours looking for a mountain lion on the loose from a pet shop, but later said the threat was based on a false report.

Police in South Carolina said 55-year-old Bill Lunsford reported a burglar breaking into the store and letting the animal loose. Police warned residents that the domesticated, declawed mountain lion was 3ft (1m) tall and 100lb (45kg), and wearing a dog harness.

About a dozen officers looked for the cat for up to 18 hours but officers later said the report was a hoax and a mountain lion was never at the store. Lunsford has been charged with filing a false police report.