Swoop in: The lothario edges closer - perhaps not realising that most do not like their stomachs being used as something to lean on This could be a scene straight out of real life.
A nervous young male sidles up to the girl of his dreams, nervously leans in for a kiss, but is snubbed after landing a peck on her cheek.
But this is no unlucky in love man on an awkward date - instead, the rejected Romeo is a prarie dog.
Prairie dogs might be known for their public displays of affection but as this series of charming pictures show, love isn't always easy even in the animal kingdom.
What the...? Undeterred, the hopeless romantic plants a peck on his distinctly unimpressed loverThis unlucky-in-love creature was spotted trying to woo his girl, inching closer and closer before swooping in for a kiss.
But the romantic gesture ended badly with a rather clumsy peck on the cheek and an unimpressed look from his lover.
The funny photos were taken by British photographer Duncan Usher, from Northumberland.
The 57-year-old snapped the hilarious scene while on a trip to a zoo in Holland.
He said: 'I had observed Prairie Dogs doing cute things together and thought some coverage of them would produce some pretty funny pictures.
Better luck next time: Given the cold shoulder, the defeated dog contemplates where his wooing technique went wrong'They are very social and interactive animals which live in large family groups under the ground in burrows.
'They have a very highly developed social structure and the roles of the animals are well defined from young to old.'
Mr Usher said the animals had a caring network designed to protect all of the relatives in a family of prarie dogs.'They are very gregarious, caring, gentle animals and the parents, aunties and uncles will look after the offspring in one family group, helping to guard, groom and feed them.
'The individual members of the families recognize and acknowledge each other by sniffing each others scent when they meet by rubbing their noses together and sometimes holding their paws together.
'This greeting ceremony appears as if they arekissing each other. It is also a form of affection between pairs of animals.
'They are comical little figures and when standing upright or sitting down on their behinds they look like portly gentlemen with a certain air of aloofness or dignity.
'They are very popular with the zoo visitors and especially children are drawn to them with their cute, charming and sometimes human behaviour.'
source: dailymail
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