It might not be in the Oxford dictionary but 'blep' is fast becoming the latest fad to stake its place in the English language.

Blep refers to a bizarre new trend of photographing animals with their tongues sticking out.

And animal lovers across the world have not shied from showing off pictures of their adorable pets while they candidly blep.

The pose can be pulled by an animal whether awake or asleep, and images of it have been flooding into image sharing websites such as imgur in recent weeks.

Although it was once restricted to just cats, the trend now appears to have expanded to include dogs, horses and even tigers.

A small dog sitting inside a laundry basket hangs its tongue out of its mouth while staring at the camera

A grumpy looking cat rests on its owner's couch while sticking out its tongue

A sleeping dog and a curious donkey are among those to have found fame for their bleps

Pictured is a dog which has fallen asleep during a blep on its owner's couch

Two more dog, both wide awake, look vacantly into the distance with their tongues hanging out

A extreme closeup, posted on image sharing site Imgur, shows a cat performing a blep

Left, a dog peers at its owner with its tongue hanging out. Right, the apparent cold isn't enough to stop this dog leaving its tongue dangling out of the side of its mouth

Two wide-eyed pet cats stare at their owners with their tongues out in photographs shared online

The pose can be pulled by an animal whether awake or asleep. Pictured is a pet cat resting with its tongue hanging out

A cat and a dog both squint with the tips of their tongues sticking out in a candid moment