A little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post. These adorable photographs of two playful bear cubs and their watchful mum were captured by American nature photographer D. Robert Franz, 56, on a visit to Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. 'What we see in these photographs is the interaction between the mother brown bear and her two cubs,' says D. Robert, of Cody, Wyoming.
COVERING themselves in ash and face paint, these are the holy men who live their lives away from everyday society .
A middle spotted woodpecker swoops into her nest and feeds her young in a forest in Trentino, Italy .
A trout manages to escape the jaws of a hungry cormorant - only to find itself back inside the bird's long beak .
FROM KISSING an alligator on the nose to walking over broken glass, this fearless daredevil is a real life female JACKASS .
THIS is the incredible moment a pelican throws a fish into the air and SLAM DUNKS it into its enormous throat sack .
An intrepid explorer hopes to be reunited with his travel partner, after his cuddly toy companion was stolen .
BOXING DAY has come early for this pair of feisty squirrels, as their Christmas party quickly turns sour .
Surveying its surroundings, a tiny harvest mouse climbs the stem of a dandelion .
A diving guide leaves a shark completely docile and balanced in the palm of his hand .
BREATHING life back into old photographs, these black and white images are transformed by colour .