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.
BURSTING from the water, a beautiful but deadly Sumatran tiger jumps for food in an Indonesian zoo .
UNDERWATER and above-water seaside shots show the best of British beach-life .
A baby sperm whale assumed the role of a friendly giant when faced with two awestruck divers .
This starling and prairie dog will not back down an inch as they have a fearsome stand-off over who gets to eat a nut .
FLYING through the air, these delighted pooches pull their best poses mid-flight .
A SPECTACULAR array of stars fills the night sky as they soar over this active volcano .
WRAPPED up in classy headscarves, these adorable pooches are the picture of sophistication .
If you had to scrape the snow off your car this morning or slip-slide your way into work over icy pavements spare a thought for these little critters .
MOUTH OPEN wide, this little stoat appears to be in mid-song as he belts out a tune for his onlookers .
STARING eagerly into the camera, this little toad is full of curiosity .
A SERENE turquoise glow glimmers from underneath these powerful icebergs .
A floating market in Indonesia is bursting with vibrant colours as wooden rowing boats loaded with fruit and vegetables crowd the river .