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.
ARMED with her camera, bikini and flippers, this brave diver goes swimming with SHARKS .
SAT with his arms folded and a cross look on his face, this Gorilla looks like he's had enough of the Christmas holidays already .
LEAF-ing much to the imagination, this camera trickery is blooming marvellous .
SNEAKING slowly into the water, this Bengal tiger plans a vicious attack on three unsuspecting deer .
AN ARRAY of colours, from pinks to blues and oranges, fill the night sky to create an amazing collection of interstellar patterns .
An American black bear mimics John Travolta’s famous Saturday Night Fever dance move by hurling its arm in the air .
Gigantic 100ft waves create the perfect playground for dare-devil surfers from across the world .
WITH the phosphorescent blobs and mesmerising patterns, these spectacular images may look like the hall marks of an enchanted forest but it is in fact the scene of thousands of dancing FIREFLIES .
LYING back in the snow, these two polar bears share a cuddle as they call time out on playtime .
STARING open-mouthed into the camera, this shocked fish looks out of place in the middle of its angry friends .
Primed and ready for action, this collection of striking images from the battlefield could be mistaken for authentic photos taking during World War II .