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.
GETTING behind the camera, this monkey practices his photography skills on his friends .
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 .
POPE MOBBED BY THOUSANDS OF WORSHIPPERS IN RIO - Thousands of worshippers gather to celebrate the Papal visit on Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro ,Brazil .
A disabled sheep is enjoying a new fleece of life after receiving a specially-designed wheelchair .
From a floating jelly fish to a relaxed seal, Britain’s unappreciated beach life is captured above and below the water .
A curious red squirrel takes a break from collecting nuts and tries her hand at photography .
WITH STUNNING colours and serene scenes, these photographs capture the otherworldly beauty of the English coast .
WITH A STERN look of determination on their faces, these adorable pooches perfect their doggy paddle as they dive head first into a swimming pool .
MOUTH OPEN wide, this little stoat appears to be in mid-song as he belts out a tune for his onlookers .
With their guts spewing and eyes hanging out, these are the cuddly toys children might be reluctant to curl up to .
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .