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.
A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .
WRAPPED up in classy headscarves, these adorable pooches are the picture of sophistication .
WITHOUT A care in the world, this little snow monkey puts his feet up and settles in for a snooze .
A group of otters put on a show of aqua aerobics, as they raise their flippers perfectly in sync .
ARMED with her camera, bikini and flippers, this brave diver goes swimming with SHARKS .
More weather chaos is heading our way, with ice and snow already hitting areas across Birmingham .
From vibrant blues to dazzling oranges, these eye catching hummingbirds proudly show off their impressive colours .
SNOWBOARDING in your £2,000 wedding dress sounds like a nightmare for most brides .
In the calm waters of Greenland, gigantic icebergs dwarf everything around them .
STRETCHING his little legs in the air, a smiley leaf-tailed gecko breaks free from his old, scaly skin .
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 .
Leaping out of the ocean, a group of gentoo penguins fly through the air before landing safely on an iceberg .