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.
SWIMMING next to 40 tonne whales, dare-devil divers take the plunge with these gentle giants of the sea .
A photographer has captured spellbinding images of stars swirling above the English countryside .
PERCHED on a branch, these two frogs hold hands as they look into the camera .
A HEIGHT-addicted airline pilot has taken pictures of the Dubai from 1,300-feet .
EXPERTLY camouflaged, this clever panther chameleon knows how to catch its prey by surprise .
BURSTING colours of reds, pinks and purples give the illusion of a collection of stunning flowers .
CLINGING onto nothing but ice, this brave climber reaches heights of 1000 FEET as he scales frozen solid waterfalls .
A mining town in Australia’s outback appears to be completely deserted, but its residents have escaped the scorching heat by living in underground caves .
PERCHED on a branch, this Little Owl plays third wheel to two love birds .
SHOVELLING food into his mouth, this hungry gorilla enjoys a peaceful moment at dinner time .
An Italian photographer travelled to Chile where he visited several star-gazing sites, home to some of the world's most advanced telescopes, located in the spectacular setting of the Atacama desert .