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.
COURAGEOUS CLIMBERS scale frozen waterfalls in Canada, as the ice threatens to collapse beneath them .
At least three people have been killed and more than 100 injured, some seriously, in two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon .
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 .
A TAXIDERMY truck spotted in America’s Deep South could be the most gruesome wagon on the road .
An intrepid explorer hopes to be reunited with his travel partner, after his cuddly toy companion was stolen .
Playing, splashing and generally messing around, these polar bears show they certainly have a soft spot for the water, and not just each other .
SWIMMING in unison, millions of silverside fish dwarf the divers .
BASKING in smug satisfaction, a confident squirrel gives a wink to the camera .
Enjoying life’s little pleasures is something that many struggle to do .
A SPECTACULAR array of stars fills the night sky as they soar over this active volcano .