BEAR CUBS AND DOTING MUM

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.

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SURPRISED SQUIRREL

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CLOWNFISH OPENS WIDE TO REVEAL A CREEPY INTRUDER

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BUMPS OF ART: DAD CREATES MASTERPIECES ON PREGNANT MUM'S TUM

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ROAD KILL ON THE MENU

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FIGHTING FOX IS BEATEN BY EAGLES

A fox takes a tumble and lands on his head when he tries to fend off a pair of eagles in Japan .

WAVING SEAL PUP

RAISING his flipper, this two day old seal pup gives a wave to the camera .

TEEN GIRL TRUCKER YOUNGEST IN UK

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CALIFORNIAN GHOST TOWN OF BODIE HILLS FROZEN IN TIME

An intrepid photographer travelled to the abandoned ghost town of Bodie in northern California to capture the historic buildings that are trapped in time .

TERMINAL CANCER MUM MIRACLE RECOVERY AFTER UK-FIRST OP

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NOSEY POLAR BEAR INSPECTS TOURIST'S TRUCK

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RESTLESS BEAR CUB

An adorable black bear cub struggles to find the perfect spot for an afternoon nap as he wriggles around on the branch of a maple tree .