To celebrate Mother's Day, we've updated our gallery on animal mothers, showing the many ways in which they care for their young and demonstrating the powerful bond that exists in many species between mothers and their offspring.
Edwin Giesbers / Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) twin babies age 45 days resting on mother's chest, one suckling. captive, occurs in Central Africa. Critically endangered.
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Sergey Gorshkov / Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) female bending down to calf, Okavango Delta, Botswana
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Denis-Huot / West African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) mother and baby nuzzling each other. Bioparc Zoo de Doue la Fontaine, France. Captive, occurs in south-western Niger. Endangered subspecies.
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Anup Shah / Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) female 'Mopambi' sitting with her playful infant 'Sopo' aged 18 months, Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Central African Republi...
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Ashish & Shanthi Chandola / Plains zebra (Equus quagga) grooming foal, Kruger National Park, South Africa, July.
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Bernard Castelein / Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) female carrying two babies. Anjaha Community Conservation Site, near Ambalavao, Madagascar.
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Jane Burton / Irish working sheepdog / Collie, blue eyed Sable bitch with her two 3-day pups
Andy Rouse / Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) female 'Noor T39' with cubs in water. Ranthambore National Park, India.
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Jane Burton / Dalmatian licking two young pups between her paws.
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Anup Shah / Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurtheii) infant female 'Safi' aged 2 years with female 'Nasa' aged 23 years. Gombe National Park, Tanzania.
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Jane Burton / Ginger Domestic cat {Felis catus} mother grooming kitten, UK
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Anup Shah / Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) females sitting with theirsuckling babies aged 2-4 weeks. Bako National Park, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia.
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Andy Rouse / RF- Burchell's Zebra (Equus quagga) mother with new born foal. Masai Mara, Kenya. (This image may be licensed either as rights managed or royalty free.)
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Anup Shah / Silvered / silver-leaf langur (Trachypithecus cristatus) female with her orange coloured young baby aged 1-2 weeks sitting in a tree. Bako National Park, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia.
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Mark MacEwen / Broad snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) baby in mothers mouth being carried from the nest, Sante Fe, Argentina, February
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Tony Heald / Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) mother and baby domesticated elephants in water, Bandhavgarh National Park, India. March.
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Doc White / Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) mother and calf. Tonga, South Pacific, September.
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Nick Upton / Mute swan (Cygnus olor) female and a young cygnet foraging in sunset light, Kennet and Avon canal, Caen Hill, Wiltshire, UK, June.
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Markus Varesvuo / Black grouse (lyrurus tetrix) female and chick at nest, Vaala, Finland, June.
Fiona Rogers / Bornean Orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) female 'Tata' and her unnamed baby aged 2-3 months portrait. Camp Leakey, Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia, June 2010. Re...
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Anup Shah / Newly hatched Nile crocodile held in parent's mouth {Crocodylus niloticus} Kenya
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Anup Shah / Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) female 'Yuni' and her baby aged 3-6 months - portrait. Camp Leakey, Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia. July 2010. Rehabilit...
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Wim van den Heever / African lioness (Panthera leo) playing with a young cub, Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa.
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Edwin Giesbers / Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) baby sleeping in mother's arms, captive, occurs in Central Africa. Critically endangered.
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Mark Bowler / Miniature shetland pony (Equus caballus) mother and foal in field, UK
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George Sanker / American Red fox (Vulpes vulpes fulva) baby playing with mother, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA, May.
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Denis-Huot / Lioness (Panthera leo) carrying her cub, Masai-Mara Game Reserve, kenya
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Mary McDonald / Impala (Aepyceros melampus) mother grooming her newborn foal in rain. Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya, East Africa.
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Andy Rouse / Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) female 'Noor T39' carrying cub. Ranthambore National Park, India.
Steven Kazlowski / polar bear, Ursus maritimus, sow with newborn spring cubs newly emerged from their den, mouth of Canning River along the Arctic coast, eastern Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
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Andy Rouse / Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) with chick, South Georgia (non-ex)
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Denis-Huot / RF- Lion (Panthera leo) mother walking with cub, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya (This image may be licensed either as rights managed or royalty free.)
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Anup Shah / Lioness (Panthera leo) and cub aged 9-12 months share affectionate moment, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
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Roland Seitre / White Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) washing cub, aged 5 days. Olmen zoo, Belgium. Captive, occurs in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Endangered species.
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Edwin Giesbers / Lynx (Lynx lynx) mother with cub, captive
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Anup Shah / Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) female 'Unyuk' cuddling her daughter 'Ursula', age 4 years. Camp Leakey, Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia. June 2010. Reha...
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Roland Seitre / Spanish / Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardina) female with cub, part of a breeding and reintroduction program. Captive: critically endangered. Andalusia, Spain, June 2006.
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Edwin Giesbers / Female Orang Utan (Pongo pygmaeus) sitting, holding two young. One is her own offspring, the other was rejected by its birth mother, and so this female has adopted it. Both young are 3 months old.Capt...
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Eric Baccega / Orang utan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) mother with baby climbing on her back, native to Borneo, captive, Endangered
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Andy Rouse / Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei) adult playing with an infant. Rwanda, Africa
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Suzi Eszterhas / Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) mother and 4 month infant resting in tropical forest, Western Uganda
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Anup Shah / Bonobo (Pan paniscus) female baby aged 3 months playing with her mother, Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary, Democratic Republic of Congo. October.
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Ann & Steve Toon / Snow monkey (Macaca fuscata) cuddling its baby in the cold , Highland Wildlife Park, Kingussie, Scotland, UK, January. Captive.
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Fiona Rogers / Celebes / Black crested macaque (Macaca nigra) female cradling her baby son aged less than 1 month, Tangkoko National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia.
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Laurent Geslin / Two Southern plains grey / Hanuman langur {Semnopithecus dussumieri} females suckling young, Sariska NP, India
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Andy Rouse / Indri (Indri indri) female with 2 month baby. Madagascar.
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Andy Rouse / Verreaux Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) jumping across ground with baby on its back, Madagascar
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Oliver Scholey / Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) female with cub riding on back, Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA, August.
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Axel Gomille / Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) mother with cub riding on her back. Karnataka, India, April. Did you know? The sloth bear is the only bear that carries its young on its back.
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Steven Kazlowski / Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) sow standing with her cub outside their den in late winter, Arctic coast of Alaska
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Eric Baccega / Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) female coming out the den with one three month cub. Wapusk National Park, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, March.
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Denis-Huot / African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) baby playing with its mother. Masai-Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.
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Lou Coetzer / African elephant (Loxodonta africana) cow reassuring young calf with trunk, Chobe River, Botswana, October, Vulnerable species.
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Diane McAllister / White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) mother and two month baby grazing near Lake Nakuru, Kenya, Africa.
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Denis-Huot / West African / Niger Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) mother and baby. Zoo of Doue La Fontaine, France. Captive.
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Will Burrard-Lucas / Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) mother and calf submerged in water, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. January.
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Anup Shah / Topi female licking her new-born calf (Damaliscus lunatus jimela). Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, October 2009
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Anup Shah / Impala mother and baby, head to head {Aepyceros melampus} Masai Mara, Kenya
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Steven Kazlowski / Moose (Alces alces) cow with a newborn calves grazing on spring grass. Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Anchorage, south-central Alaska, May.
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Ann & Steve Toon / Roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) with young offspring, Mlilwane nature reserve breeding programme, Swaziland, Southern Africa
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Dave Watts / Bennett's Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) female with joey in pouch, Tasmania, Australia.
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Jane Burton / Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) adult and baby, against white background.
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Anup Shah / Rock hyrax with young climbing on back {Procavia capensis} Serengeti NP, Tanzania, East Africa
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Doug Allan / Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) mother and calf, female with Remoras on underside, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga, South Pacific, September. Not available for ringtone/wallpaper use.
Jane Burton / Domestic Cat, kittens kneading their mother as they feed
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Mark Taylor / RF- Maine Coon mother cat, with two kittens, 7 weeks. (This image may be licensed either as rights managed or royalty free.)
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Jane Burton / Domestic Cat {Felis catus} stray Siamese female 'Perdita' with single kitten. (Note - Likely that stress or starvation resulted in reabsorption of other embryos)
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Diane McAllister / A wild newborn colt (Equus caballus) standing up being nuzzled by its mother. Foothills of Reno, Nevada, USA, May.
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Wild Wonders of Europe / Hamblin / Konik horse and young foal interacting, Oostvaardersplassen, Netherland, June 2009
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Simon Colmer / Mute swan (Cygnus olor) cygnet on mother's back,~Abbotsbury, Dorset, UK
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Paul Hobson / Mute swan (Cygnus olor) parent preening cygnet, Dorset, UK
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Andy Rouse / 2020VISION / Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) with cygnets, Shapwick NNR, Avalon Marshes, Somerset Levels, UK, February
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Paul Hobson / Two Mute swan (Cygnus olor) cygnets on parents back below wings, Dorset, UK
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Andrew Parkinson / Eider duck (Somateria mollissima) female leads her ducklings towards the sea, Farne Islands, UK, June.
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Dietmar Nill / Goosander (Mergus merganser) female on water carrying ducklings on her back, Germany
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Ann & Steve Toon / Ostrich (Struthio camelus) female with chick standing in the shade, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape, South Africa, February
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TJ Rich / Black-browed albatross on nest with chick (Thalassarche melanophrys). Falkland Islands.
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Luis Quinta / Black winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) with chick, Reserva Natural Esturio do Sado, Portugal
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Dave Watts / Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) feeding chick on nest, WWT, Slimbridge, UK, captive
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Hilary Jeffkins / Caeacilian {Siphonops annulatus} female with young, the young caecilians tear off and feed on their mother's skin which regrows every three days, South America.