What chew doing back there? Playful fox cub risks a telling off from its dad by chomping on his tail
- Igor Shpilenok photographed the animals in a Russian nature reserve
- Month-old boisterous cubs push their parents' patience with their games
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There's nothing like being cooped up in a den for hours at a time to cause a bit on tension between siblings.
And these playful month-old fox cubs waste no time in letting off steam with a bit of rough and tumble as soon as they get into the fresh air.
The energetic cubs threw a few punches as they fought with each other while their parents' backs were turned.
Bravery: One of the braver cubs bites off more than it can chew when it clamps its jaws around the tail of its father
Tetchy: These playful cubs let off a little steam while their parents' backs are turned
And one of the cheeky foxes even had the temerity to nip at its father's tail before the adult put it firmly back in its place.
The adorable scenes were captured by photographer Igor Shpilenok who had been following the actions of the fox family for months.
He took the pictures in Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka - a remote peninsula in the Russian far east.
Rough and tumble: The one month old cubs frolic in Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka - a remote peninsula in the Russian far east
He had travelled to the reserve from his home in the west of Russia especially to photograph the wildlife there.
Igor had grown so close to the family, made up of two adults and nine cubs, he nicknamed the father Mr Sneaky Evildoer.
Igor, 52, from Bryansk, Russia, said: 'I nicknamed the male for all his sneaky antics - he stole my clothesline, chewed through my generator cable and made off with my broom.
Enough's enough! The boisterous cub gets firmly put in its place when it finally pushes its father's patience too far
'Foxes are very active and playful, and so are their young. They often play with any 'toys' they can find, like buoys washed up on the shore, sticks, bones or dead animals.
'The young fox was just playing with his father's tail - he apparently found it to be the best toy. He grabbed onto his father's tail and tugged only for a moment and the father ran off.
'The father was quite patient with his offspring, and spent most of his time with them while the mother went off to hunt.'
Igo added: 'It is always a delight to foxes successfully mate, raise their young and survive the harsh winter and other challenges in Kamchatka.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2511944/Foxy-Loxy-gets-bit-boxy-Playful-cubs-enjoy-rough-tumble-outing-den.html#ixzz2lVRJkAP6
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