AMAZING LANDSCAPES

From giant mountains to vast deserts, an American photographer spent a year capturing the diverse and beautiful landscape of the United States. The breath-taking images were taken by Randy P. Martin, 30, of Portland, Oregon, who travelled hundreds of miles across America and documented the most diverse and beautiful settings along the way. For Randy, the past year has seen him undertake countless road trips, navigate his route with maps made from napkins - with the help of Google Earth, walk miles across fields of lava rock and wake at 3am to see sunrise at 14,000 feet

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FROG FRIENDS

PERCHED on a branch, these two frogs hold hands as they look into the camera .

UNDERWATER DIVING DOGS

WITH A STERN look of determination on their faces, these adorable pooches perfect their doggy paddle as they dive head first into a swimming pool .

ARRR-DORABLE ONE-EYED PIRATE KITTEN

AN ADORABLE one-eyed kitten has been dubbed the 'pirate cat' because of his pirate-like facial expressions .

RING OF FIRE ECLIPSE IN OZ

THIS RING of fire in the sky is the annular solar eclipse that wowed our cousins down-under .

SECRET POOL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT

HIDDEN in the middle of the Mojave Desert, a secret oasis awaits intrepid travellers .

BUBBLE BLOWING BEAR

BLOWING bubbles underwater, this adorable polar bear slides into his tank for a playful dip .

AERIALS OF FLOODING ON SOMERSET LEVELS

Sam Notaro built his own flood defences to protect his four-bedroom home in Moorland, Somerset Flooding is likely to get worse around Somerset as groundwater levels continue to rise .

HUNGRY GORILLA ENJOYS DINNER

SHOVELLING food into his mouth, this hungry gorilla enjoys a peaceful moment at dinner time .

CHILD SHEPHERDS OF THE SIMIEN MOUNTAINS

CARRYING a fully grown goat on his back, this five-year-old boy is a child shepherd in the mountains of northern Ethiopia .

PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES UNIQUE PATTERNS OF THE HUMAN EYE

A Romanian photographer has captured the unique patterns of hundreds of human eyes in a series of striking macro shots .

SHARK WHISPERER BALANCES SHARK IN HIS HAND

Pic By Graham Gibson/ HotSpot Media - SHARK HYPNOTIST BALANCES SHARK IN PALM OF HIS HAND- In Pic - Diver Tom and Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas- A SHARK hypnotist balances these predators in the palm of his hand by sending them to sleep with a gentle nose rub .

HIDDEN HIMALAYAN FESTIVAL

A quiet Himalayan mountain village springs to life for a colourful Buddhist festival designed to expel evil spirits and bring happiness .