FROM ICE bubbles to boiling lava, these photographs highlight the stunning shapes and patterns found in nature. The series of extraordinary images were taken by German software engineer Thorsten Scheuermann after he decided to examine his surroundings. A trip to the city of Kalapana in Hawaii, home to the Kilauea Volcano, provided Thorsten with the setting for his lava picture, while a visit to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon offered him the opportunity to photograph ice bubbles up-close. The 37-year-old, now of Washington, USA, said: 'These are sights that can gain greater significance and have their beauty exposed when excluding everything else around them.'
LYING flat out on his back, this little meerkat makes the most of the English sunshine .
COVERING themselves in ash and face paint, these are the holy men who live their lives away from everyday society .
AN ADORABLE one-eyed kitten has been dubbed the 'pirate cat' because of his pirate-like facial expressions .
FINALLY catching a meal, a pair of great white egrets fight over their dinner .
Struggling home entertainment chain Blockbuster has been slammed for advertising its workers' jobs while they are still in them in order to scare them into working harder .
WRAPPED up in classy headscarves, these adorable pooches are the picture of sophistication .
A pair of BEAUTIFUL rescue sea turtles spot their catch in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef .
This longhorn beetle demon-strates a dark side as it looks just like the devil .
Peering curiously into a basket hanging off the arms of a snowman, this little squirrel appears fascinated by the snowy figure .
SNOWBOARDING in your £2,000 wedding dress sounds like a nightmare for most brides .
THE THOUGHT OF BECOMING shipwrecked on a remote destination would fill most holidaymakers with dread .