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.'
An American black bear mimics John Travolta’s famous Saturday Night Fever dance move by hurling its arm in the air .
From vivid greens to glowing pinks, the colours of the aurora borealis fill the night sky above a snow covered Lapland .
MESMERIZING night sky photographs offer a spellbinding look at the stars .
Surveying its surroundings, a tiny harvest mouse climbs the stem of a dandelion .
DIVING boffins fired harpoons into 30-foot-long whale sharks in a bid to put the sea-beasts on Google Maps .
A photographer from the United Arab Emirates travelled to Pakistan where he captured the lives of local people in a series of expressive portraits .
A GLOWING range of greens and blues sweep across the sky in a spectacular display of light .
Clinging on to their furry backs, mischievous monkeys appeared to enjoy the free transport as they rode around on a perturbed Capybara .
A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .
STARING open-mouthed into the camera, this shocked fish looks out of place in the middle of its angry friends .
WITH THEIR adorable big round eyes and fluffy white fur, these baby seals are cute enough to melt any heart .
FROM THE world famous Girl with a Pearl Earring painting to a jaguar in the grass, these incredible drawings are created from coloured ballpoint pens .