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.'
FROM a Kung-Fu professional to a mini incredible hulk, these are the babies you wouldn't want to mess with .
A cheeky gorilla sticks her tongue out and plays up for the camera at Bronx Zoo .
HUDDLED together on a branch, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls soak up the sun .
WITH their robotic movements and pristine uniforms, these are the sexy traffic girls of North Korea that are becoming iconic figures in the secretive state .
Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
BALANCING on top of a tree, this bear cub puts her climbing skills to the test .
A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species .
A BUMPER season of births has left zoo with three of the cutest exotic kittens you're likely to see .
FULL OF STUNNING colours and swirling shapes, the furrows on these fields create a mix of mesmerising patterns .
From a platter of finger licking chicken wings to a bowl of Chinese noodle soup, these foodie snaps are enough to make your savoury saliva glands drool .