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.'
STRETCHING his little legs in the air, a smiley leaf-tailed gecko breaks free from his old, scaly skin .
NATURE PAPARAZZIS prove you don't have to be Justin Bieber or Cheryl Cole to attract a pack of photographers .
WITH THEIR adorable big round eyes and fluffy white fur, these baby seals are cute enough to melt any heart .
VENTURING into the ocean with self-made spears and nets, the fishermen of Zanzibar put their lives on the line when they catch food for their families .
With the vivid red smoke billowing into the sky amid the misty sand dunes, these are the blissful views provided at the break of dawn at a volcano .
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
FULLY equipped with a kitchen and lounge, it's hard to believe this modern holiday let is actually a BUS .
With an abandoned tricycle sitting in an empty corridor, this derelict but once grand mansion could be the setting for The Shining .
A chipmunk, with his cheeks full to bursting, has no intention of leaving with an empty stomach .
PERCHED on a branch, this Little Owl plays third wheel to two love birds .
An adorable orangutan named Pongo celebrates his first birthday at Zoo Atlanta, Georgia, America .