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.'
A diver attempts to control rising numbers of lionfish by feeding the venomous species to Caribbean reef sharks .
A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .
GLIDING through the water, these delightful frogs show off their vibrant colours as they practice their FROG crawl .
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 .
TENNIS was a game made for three according to the first Victorian rule book .
A quiet Himalayan mountain village springs to life for a colourful Buddhist festival designed to expel evil spirits and bring happiness .
Leaping out of the ocean, a group of gentoo penguins fly through the air before landing safely on an iceberg .
SITTING on a burning sofa unable to move, one man turns his terrifying dreams into reality .
AIRPORT staff have been put on alert after diet pills that come in grenade shaped containers sparked security alerts .
An Italian photographer travelled to the highlands of New Guinea where he met an Indonesian tribe untouched by the modern world .
This starling and prairie dog will not back down an inch as they have a fearsome stand-off over who gets to eat a nut .