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.'
BOXING DAY has come early for this pair of feisty squirrels, as their Christmas party quickly turns sour .
A pair of chicks bravely decided to befriend a python, despite being the snake's favourite choice of food .
An elegant snowy owl spreads her wings and glides effortlessly above the snow covered field .
A diver looks like a minnow as she swims alongside a gigantic whale shark, the largest species of fish on the planet .
These are the faces of orphans suffering from the horrifying effects of chemical warfare .
The gunslingers are long gone and tumbleweeds have taken over at this abandoned American Wild West Theme Park in Cornwall .
TUGGING on the wing of his sibling, this needy owl is after some attention .
A GLOWING range of greens and blues sweep across the sky in a spectacular display of light .
This tranquil setting stretches for miles as the sun sets behind the mountain .
SPARKLING bright inside their box, it’s hard to believe these diamonds are made from the cremated remains of the deceased .
TENNIS was a game made for three according to the first Victorian rule book .
These images of vintage cars, bikes and vans, pictured all over the world, could easily have come from a globetrotting petrol-head’s photo album .