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.'
UNDERWATER and above-water seaside shots show the best of British beach-life .
PUCKERING up and enjoying some quality time, these are the most lovable monkeys on the planet .
TUGGING at his exhausted mum's ears, a beautiful baby orangutan refuses to settle for a nap as he begins a game of peek-a-boo .
A carefree bear cub reclines in the water with his feet raised in the air .
Exploding out of the water, a great white shark performs a backflip during a hunt for seals .
YOU’VE heard of the northern lights now feast your eyes on the natural wonder of the SOUTHERN lights .
A diver looks like a minnow as she swims alongside a gigantic whale shark, the largest species of fish on the planet .
Swimming side by side with divers, these manatees will do anything they can to stay warm .
A DETERMINED great blue heron holds on tightly to its prey as the furry gopher attempts to wriggle free .
PICKING up a tiny tea-pot with its paws, a little red squirrel struggles to prepare its morning tea .
A grey whale and her calf greet an audience of awestruck admirers on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico .
An elegant snowy owl spreads her wings and glides effortlessly above the snow covered field .