NATURE'S MOST STUNNING SHAPES AND PATTERNS

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.'

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BIKINI DIVER SWIMS WITH SHARKS

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TUNNEL FOR VICTORY

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WOMAN TRANSFORMS HERSELF INTO CARTOON CHARACTERS USING PAINT

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THE ENCHANTING FOREST OF FIREFLIES

WITH the phosphorescent blobs and mesmerising patterns, these spectacular images may look like the hall marks of an enchanted forest but it is in fact the scene of thousands of dancing FIREFLIES .

SINGING STOAT

MOUTH OPEN wide, this little stoat appears to be in mid-song as he belts out a tune for his onlookers .

FROG FRIENDS

PERCHED on a branch, these two frogs hold hands as they look into the camera .

BABY BEARS COPY FIGHTING ADULTS

SITTING quietly at the edge of the lake, these two baby bears watch and learn as the adults hunt for fish .

FROZEN BUBBLES CREATE STUNNING ICE CRYSTALS

A soap bubble lands on the frosty ground and creates a shimmering snow globe as crystals form around it .

UNIQUE TREEHOUSES: A NIGHT UNDER THE STARS

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