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.'
EAGERLY BITING his nails, this little squirrel is clearly nervous of looming predators as he searches for his meal .
A group of shelter dogs showcase their loveable personalities in a series of passport-style photographs - in the hope of finding their forever homes .
A ROAD KILL munching Scot has chewed on everything from a dead squirrel to an unlucky crow – all in the name of art .
RACING through the mountain range on horseback, the Kazakh people practice their ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles .
SWIMMING next to 40 tonne whales, dare-devil divers take the plunge with these gentle giants of the sea .
CAMPED out in the middle of a forest, these unusual hut hotels take you back to basics .
DIVING down at a speed of 75mph, this is the moment a hungry osprey caught his prey .
BURSTING from the water, a beautiful but deadly Sumatran tiger jumps for food in an Indonesian zoo .
LUMINOUS green rocks could easily be a beach from Superman's homeland of Krypton .
An elegant snowy owl spreads her wings and glides effortlessly above the snow covered field .
An Australian beach is illuminated by an enticing neon blue glow as a rare phenomenon lights up the water .