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.'
FLEXING his muscles and staring straight at his opponent, this bodybuilding squirrel is the nuts .
At first glance what might look like ordinary rusty bridge and road railings, are in fact amazing works of art .
SWIMMING in unison, millions of silverside fish dwarf the divers .
A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species .
Pouncing down on top of his twin brother, these two snow leopard cubs practice their kung-fu moves .
AN ARRAY of colours, from pinks to blues and oranges, fill the night sky to create an amazing collection of interstellar patterns .
WITH LUSH GREEN LANDSCAPES stretching out as far as the eye can see, you're in for a treat at these one of a kind treehouses .
A KITTEN'S teaparty and rat's playing dominoes are the bizarre creations by one of Britain's great eccentrics pictured in an incredible new book .
A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .
A little clownfish opens its mouth to reveal a blood sucking intruder living on its tongue .
SURROUNDED by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other .
This frozen lighthouse in Michigan could easily be mistaken for a still from the snow swept disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow .