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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MONKEY BATH

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SQUIRREL VS DINOSAUR

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PARROT RIDES ON THE TUBE

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CHEEKY BABY GORILLA

THIS cheeky gorilla tries his best to wriggle free from his mum .

STABBED BY SON

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OUT OF THIS WORLD PLANET CAKES

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OSCAR PISTORIUS MURDER TRIAL

Oscar Pistorius entered a courtroom Monday for the start of his murder trial, walking past the victim's mother who says she came to court so she can ‘really look him in the eyes .

SLEEPY GROUNDHOG

WITH a paw in the air and his tongue hanging from his mouth, it is clear to see that this little groundhog is struggling to wake up and leave behind the comfort of his burrow .

GOOGLEMAP WHALESHARKS

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ARTIST TURNS DAUGHTER'S DOODLES INTO WORKS OF ART

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SWIMMING WITH WHALE SHARKS

A diver looks like a minnow as she swims alongside a gigantic whale shark, the largest species of fish on the planet .