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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SPLASHING KINGFISHER
CAUSING a splash, this determined kingfisher goes hunting for dinner .
FRIENDLY TOAD READY FOR HIS CLOSE UP
STARING eagerly into the camera, this little toad is full of curiosity .
DIVERS EXPLORE UNDERWATER CANYON WITH 100M VISIBILITY
A diver explores the crystal clear waters of the Silfra canyon in southern Iceland, which is the only place on Earth where you can dive or snorkel between two continental plates .
MENINGITIS BOY TAKES FIRST STEPS ON PROSTHETIC LIMBS
An eight-year-old boy who lost his legs and left hand to meningitis is standing tall after learning to walk on his prosthetic limbs .
OPEN WIDE! MONKEY GIVES FRIEND AN UNEXPECTED DENTAL CHECK-UP
This cheeky macaque gets up close and personal as he examines the dental hygiene of his fellow primate .
MOODY GORILLA
SAT with his arms folded and a cross look on his face, this Gorilla looks like he's had enough of the Christmas holidays already .
BRANDED BY VICIOUS BOYFRIEND'S SOVEREIGN RING
A deranged dad beat his girlfriend so savagely in a vicious 30 minute attack that the indent of his sovereign ring was left on her face .
SERENE ICEBERGS
A SERENE turquoise glow glimmers from underneath these powerful icebergs .
THE UNEXPECTED FRIENDLY GIANT
A baby sperm whale assumed the role of a friendly giant when faced with two awestruck divers .
BABY WHALE AND MOTHER LAP UP TOURIST ATTENTION
A grey whale and her calf greet an audience of awestruck admirers on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico .
EXPOSED: SHAMELESS TROLL BULLIES INNOCENT GIRLS ONLINE
A shameless internet troll, who targets young girls online for fun, has slammed victims of cyber-bulling as WEAK .
HERO DOG SAVES LIFE OF ASTHMATIC OWNER
A hero dog has saved the life of her asthmatic owner after waking her up during a severe asthma attack .