A teenage girl nicknamed 'spotty dog' by school bullies has embraced the hundreds of birthmarks that cover her entire face and body. 19-year-old Ciera Swaringen, of Rockwell, North Carolina, USA was born with mole-like birthmarks that spread from her head to her toes. Ciera's rare skin condition affects just one in 500,000 people and covers 70 percent of her body - with the largest mark stretching from her lower thighs to her navel. Since a child, the pretty teen has endured cruel taunts from strangers, but has now grown to love her unique appearance. She says: “Teenage boys are usually the first ones to comment when they see me. “They say things like, ‘You look like you’re dirty, take a wash.’
A TEN-THOUSAND square foot wide Avatar-style grove is such a beauty it will leave you feeling VINE .
COURAGEOUS CLIMBERS scale frozen waterfalls in Canada, as the ice threatens to collapse beneath them .
LIKE A scene from A Bugs Life, these ants work on creating their own mini community .
FROM COLOURFUL autumn leaves to living trees at first glance you might miss these people blended with nature .
Primed and ready for action, this collection of striking images from the battlefield could be mistaken for authentic photos taking during World War II .
Some parents would gasp at the thought of their children playing with a toy gun, but these Russian children are actually encouraged to take up real arms .
A world's first restaurant has opened in Canada, where having your order fall on deaf ears is a good thing .
A six-year-old boy has been left almost blind after a one-in-a-million allergic reaction to antibiotics .
Recovering from a rare form of breast cancer, Deborah Barnett, 43, of Stoke-on-Trent, thought she'd made it through the worst, but she was betrayed by former colleague Sandra Ramsay, of Mow Cop Road, Mow Cop, Stoke-on-Trent .
SOARING through the air, this is the moment a hungry tawny owl arrives home with dinner .
Oday she is a picture of health - a happy, smiling child, enjoying life to the full .
A baby sperm whale assumed the role of a friendly giant when faced with two awestruck divers .