Best Earth Images of the Week - Feb. 17, 2012

A Chameleon on My Fingernail?

tiniest chameleon, tiny lizard discovered, tiniest lizards in the world, world's tiniest lizards, tiny chameleon, miniature chameleon, Madagascar chameleon, earth, environment — (Image credit: PLoS One.)

The tiniest chameleon, frozen delights and incredible lava flows these are just the beginning. Check out our choices for this week's Best Earth Images.

Frozen Canals in Venice

venice canal frozen — (Image credit: mesebar2/flickr)

Known for mild winters, the European region has experienced a brutal winter season so far. Cold air pouring into Europe has created heavy snow in Rome, and pictured here, Venice's frozen canals.

[Full Story: Take A Look: A Venice Canal...Frozen]

Wild Valentines

What do you give to the wild animal in your life?

Rats and cow blood? Maybe a fish-scented treat?

To celebrate their beloved residents, zoos shared some very creative treats this Valentine's Day. Pictured about this Aldabra tortoise enjoys a combination of beets, carrots and sweet potatoes mixed with gelatin.

[Full Story: Wild Valentines: Zoo Animals Enjoy Sweet (and Kinda Gross) Treats]

A Southern Glow

astronaut photograph, ISS — (Image credit: NASA/JSC)

This astronaut's photograph captures the southeastern United States at night. The image includes Atlanta, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida which are the brightest two spots.

[Full Story: The Southern U.S. at Night: A Network of Light]

Snow Leopards

snow leopard marking its spot — (Image credit: Royal Government of Bhutan (DoFPS) and WWF)

New footage from camera traps in Bhutan's newest reserve caught snow leopard activities including scent-marking and hunting. These rare cats are very elusive which makes the photographs very valuable.

[Full Story: New Survey Snaps Amazing Images of Snow Leopards, Prey]

Frozen River in Budapest

Danube River frozen — (Image credit: stromnessdundee/flickr)

A ship moves down the ice choked Danube River in Budapest, Hungary, on Feb. 9, 2012.

[More Photos: Fascinating Images of the Frozen Danube River]

ISS Eyeful

northern lights from space, aurora borealis from space, astronaut photographs, northern lights images, northern lights photographs, International Space Station — (Image credit: NASA.)

This astronaut's photograph show the aurora borealis over the Pacific Northwest in January. This is the start of a pilot project documenting the stunning sight from below and above.

[Full Story: Astronauts Snap Stunning Light Display From Space]

Mystery Solved

stone circle british columbia — (Image credit: Chris Czajkowski)

A mysterious circle of stones in the Chilcotin Range in British Columbia caught the eye of a group of researchers. The circle, visible on Google Earth, is apparently a feature left by deglaciation.

[Full Story: Mystery of Huge Stone Circle Solved]

Extraordinary Mount Enta

Mount Etna's newest lava flow — (Image credit: Boris Behncke)

The volcano's New Southeast Crater cone sprayed a lava flow early this month. The lava flow stopped about 2 miles (3 kilometers) shy of the crater.

[Full Story: Stunning Image: Etna's Newest Lava Flow]

Tiny, I Mean Tiny!

This tiny critter hides up in the branches to sleep at night a mere 4 inches off the ground. The adults of the species are only 1 inch long when fully developed.

[Full Story: World's Tiniest Chameleon Discovered]