They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and these striking images of 2017 are no exception. The photo highlights include incredible snapshots of the natural world as well as some awesome animal and human encounters. The vibrant gallery also shows thrill-seekers pushing themselves to the limit with breathtaking stunts captured in perfect clarity. The pictures have been taken by a host of photographers from around the world. Here: The two lion cubs singing their hearts out at Antelope park in Zimbabwe. (Photo by David Jenkins/Caters News Agency)

Border Security Force (BSF) “Daredevils” women motorcycle riders perform during a rehearsal for the Republic Day parade on a cold winter morning in New Delhi, January 10, 2018. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

“My goal was to capture the image of a storm that emulated an atomic explosion”, Dobrowner says of this picture. Here: “Monsoon”, Lordsburg, N.M., 2010. (Photo by Roger Hill)

A Dongria tribe girl holds her traditional weapon and dance on the last day of their two days long Niyamraja Festival atop of the Niyamgiri hills near Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district, Orissa state. (Photo by Biswaranjan Rout/AP Photo)

“In Tokyo, there are so many different fashion styles, cultures, and subcultures that it’s hard for even the most devoted fashion freak to keep up. Fashion photos from the streets of Tokyo”. (Photo by TokyoFashion.com; Source: Flickr)

Two women lighting cigarettes on a tennis court in Essex, England circa 1930's. (Photo by Keystone View/FPG/Getty Images)

“Serengeti National Park encompasses 5,700 square miles of grassy plains and woodlands near the northern border of Tanzania, and is home to more than 3,500 lions grouped into a couple dozen prides. Photographer Nick Nichols and videographer Nathan Williamson made several extended trips to the Serengeti between July 2011 and January 2013, determined to break new visual ground in their coverage of the Serengeti Lions”. Photo: Cubs of the Simba East pride: too young to kill but old enough to crave meat. Adult females, and sometimes males, do the hunting. Zebras and wildebeests rank high as chosen prey in the rainy season. (Photo by Michael Nichols/National Geographic via The Atlantic)

Kanwara Kaewjin of Thailand prepares backstage during the final show of the Miss International Queen 2019 transgender beauty pageant in Pattaya, Thailand on March 8, 2019. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)