Here are the bravest of the brave in 2016. Weve gathered some of the finest images showing daredevils taking their lives into their own hands and going to the very brink this year. Whether they are perched hundreds of feet up on a high wire, courageously clinging to a rockface or taking on a volcano, these adventurers take the breath away. Here: Morgane Choquet and Samuel Cobb relax in a vertical campsite on the slopes of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park. (Photo by Alexandre Eggermont/Caters News)

The photography of Art Wolfe covers the globe, capturing landscapes, wildlife, and cultures from every continent; here he talks through a selection of his favourite images. Art Wolfe is an American photographer and conservationist. His photographs have been noted by environmental advocacy groups for their “stunning” visual impact. Here: Snowy owlets (Bubo scandiacus), Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA. (Photo by Art Wolfe/Art Wolfe Stock)

These kaleidoscopic images showcase the sheer beauty of the mammoth firework displays held across Japan every summer. The Japanese word for fireworks, hanabi, means fire flower, and each year, local governments in Japan throw around 7,000 festivals, or hanabi taikai. Here: Tsuchiura National Fireworks Competition, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture. (Photo by Makoto Igari/Caters News Agency)

Dozens of people participate in the religious pilgrimage to the National Shrine of El Rincon, in the municipality of Boyeros, in Havana, Cuba, 17 December 2018. As is customary every year, thousands of people in mass attend the shrine to pay tribute to Saint Lazarus, to whom the faithful come for personal requests and miracles. (Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA/EFE)

A young Sandinista guerrilla takes aim with his 45 pistol as he stands waiting to do combat with the Nicaraguan National Guard in Managua June 23, 1979. The guerrillas still occupy major parts of the Capitol City. (Photo by McLendon/AP Photo)

Models take part in the promotion of the Miss Bumbum (buttocks) beauty pageant, along Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 7, 2017. The annual Bumbum pageant to select the nation' s sexiest female buttocks will be held on November, 6 in Sao Paulo. (Photo by Nelson Almeida/AFP Photo)

Prepare yourself for some rib-tickling laughter because the Comedy Wildlife Awards has announced its finalists. Founded by Tanzania-based photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, the aim of the awards is to put a spotlight on wildlife conservation efforts while simultaneously injecting some humour into the world of wildlife photography. Here: Mountains Gorilla is making grimaces, as he came out of the bush after the rain, in Virunga National Park, Rwanda. (Photo by Josef Friedhuber/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards/Barcroft Media)

An artist performs with a lion during the presentation of the new international show “Extreme arena” at the Ukrainian National Circus in Kiev, Ukraine, 15 September 2016. The show will be staged from 15 September to 11 December 2016. (Photo by Roman Pilipey/EPA)