Women smeared with “Gulal” as they celebrate Holi, the Hindu spring festival of colours, in Kolkata on March 25, 2024. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)

Two female holidaymakers relax on an unidentified beach of England, September 21, 1940, as a soldier, eyes straight ahead, stands guard at a barrier built as a defense against possible invasion by Germany. (Photo by AP Photo)

A highland cow in Purbeck, Dorset shows off for the camera in the second decade of February 2023. (Photo by Kate Fry/Bournemouth News)

The Malabar Giant squirrel – double the size of their grey relatives and measuring up to 36 inches (91.5 cm) from head to tail – lives deep in the forests of India. The athletic animals can leap an incredible 20 feet (6 m) between trees. Photographer Kaushik Vijayan, 39, snapped the animals in their native habit to produce these stunning images. Kaushik, from Kerala State, India, said: “Up until that point I had never heard about a squirrel like that or seen one. The sight was an absolute feast for my eyes. The squirrels fascinated me and I got excited to capture this beauty on my camera”. (Photo by Kaushik Vijayan/South West News Service)

Two young deer seem to look bashfully at the camera after a playfight in Bushy Park, London early February 2023. (Photo by Lesley Marshall/South West News Service)

Members of the cast of Beowulf by Proper Job Theatre pose in costume ahead of their Viking procession through the streets of Kirklees, West Yorkshire in the first decade of November 2023, as part of Kirklees Year of Music 2023. (Photo by James Glossop/The Times)

Play-fighting cheetah siblings at the Zimanga game reserve in South Africa in the second decade of November 2024 were spotted by Gavin Bickerton-Jones, an amateur photographer, who said: “It is a bit scary at first being so close, but also a privilege for them to let you share their space”. (Photo by Gavin Bickerton-Jones/Solent News)

A painted stork eats a fish as it is pictured in the Delhi Zoo in New Delhi on December 5, 2024. (Photo by Sajjad Hussain/AFP Photo)