Shortlisted: “Two big eyes” by Miao Yong (Zejiang province, China). Damselflies look over the leaves. “I was photographing insects in a park near my home when suddenly I found two damselflies in the grass. They kept flying and it was very difficult to focus until suddenly they parked behind a leaf”. (Photo by Miao Yong/2017 Royal Society of Biology Photographer of the Year)

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)

This undated handout photograph released by Taipei City Zoo on July 17, 2013 shows recently born panda cub of giant panda Yuan Yuan in an incubator at Taipei Zoo in Taipei. (Photo by AFP Photo/Taipei City Zoo)

Recording artist Ariana Grande performs onstage during the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 19, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

“For most Londoners, the most common view they enjoy as they trudge to work is the back of another commuter's head. But now, thanks to the Streetmuseum app, anyone traipsing through the capital's streets can step back in time to see what London looked like in the 19th and 20th century compared with today – all in the same image”. – Joe Krishnan via The Independent. Photo: A street scene in London’s Covent Garden with the underground station and a horse and cart in the background in c.1930 and the same street in 2014. (Photo by Museum of London/Streetmuseum app)

A general view of Hong Kong's business district is seen Thursday, August 1, 2013. (Photo by Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

A man rides through the flames on a horse during the “Luminarias” annual religious celebration on the eve of Saint Anthony's Day in the village of Alosno, southwest Spain, January 16, 2015. According to a tradition that dates back 500 years, people ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of this small village to purify the animals with the smoke of the bonfires. Saint Anthony is the patron of animals. (Photo by Marcelo del Pozo/Reuters)