About a dozen dogs traded in their leashes for life vests Saturday for the chance to ride the waves at Jupiter beach as part of a canine surfing competition to raise money for an animal rescue group. Photo: Musso paddles in with Jengo. (Photo by Taylor Jones/The Palm Beach Post)

At the end of rice harvesting season, the folks of the Kagawa and Niigata Prefectures in Japan hold a straw festival to celebrate the abundance of the harvest. Dried straws cover wooden frames to form larger-than-life sculptures from animals like sharks and gorillas to vessels such as ships and tanks. The family-friendly event invites visitors of all ages to engage, interact, and play on the enormous structures.

These poignant portraits look to shine awareness on the plight of some of the world’s most endangered ecosystems and species of wildlife. The images combine animals, art and celebrity, with Asia's top models posing with the likes of rhinos, giraffes, leopards and marine life. Here: Mikki Yao with an Asian Elephant. (Photo by Sean Lee-Davies/Caters News)

Promotional staff dressed in outfits of animation characters use a mobile phone at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) 2015 in Beijing, China, April 28, 2015. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Models promote the game “Diamond Dogs” during the Gamescom 2015 fair in Cologne, Germany August 5, 2015. Hundreds of thousands of visitors will enjoy one of the world's largest computer and video game events until Sunday. (Photo by Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)

Kat Graham attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for MTV)

A model walks the runway during the Versace show as part of Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2015 on January 25, 2015 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Models prepare backstage ahead of the Strateas.Carlucci show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia 2015 at Carriageworks on April 13, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)