In this undated photo, the aerial view of Jingxing Bridge in autumn is shown, with trees turning red around and the West Lake going under it, in Hangzhou city, east China's Zhejiang province on November 18, 2020. (Photo by Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A black-winged stilt patrols a reservoir in Jezreel Valley in Israel early April 2023. Their eggs are a golden colour mottled with brown. (Photo by Itamar Procaccia/Solent News)

A woman walks past posters bearing the letter “Z” in the colours of the ribbon of Saint George, which has become a symbol of support for Russian military action in Ukraine, and reading “We are proud of Russia! We are not ashamed!” at a bus stop on Nevsky Prospekt in central Saint Petersburg on March 15, 2022. (Photo by AFP Photo/Stringer)

Members of the Washington Commanders Command Force dance during a timeout against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland on November 2, 2025. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Reuters)

The National Geographic Photo Ark is a travelling exhibition of photographer Joel Sartore’s quest to create a photo archive of biodiversity around the world. So far, Sartore has captured studio portraits of more than 6,000 species – a number that he hopes to double. On 1 July, the ark will open at Melbourne zoo – the first time it has been exhibited in the southern hemisphere. More than 50 portraits will be on display, including many of Australian endangered animals being protected by programs at the zoo itself. These captions have been edited from text supplied by Melbourne zoo. Here: Barking owl. (Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark/The Guardian)

October winner. “A burst of the aurora borealis over Kirkjufell, taken in September 2016. This shot has been a holy grail for me and was finally captured after many trips”. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: Iceland is a hotspot for aurora photography and this composition of the symmetric, free-standing Kirkjufell and the trident waterfall is much-sought after. If you can time your visit when the aurora “kp” index is high and know the settings for nighttime aurora images, you may end up with a beautiful photograph like this. (Photo by DВ/The Guardian)

An Extinction Rebellion protestor holds up a sign saying “You Can Change Climate Change” in St Martin's Lane in London, United Kingdom on August 23, 2021. (Photo by James Veysey/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

The May Queen during the Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland on April 30, 2022. A dynamic reinterpretation of an ancient Celtic celebration of the return of summer, the festival is centered around the story of the May Queen and the Green Man, and the lighting of the Beltane bonfire, symbolic of purification, healing and new life. Edinburgh's Beltane celebrations are the largest of their kind in the world with around 250 volunteer performers and thousands of spectators. (Photo by Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images)