A Palestinian youth demonstrates his parkour skills on a street in Gaza City, January 15, 2016. (Photo by Suhaib Salem/Reuters)

A woman, covered in mud, dances during the traditional “Bloco da Lama” or “Mud Block” carnival party, in Paraty, Brazil, Saturday, February 14, 2015. Revelers in the seaside colonial town threw themselves into deposits of black, mineral-rich slime, emerging covered head-to-toe in the sludge. Bikinis and trunks disappeared beneath the mud, which highlights both gym-pumped pectorals and beer-fed guts. (Photo by Leo Correa/AP Photo)

A child wades through the mud next to a grave inside the flooded cemetery in Los Loros town, April 7, 2015. The death toll from heavy rains and flooding that battered Chile last week has risen to 29, with another 150 still missing, according to authorities. (Photo by Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)

Yawalapiti children play during the preparations for the celebration of “quarup”, a ritual held to honor in death a person of great importance to them, in the Xingu National Park, Mato Grosso State, May 7, 2012. (Photo by Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

A dancer poses for a photograph as part of the “Dance as Art” photo project in Times Square in New York, on September 22, 2014. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

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)

A photographer has shared his stunning gallery of African sunrises and sunsets. Paul Goldstein says he has spent years trying to photograph the perfect beginning and ending of the Masai Mara day. Thanks to his role as guide for Exodus Travels, there have been countless opportunities to document the beautiful natural spectacle. Photo: “African Fire”: Ostrich at sunset. (Photo by Paul Goldstein/Rex Features)