This strange coral-looking specimen is actually a mushroom. The photo, “Beautiful Destroyer”, was taken in the Panamanian tropical rainforest where the mushroom produces nitrogen, an element vital to soil health. (Photo by Sarah A. Batterman)

This handout photo taken on February 12, 2017 and released on February 16 by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) shows Mongolian herder Munkhbat Bazarragchaa (C) dragging two sheep – which recently died due to the weather - to a pile of dead animals behind his “ger” in Khuvsgul province, northern Mongolia. Thousands of Mongolian herders face disastrous livestock losses from dreaded severe weather known as the “dzud”, the Red Cross said on February 16, 2017 in launching an international emergency aid appeal. (Photo by Mirva Helenius/AFP Photo/IFRC)

Each year Nikon Small World recognizes the excellence of photography taken under the microscope. The contest showcases the beauty and complexity of life. Anyone interested in microscopy and photography can enter the contest and in its 42nd year, Nikon Small World received 2,000 entries from 70 countries. Here: 11th Place; Scales of a butterfly wing underside (Vanessa atalanta). (Photo by Francis Sneyers/Nikon's Small World 2016)

Participants in costumes pose before a Halloween parade in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Japan on October 28, 2018. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

A woman rides a mini bicycle through crowds of Santa costumes in a park during the annual SantaCon on December 10, 2016 in London, England. The event sees hundreds of people walking the streets of London and drinking alcohol in Father Christmas and other festive costumes. (Photo by PA Wire)

Young girls dress up in traditional costumes and pose for a selfie at the opening ceremony of the Leishan Miao new year festival in the city of Kaili, Guizhou province, China on November 23, 2015. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Shutterstock)

A giant ham bread, a typical Venezuelan Christmas dish, is seen on a table during an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the biggest ham bread, in Caracas November 15, 2014. The giant hallaca more than 120 metres long. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Turkey's Merve Aydin cries after she came in last in her women's 800m round 1 heat at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium August 8, 2012. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)