“Eye of a toad”. Animal Portraits, Łukasz Bożycki, Poland. Early spring sees a pond near Łukasz’s home city of Warsaw, Poland, full of mating frogs and a few toads. On this March day, Łukasz shared the pond with them for an evening, sitting in the icy water in his chest-high waders, keeping as still as possible, despite the numbing cold, so that the amphibians could get used to him. “I wanted to find a fresh way of portraying the amphibians”, he says, “at water level”. Using a telephoto lens, he focused on one lone toad and waited for the sun to dip almost below the horizon before pressing the shutter, using flash to bring out the details in the shadow. His prize was “the glorious pool of sunset colour” and fiery glow of the toad’s eye. Nikon D80 + 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 lens + extension tube; 1/125 sec at f9 (-2.3 e/v); ISO 100; built-in flash. (Photo by Łukasz Bożycki)

18-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Uleywa, who was shot in the foot about 2 years ago by Israeli soldiers and lost one of his feet in the hospital where he was taken, is seen in Gaza City, Gaza on December 13, 2020. Palestinian youth Mohammed Uleywa, who became disabled after lost one foot during the “Great March of Return” demonstrations on the border of the blockaded Gaza Strip, showed his skills in parkour on concrete blocks despite his disability. (Photo by Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

4-year-old Benji, making waves at Arpoador Beach in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on December 12, 2024. The Jack Russell Terrier who began catching waves one year ago, has become a fixture along Rio's iconic Ipanema Beach. His skills not only impress fellow surfers but also delights beachgoers, who often pause to admire the bond between man and dog riding the surf. (Photo by Bob Karp/ZUMA Press Wire)

Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson attends the World Premiere of “Dune: Part Two” in London's Leicester Square on February 15, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Hannah McKay/Reuters)

A wolf skin is on display for sale next to a painting of Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, also known as Lenin, at Izmailovo flea market in Moscow on December 3, 2017. (Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP Photo)

A parrot stuck on a roof for three days greeted firefighters sent to its aid on August 13, 2018 with a four-letter tirade. Jessie, the multi-lingual Macaw, flipped the bird after escaping from her owner's home in Edmonton, north London, UK. When she could not be lured down from a neighbour's roof, firefighters were called out and told to tell the bird “I love you” – to which Jessie replied “I love you back”. But she then ruffled her would-be rescuers' feathers by telling them to “f**k off” before flying off to another nearby rooftop. The foul-mouthed pet also speaks Turkish and Greek according to its owner, but had its own choice words in English for the rescue team. As Jessie wasn't injured, the firefighters, who had been called in by the RSPCA, left her on her perch. The parrot was later reunited with its owner. (Photo by Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Inmates stand next to food during a Christmas event at Sarita Colonia male prison in Callao, Peru, December 18, 2015. For the event, inmates prepared Christmas meals for a culinary competition and took part in dances and songs. (Photo by Mariana Bazo/Reuters)

Dogs are seen at the 2021 Pawlidays celebration at Sofitel Hotel Los Angeles on December 18, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)