A close up shows Ukraine's Hanna Ryzhykova leg breaking a hurdle before crashing out as she competes in the women's 400m hurdles heats during the European Athletics Championships at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich on August 13, 2014. (Photo by Olivier Morin/AFP Photo)

Situated in the Pacific Ocean some 620 miles (1,000 km) from the South American continent, these 19 islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique “living museum and showcase of evolution”. Photo: “Close-up. We had a juvenile Red-Footed Booby come visit us on the sun deck. I got some closeups with my ultrawide 11-16mm Tokina”. (Photo by Carl Fredrickson)

“Creepy crawlies have become stunning examples of the natural world in these incredible close-up pictures. Photographer Kutub Uddin, 28, snapped the tiny creatures in a forest near his home of Bognor Regis over the course of the summer. Taken in close-up using special macro lenses and filters, he managed to turn house flies, damsel flies and wasps into gorgeous jeweled works of art. Kutub said: “I found the bugs in the forest near where I live when I was taking pictures”. – Cater News

A surfer rides a wave as bioluminescent plankton lights up the surf around him during the coronavirus outbreak, Thursday, April 30, 2020, in Newport Beach, Calif. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday temporarily closed Orange County's coastline after large crowds were seen there. (Photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo)

Visarute Angkatavanich gets incredibly close up to capture these stunning portraits of Siamese fighting fish in graceful, dancerly poses. The Thai photographer uses perfectly placed lighting to create the dramatic highlights and shadows that give personality to each little finned creature.

A brown bear is checked by foreign veterinaries and local staff members at the Four Paws Bear Sanctuary in Pristina, on May 9, 2014. (Photo by Hazir Reka/Reuters)

Two sloth bear cubs save their paws from the hot ground during a search for food in the Daroji Bear Sanctuary in Karnataka, India in the second decade of January 2025. (Photo by Baiju Patil/Solent News)