French actress Roxane Mesquida (L) and Josephine De La Baume exchange a kiss on the red carpet prior the screening of “The company you keep” during the 69th Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2012 at Venice Lido. “The company you keep” is presented out of competition. (Photos by Tiziana Fabi/Gabriel Bouys/Christine Pettinger/AFP Photo)

A Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader, wear a military-inspired outfit as part of the NFL's Salute to Service program, flips her hair during a game between the Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers in Tampa, on November 11, 2012. (Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press)

Sydneysiders take part in the “AIME Strut the Streets” in an attempt to break the Guiness record for the world's largest swimwear parade on December 7, 2012 in Sydney, Australia. The event was organised to raise funds and awareness for the not for profit charity organisation, the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams)

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)

Hu Shaoming is a fantastic artist from China, who has learnt Fine Arts at Guangzhou Academy. The most complex sculpture of all his works is a mechanical seahorse, constructed from many tiny details. The whole composition consists of two complete opposites, including the top part of the seahorse`s head that looks like a golden town, and the bottom which resembles an amazing blue creature. An important problem is reflected in such an idea; it shows how a man forces the nature into submission. The contrast in the opposition of the human buildings and conquered Mother Nature suggests the thought of keeping our natural environment safe.

A wolf looks into the camera at the 30 km (19 miles) exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in the abandoned village of Orevichi, Belarus, March 2, 2016. What happens to the environment when humans disappear? Thirty years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, booming populations of wolf, elk and other wildlife in the vast contaminated zone in Belarus and Ukraine provide a clue. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

The legendary US photographer’s favourite shots of creatures and how they interact with humans feature in “Animals”, his latest book. Here: A boy rests against a cow, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2013. “Cows have been designated the national animal in Nepal. They roam freely, and are considered sacred by the 80% of Nepalis who are Hindu”. (Photo by Steve McCurry/The Guardian)

In his book “Side Effects”, aerial photographer Kacper Kowalski took to the skies to paint a portrait of the complex relationship between humans and nature. From the sky, he captured where nature and civilization collide into aesthetic, abstract colors and shapes. Photo: A view over fields of grain in Spring chamomile, cornflower and other weeds growing amongst the grain sprouts. (Photo by Kacper Kowalski/Panos Pictures)