Guardian of the Mangroves – Overall Winner. Tanya Houppermans, Cuba. A curious American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) swims right up to Tanya, at Gardens of the Queen (Jardines De La Reina), an archipelago off the coast of Cuba. It has been strictly protected since 1996, and is one of the most untouched marine ecosystems in the world. ‍ “The healthy population of American crocodiles is down to the pristine condition of the mangroves and I wanted to capture close ups of this gentle giant in its natural habitat. I hope this image can illustrate that protecting areas like this is so critical”. (Photo by Tanya Griffin Houppermans/Mangrove Photographer of the Year)

1st Place in Wildlife: A male orangutan peers from behind a tree while crossing a river in Borneo, Indonesia. (Photo by Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan/National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year contest 2017)

Real Madrid's Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr. (R) held by a Cadiz's defender during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Real ​Madrid and Cadiz, in Madrid, Spain, 10 November 2022. (Photo by Juanjo Martin/EPA/EFE)

Heimana Reynolds of USA in action during a training session prior to the World Skate Park World Championships at the Parque Candido Portin​ari in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 11 September 2019. (Photo by Sebastião Moreira/EPA/EFE)

In this undated photo entitled “Close Call”, a Hawaiian green sea turtle swims through a breaking wave on the North Shore of Oahu near Haleiwa, Hawaii. The image appears in photographer Clark Little's new book, “The Art of Waves”. (Photo by Clark Little via AP Photo)

Women practice yoga during a performance on a glass bridge at the Shiniuzhai National Geo-park in Pingjiang county, Hunan province, China, November 5, 2015. About hundred yoga fans put on the show to promote the concept of green life and the idea of harmony between human and nature on Thursday, according to local media. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

This picture taken on September 11, 2023 shows Moon Jellyfish (with rings) and Sting Jellyfish (yellow-orange inside) among a smack of a several thousand swimming off Seglvik, in northern Norway. (Photo by Olivier Morin/AFP Photo)

Jellyfish with a juvenile imperial blackfish (Schedophilus ovalis) in Castellammare di Stabia, Naples, Italy, winter 2023. (Photo by Marco Gargiulo/Media Drum Images)