Dario Sammartino, of Italy, competes at the final table during the World Series of Poker at the Rio hotel-casino in Las Vegas Sunday, July 14, 2019. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP Photo)

A “caixer” (horse rider) rears up on his horse surrounded by a cheering crowd during the traditional “Jaleo” at the Sant Antoni Festival in Es Castell, Balearic Islands, Spain on July 27, 2019. (Photo by Matthias Oesterle/Zuma Press/Picturedesk.com)

Male and female bodybuilders prepare backstage to compete during the Asia Pacific Bodybuilding Championships 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 August 2019. Hundreds of bodybuilders from Asia Pacific countries are set to flex their muscles to compete in the contest. (Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA/EFE)

UEFA staff member carry away the trophy from the pitch prior the UEFA Champions League semi-final football match between Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain at the Luz stadium in Lisbon on August 18, 2020. (Photo by David Ramos/Pool via AFP Photo)

Dozens of crocodiles are seen in an inactive farm in the Jordan Valley near the Israeli Petzael settlement in the West Bank on January 18, 2021. Hundreds of crocodiles are stranded in a farm after an Israeli businessmen lost his business as Israel passed a law in 2012 defining the crocodile as a protected animal, and banning raising the animals for sale as meat or merchandise. (Photo by Menahem Kahana/AFP Photo)

A Bengal tigress who gave birth to four cubs at the Guadalajara Zoo, Jalisco state, Mexico runs at the zoo on October 5, 2021. (Photo by Ulises Ruiz/AFP Photo)

Russian model Irina Shayk is seen at the Hotel Martinez during the 76th Cannes film festival on May 22, 2023 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/GC Images)

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)