Renowned amphibian and reptile photographer Matthijs Kuijpers has released his first book, “Cold Instinct”. Kuijpers says the aim of the work is “for the viewer to abandon the fear and negative thoughts that often surround these animals”. What’s left is the bizarre beauty of these creatures in their simplest form – no backgrounds and no distractions. Here: Mossy frog (Theloderma corticale). (Photo by Matthijs Kuijpers/The Guardian)

Dramatic thunder and lightning striking Portsmouth in Hampshire, South East England last night, July 9, 2023, captured from the Isle of Wight. (Photo by Jamie Russell/Bournemouth News)

Early morning shark Sean McKeon pictured during severe flooding Oliver Plunkett street, Cork city, on February 3, 2014. (Photo by Daragh McSweeney/Provision)

A women rides a motor bike on a street covered with volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Kelud, in Solo, Indonesia, Friday, February 14, 2014. A major volcanic eruption in Indonesia blasted clouds of ash and debris 18 kilometers (12 miles) into the air on Friday, forcing authorities to close six airports, cancel flights elsewhere in Southeast Asia and evacuate more than 100,000 people from the mountain. (Photo by Hafidz Novalsyah/AP Photo)

After eight tense days, a female one horned rhinoceros was found and rescued from an area in India that has recently seen four other rhinos killed by poachers.

Photo: The rhino was finally located on Sunday in a field where it had taken shelter. Forest officials guarded the female one horned rhinoceros until it could be tranquilized and transported back to the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. (Photo by Anupam Nath/Associated Press)

Inflatable dolls in the shape of ducks are seen in front of the National Congress during a protest against tax increases in Brasilia, Brazil, March 29, 2016. The campaign “I will not pay the Duck” is organized by the Federation of Industries of Sao Paulo (FIESP) and uses the duck symbol in reference to industries that pay high taxes. (Photo by Gregg Newton/Reuters)

In this June 20, 2014, file photo, lobsters are processed at the Sea Hag Seafood plant in St. George, Maine. More and more American and Canadian-caught lobsters have been turning up at fancy restaurants in China, marketed as “Boston lobster”, say Maine-based processors. One processing firm owner says it's now the biggest live lobster important day of the year after Christmas in Europe. (Photo by Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)

A tale of two foxes. Surprising behaviour, witnessed in Wapusk national park, on Hudson Bay, Canada, in early winter. Red foxes don’t actively hunt Arctic foxes, but where the ranges of two predators overlap, there can be conflict. Though the light was poor, the snow-covered tundra provided the backdrop for the moment that the red fox paused with the smaller fox in its mouth in a grim pose. (Photo by Don Gutoski/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year)