Models sit backstage during Dakar Fashion Week in the Senegalese capital, Friday June 30, 2017. The continent's fashion scene has grown steadily over the past two decades with Sub-Saharan Africa's apparel and footwear market now worth $31 billion, according to data by Euromonitor. (Photo by Finbarr O'Reilly/AP Photo)

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)

If you’re afraid of heights, caves, the dark, suffer from claustrophobia or vertigo, this might not be for you, but if not, a small Welsh town has the perfect subterranean adventure for you: the world’s largest underground trampoline. Just unveiled in Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales, Bounce Below is a network of trampolines and slides mounted to the walls of an abandoned slate mine at heights of 20 feet to 180 feet off the ground. Visitors are welcome to climb, bounce, slide, and jump in the netting amidst a technicolor light show.

Tattoos always seem to fascinate us, which is probably one of the reasons why Dionne Marshall has turned to tattooing patterns onto leather. The designs she creates are reminiscent of tattoos favored by people in Central America. Working with leather is a lot harder than working with paints or pencils. Unlike the latter, there is no room for mistakes when you make a tattoo. This is the reason why there are so few artists that specialize in creating art by tattooing leather. However, the results are definitely worth it, as this is a truly unique form of art with a primal feeling to it. (Photo by Dionne Marshall)

Krystian Herba, a Polish extreme cyclist jumps up the steps of Eureka Tower on a bicycle as he breaks a Guinness World Record at Eureka Tower on February 4, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. Herba jumped up 2,919 steps on his bicycle in 1 hour 45 minutes without supporting himself with his hands or feet to break his own Guinness World Record. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

A cat tries to find dry ground around an apartment complex in Houston after Hurricane Harvey hit on Aug. 30. Harvey made landfall in South Texas on August 25, leading to days of downpours that dumped more than 50 inches of rain. Harvey damaged or destroyed about 200,000 homes as the storm system flooded much of Houston and smaller coastal communities. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Brad Snead walks past melting ice on the Cook Inlet beach, Saturday, March 26, 2011, in Kenai, Alaska, while looking for agates. (AP Photo/Peninsula Clarion, M. Scott Moon)

Garry Stretch, who holds the Guinness World Record for having the stretchiest skin performs before he judges the auditions for the Circus of Horrors at Fairfield Halls on October 7, 2005 in London, England. Hundreds of people applied for a job in the circus after advertisments were placed in many of London's job centres. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)