Painter Alexander Zavala residing in Gelendzhik, painted in the style of a historical series of paintings about animalism epic cats.

These animal portraits and painted headdresses by Amy Hamilton are adorably perfect for this time of year. They feel so soft and wintery, and would make amazing notecards for gifts.

Photograph Jill Greensberg is known for her ability to bring human qualities into animal photography. Her “Bear Portraits” project carries all the spectrum of emotions and personalities along with the depths of characters captured in different members of the Ursidae family

25-year-old Masayoshi Matsumoto is a Japanese artist that creates incredible animals out of balloons. From birds to insects, the artist’s designs can involve dozens of variously sized balloons in an assortment of shapes. For more be sure to check out his creative artworks at the links below.

(L-R) Maria Silva, Milena Cortes, Maria Arteaga, Jackeline Bastidas and Gissy Abello pose for a picture at the Famproa dogs shelter where they work, in Los Teques, Venezuela, August 25, 2016. Venezuelans struggling to feed their families let alone their pets are dumping animals on the streets, in parks and at makeshift homes overrun with scrawny animals amid an economic crisis. An hour from Caracas in Los Teques, hundreds of dogs bark and run around the streets scavenging for food outside a makeshift shelter. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Once upon a time a girl named Laura lived in Columbus, Ohio. She had a nice family, and got good grades, but it was always rainy and cold in Columbus, which was neither nice nor good, so she wore lots of sweaters and turned the heat up when her dad wasn’t looking.

Horse racing is part of Naadam, a festival organized every July in Mongolia to celebrate the People’s Revolution. Using children as jockeys in such races has a centuries-long tradition. Boys and girls as young as 5 (although the law imposes a minimum age limit of 7) ride in races that can be dangerous, with hundreds of horses running across the steppe at distances of 12 to 28 kilometres at great speeds. (Photo by Tomasz Gudzowaty)