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)

Photographer Han Youngsoo captured the ordinary people of Korea as the country emerged from war into an age of prosperity. Han Youngsoo: Photographs of Seoul 1956–63 is at the International Center of Photography (ICP), Jersey City, New Jersey, until June 9, 2017. Here: Seoul, Korea. (Photo by Han Youngsoo/The Guardian)

An abandoned protection masks in the deserted building near bypass channel for cooling at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Exclusion Zone, Ukraine, April 5, 20177. The Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred on 26 April 1986 in the No.4 light water graphite moderated reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat. An estimated 47,000 people of the city of Pripyat were evacuated after the explosion in 1986. (Photo by Vitaliy Holovin/Corbis via Getty images)

Freida Pinto as Jas Mitra in Showtime's “Guerrilla”, 2016. (Photo by Sky UK Limited/SHOWTIME)

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan poses with his creation “Him” (2001) prior to the opening of the exhibition “Not Afraid of Love” at the Hotel de la Monnaie in Paris, France, October 17, 2016. From October 21, 2016 to January 8, 2017, “Not Afraid of Love”, curated by Chiara Parisi, director of Cultural Programs, sets Maurizio Cattelan’s “comeback at work” in one of the most beautiful Palaces on the river Seine. (Photo by Philippe Wojazer/Reuters)

A photograph of a dog taken from underneath on December 2016 in VA, Canada. Forget the cats, itÌs just raining dogs! A creative duo have come up with an innovative way to raise money for animal welfare; photographing dogs as youÌve never seen them before. Professional photographer Jason Kenzie and designer Tania Ryan have created a unique set of images from the underside of dogs, named The Underdogs Project. The project will be featured as a 2017 calendar, with each month belonging to a quirky canine. (Photo by The Underdogs Project/Barcroft Images)

Hugh Hefner spanks playboy models Izabella Kasprzyk and Bridget Marquardt during their birthday dinner party at Joya restaurant on September 25, 2002 in Beverly Hills, California. Playboy founder and sеxual revolution symbol Hugh Hefner has died at age 91. The magazine released a statement saying Hefner died at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes on Wednesday night, September 27, 2017, surrounded by family. (Photo by David Klein/Getty Images)

Palestinian barber Ramadan Odwan styles and straightens the hair of a customer with fire at his salon in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip February 2, 2017. In Ramadan Odwan's barbershop in Gaza, hair isn't just blow-dried, it's blowtorch-dried. “People have gone crazy about it, many people are curious to go through the experience and they are not afraid”, he told Reuters. “People here love adventures”. (Photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)