A pilot inflates a hot air balloon while taking part in the 38th International Balloon Festival of Chateau-d'oex, Switzerland, 23 January 2016. The festival takes place from 23 to 31 January. (Photo by Vincent Vannay/EPA)

African women in their grandmothers' clothes: Joana Choumali’s portraits show modern African women swapping jeans for kente cloth – and diving into the dazzling cultural heritage of their families. (Photo by Joana Choumali/The Guardian)

More than 1,500 snappers submitted their most hilarious pictures of all creatures great and small, and now 45 have made the cut. From drunken-eyed owls to embarrassed chipmunks and laughing goats – the finalists in the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are guaranteed to raise a smile. Here: 'Dancing sifaka'. (Photo by Alison Buttigieg/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards/Mercury Press)

Is it a leaf? Is it tree bark? No, it’s the Satanic leaf-tailed gecko. Cleverly disguised as a rotting leaf, Madagascar’s camouflage king has red eyes, pointy horns and a taste for night hunting: it’s nature’s most devilish deceiver. The twisted body and veiny skin echo the detail of a dry leaf, which ensures the gecko blends in with its forest home. The mottled tail appears to have sections missing, as though it has withered over time. This mini-monster epitomises survival of the fittest, having adapted gradually to become today’s extraordinary leaf impersonator. (Photo by Thomas Marent/ARDEA)

In this April 1, 2017 picture a man dressed as a “Harramacho” a traditional character from the Navalacruz carnival poses for a picture before a traditional Spanish mask gathering in the small village of Casavieja, Spain. Every spring they come from towns across central and northwestern Spain, clad in elaborate costumes – some as trees, others as bears, still others as monsters who could have emerged from some sort of fever dream. (Photo by Daniel Ochoa de Olza/AP Photo)

Sumo wrestler Kaiho eats a “chanko” meal in Nagoya, Japan on July 18, 2017. After ending practice at 10:30 a.m., the wrestlers mingle with fans, sign autographs and pose for photos before the first of their two daily meals. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)

Guatemalan wrestlers and relatives carry the coffin of late eighteen-year-old wrestler Laisha Cameros, known as “La Hija del Zorro” who was shot dead during an assault two days ago, during her funeral at the General Cemetery in Guatemala City on February 11, 2019. Cameros was a victim of an armed attack at Limon neighborhood where Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs operate. (Photo by Johan Ordóñez/AFP Photo)

A reveler takes part in the 19th Gay Pride Parade at downtown Caracas, Venezuela on June 30, 2019. (Photo by Federico Parra/AFP Photo)