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)

Netherlands Antilles Sint Maarten – Boeing 747-400 of KLM in approach for the “Princess Juliana” airport on July 2, 2002. (Photo by LUPOO/Ullstein Bild via Getty Images)

Members of the Krewe of Joan of Arc parade as Twelfth Night kicks off Carnival season, in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 6, 2025. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A woman walks past a mural depicting RM, a member of K-pop group BTS, in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, on June 15, 2022. (Photo by Anthony Wallace/AFP Photo)

In a picture taken with an underwater camera, a couple stands in front of a Polynesian priest during their underwater wedding ceremony on October 25, 2014 in Bora-Bora, in French Polynesia. The ceremony lasts twenty minutes and costs around 2700 euros. (Photo by Ben Thouard/AFP Photo)

A hand reaches out to touch a dinosaur during the “Jurassic Quest” experience at Broward County Convention Center on July 08, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo is seen in Midtown on September 06, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)

Ecuador President Daniel Noboa and his wife Lavinia Valbonesi arrive for the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2025. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)