Guardian of the Mangroves – Overall Winner. Tanya Houppermans, Cuba. A curious American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) swims right up to Tanya, at Gardens of the Queen (Jardines De La Reina), an archipelago off the coast of Cuba. It has been strictly protected since 1996, and is one of the most untouched marine ecosystems in the world. ‍ “The healthy population of American crocodiles is down to the pristine condition of the mangroves and I wanted to capture close ups of this gentle giant in its natural habitat. I hope this image can illustrate that protecting areas like this is so critical”. (Photo by Tanya Griffin Houppermans/Mangrove Photographer of the Year)

Barking mad owners have proved they really do look like their pets – by performing impressions of their own dogs. In a series of hilarious “paw”-traits, owners pull their best faces to look like their pooches. Snapped by photographer Ines Opifanti, people stuck their tongues out, yawned and tilted their heads in curiosity at the camera. Opifanti, from Hamburg, Germany, came up with the idea while interacting with her own dogs, two pug/French bulldog crossbreeds. Here: Amina and Zazou the dog. (Photo by Ines Opifanti/Caters News)

An actor dressed as Santa Claus and wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus infection speaks with a boy during the New Year celebration in a shopping mall in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, January 2, 2021. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)

A farmer runs behind a police officer during a protest against farm laws introduced by the government, in New Delhi, India, January 26, 2021. Tens of thousands of farmers drove a convoy of tractors into the Indian capital as the nation celebrated Republic Day on Tuesday in the backdrop of agricultural protests that have grown into a rebellion and rattled the government. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

A rickshaw driver looks out the windshield as he drives onto the highway in Mardan, Pakistan January 30, 2017. (Photo by Fayaz Aziz/Reuters)

People cool off in Crown Fountain in Millennium Park on August 12, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. As temperatures climb across the nation, nearly 200 million Americans are under some level of heat advisory. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Balinese dancers perform as they take part in a cultural parade, during a new year's eve celebration at a main road in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, 31 December 2022. (Photo by Made Nagi/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Flames quickly grow as firefighters set a backfire on the eastern front of the Park Fire, which has grown to 360,141 acres and is 12 percent contained, on July 28, 2024 near Chico, California. Strong winds and dried vegetation fueled the fire that exploded 70,000 acres in the first 24 hours after a man allegedly pushed a burning car into a ravine to intentionally set the blaze. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)