This is the amazing moment a heroic hippo saved a gnu from certain death. After being bitten by a crocodile, the large antelope is seen being dragged slowly under the water. But in a miraculous turn of events, a nearby hippo is seen making its way across the water to help the animal in its hour of need. Photo: One of the biggest hippos protects the gnu as it makes its way back to the shoreline, guarding it from any further attacks. (Photo by Vadim Onishchenko/Caters News)

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)

An area of vegetation can be seen amongst drought effected farmland in South Australia, November 12, 2015. A pioneering Australian scheme to improve the management of water in the world's driest inhabited continent is facing its first real test as an intensifying El Nino threatens crops and builds tensions between farmers and environmentalists. An El Nino, a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific, is already causing drought and other extreme weather, affecting millions of people across parts of the world, and experts warn that the intensifying weather pattern could emerge as one of the strongest on record. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)

A general view of dried-up rivers in the Pilbara region of Western Australia December 2, 2013. Western Australia's Pilbara region, which is the size of Spain, has the world's largest known deposits of iron ore and supplies nearly 45 percent of global trade in the mineral. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)

A woman takes a picture of people posing in front of “Zinzow”, a “Transformers-inspired” sculpture constructed from scrap metal in Podgorica, July 22, 2014. Danilo Baletic, 22, makes sculptures of his childhood cartoon heroes, “Transformers”, from scrap metal. In the last two years he has made seven “Transformers” sculptures that are placed on the streets of Montenegro's capital Podgorica as part of an exhibition called “Transformers defending Podgorica”. (Photo by Stevo Vasiljevic/Reuters)

Since 2003, photographer Sergey Fomin has been shooting Russia’s most attractive natural, historical, and architectural objects from different aircrafts. Photo: “An Explosive Scene”. The 1,486-meter-high Karymskii Volcano in Kamchatka. (Photo by Sergey Fomin)

A view of the Sheikh Zayed highway in Dubai and some high rise buildings, November 8, 2007. (Photo by Steve Crisp/Reuters)

These amazing pieces of artwork from a series called “TaxCut” have been created entirely out of money. Chad Person an artist from California created these collages from hundreds of tiny pieces of American dollar bills. Photo: Kraken. (Photo by Chad Person/Caters News)