Canada's Mandy Marchak (R) is taken down by France's Pauline Biscarat during the final match of the Hong Kong Sevens rugby women's invitational cup in Hong Kong March 28, 2014. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Typhoon Bopha moves toward the Philippines, observed from the ISS, on December 2, 2012. (Photo by AP Photo/NASA via The Atlantic)

Beach Policeman, Potomac River, 1922. (Photo by National Photo Company/Colorized by Patty Allison)

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)

Vietnam’s Son Doong cave, the largest in the world, could hold a 40-story skyscraper inside. The pristine ecosystem has its own river and jungle. Despite its size, Son Doong wasn’t discovered until 1991. It was lost again for nearly two decades and was fully explored for the first time in 2009. (Photo by Jason Speth/HuffPost)

Gray whale feeding at the surface and showing it's baleen. (Photo by Christopher Swann/Biosphoto)

A dog sits in a plastic basin filled with water in Taipei, Taiwan, 05 May 2018. Betel nut seller Mr Luo, the dog's owner, said he puts his dog Ah Dai (Stupid Guy) in the water-filled basin whenever the weather get hot. Luo has a dozen pairs of glasses for Ah Dai, so the dog wears different glasses every day and many tourists take photos of Ah Dai. (Photo by David Chang/EPA/EFE)

A person holds an umbrella against strong wind and rain as he walks on a street Friday, June 2, 2023, in Kawasaki near Tokyo, as a tropical storm was approaching. (Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)