Hornets are insects that are the largest eusocial wasps. Some species can reach up to 5.5 cm (2.2 in) in length. The true hornets make up the genus Vespa and are distinguished from other vespines by the width of the vertex (part of the head behind the eyes), which is proportionally larger in Vespa and by the anteriorly rounded gasters (the section of the abdomen behind the wasp waist). The best known species is the European hornet (Vespa crabro), about 2–3.5 cm in length, widely distributed throughout Europe, Russia, North America and Northeast Asia.

A boy sitting with his family looks up at a traditional Chinelo costumed dancer during a celebration 40 days after the birth of Jesus, in Xochimilco on the outskirts of Mexico City, February 2, 2015. The tradition of the Chinelo dates back to colonial times and the outfits and masks, which are supposed to resemble the faces of the Europeans and always sport an uptilted beard, became more elaborate between the 1800s and 1900s to make fun of the upper social classes. (Photo by Edgard Garrido/Reuters)

The long and intriguing story of the origine of the indigenous Maori people can be traced back to the 13th century, the mythical homeland Hawaiki, Eastern Polynesia. Due to centuries of isolation, the Maori established a distinct society with characteristic art, a separate language and unique mythology. Defining aspects of Maori traditional culture include art, dance, legends, tattoos and community. While the arrival of European colonists in the 18th centure had a profound impact on the Maori way of life, many aspects of traditional society have survived into the 21th century.

Stunning silhouettes under European cities reveal the size and splendor of the continent’s urban foundations. Photographer and content-manager Anna Arinova, 28, from Moscow, captured the awe-inspiring labyrinths in Russia and Germany. Here: Regenwurmlager, Poland. The Regenwurmlager is an extensive underground fortification area constructed by Germany in 1920s-1940s, now in western Poland, near the city of Międzyrzecz. (Photo by Anna Arinova/Caters News)

A praying mantis, a huddle of butterflies, Galician horses and an alpine sunset are the winners of this year’s European Environment Agency’s “Rediscover Nature” photo competition. Here: Nature on My Doorstep, finalist. I Want That Pomerade Grain by Biagio Alberto Scalia, taken in national park of Circeo, Latina, Italy. (Photo by Biagio Alberto Scalia/REDISCOVER Nature/EEA)

“Getting to see girls’ bedrooms must have been a teenage obsession for the members of the all-male photographic collective Riverboom. Now that they have more or less grown up, they have decided to transform that dream into a reality. Riverboom’s Gabriele Galimberti and Edoardo Delille are traveling the five continents to see where girls, between the ages of 18 and 30, sleep. They have discovered that girls’ bedrooms are much more then just places where they lay down their heads – they are the places where girls read, love, dream, work and play”. – Gabriele Galimberti. Photo: Katerinai, 27 – Athens, Greece. (Photo by Gabriele Galimberti/Riverboom Ltd)

1. Jennifer Lopez

Rescue specialists for USA-1 drill through a concrete slab to rescue a victim from the scene of a mock disaster area during a training exercise at the Guardian Center in Perry, Georgia, March 25, 2014. A week of field training, the first of its kind at the 830-acre training site, to be open to the media, began Monday with the arrival of USA-1 from Fairfax, Virginia along with its sister team in Los Angeles, California. USA-1 has been deployed by the U.S. Agency for International Development to 30 foreign disasters, including earthquakes in Haiti, Armenia and Iran, the tsunami in Japan and the typhoon in the Philippines. (Photo by Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)