Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji plays at his enclosure at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, Thursday, September 28, 2023. (Photo by Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)
The Guinness World Record for the fastest tortoise in the world is held by Bertie, a South African leopard tortoise, who covered 5.49 metres in 19.59 seconds. (Photo by Paul Michael Hughes/Guinness World Records/PA Wire Press Association)
“Woman with Umbrella in Rain” by Raimund von Stillfried. Artist: Kusakabe Kimbei (Japanese, 1841–1934), 1870s. Commercial photography studios in Meiji-era Japan were renowned for the subtlety and refinement of their coloring techniques. This hand-tinted image of a young woman caught in a heavy rainstorm achieved its naturalistic effect by knitting together multiple strands of artifice: the greenery in the foreground was a studio prop; the flaps of the kimono were suspended by thin wires to create the impression of a strong wind; and long, diagonal marks were made on the negative to suggest streaks of rain. (Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Angel Paz, dressed as a calavera, waits with family for the start of the Gran Procession of the Catrinas, to mark the upcoming Day of the Dead holiday, in Mexico City, Sunday, October 23 2016. (Photo by Anita Baca/AP Photo)
An elderly man uses a fan to shade himself from the sun as he walks in a public park in Beijing, Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Thursday marks the Duanwu Festival, a public holiday in China celebrated with outdoor activities including dragon boat races. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)
Mariachi musicians prepare to perform to celebrate the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe outside the Basilica of Guadalupe in San Salvador, El Salvador December 11, 2015. (Photo by Jose Cabezas/Reuters)
Italian actress Zaina Dridi walks the red carpet for “Carol” during the 10th Rome Film Fest at Auditorium Parco Della Musica on October 22, 2015 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by PA Press Association Images)
This year’s World Nomad Games, a celebration of nomadic heritage, took place in the Issyk-Kul province of Kyrgyzstan. Eleanor Moseman photographed female competitors who had travelled from all over central Asia and eastern Europe, and explored the difficulties and challenges they face as competitors. (Photo by Eleanor Moseman/The Guardian)