Shortlisted images in the running to be crowned Photobox Instagram photograph of the year range from furry friends to the Holi festival to the meaning of love. Judges, including the Guardian’s former picture editor Eamonn McCabe, have whittled down 180,000 submissions to unearth a shortlist that celebrates the best of social media. Winners will be announced October 3, 2018. Here: Najac, France. Travel shortlist. (Photo by Aaron Jenkin/@aaronjenkin)

Bao Bao the panda, one of the National Zoological Park’s cutest inhabitants in Washington, D.C., recently celebrated her first birthday on August 23rd. As part of the celebration, Bao Bao got her very own cake. The large tiered cake showcased a big number 1.

This is one boy's amazing picture diary of his pet rodents doing very human tasks. Colin Mclaughlin, from Maryland, USA, has created a hilarious photo collection of his pet guinea pigs, Chester and Sam. (Photo by Colin Mclaughlin/Caters News)

Standard Rose 'Osiria' distinguishes itself from other roses due to its nicely-shaped and attractive flowers. This well-known fragrant floribunda rose is now available as a colourful standard. This very striking rose has an unusual colour combination. The petals are flaming red on the inside and white on the outside.

The cutest Instagram ever! Tokyo-based mother Aya Sakai is taking pictures everyday of her son Tasuku and his best friend, a French Bulldog ‘Muu’ and post it on Instagram and her Facebook page. Whether the two are watching tv on their ‘favorite’ cushion or cuddling on the couch or sleeping together, the two just can’t seem to get enough of each other. Probably the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time…

Mortsafes were contraptions designed to protect graves from disturbance. Resurrectionists had supplied the schools of anatomy in Scotland since the early 18th century. This was due to the necessity for medical students to learn anatomy by attending dissections of human subjects, which was frustrated by the very limited allowance of dead bodies – for example the corpses of executed criminals – granted by the government, which controlled the supply.