In this January 27, 2015 photo, penguins walk on the shore of Bahia Almirantazgo in Antarctica. Antarctica “is big and it's changing and it affects the rest of the planet and we can't afford to ignore what's going on down there”, said David Vaughan, science director of the British Antarctic Survey. (Photo by Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo)

“Thunderstruck”. Summer stom. A super cell formed off the coast of New Zealand, intensified and swept across Christchurch and North Canterbury, February 23, 2014. Photo location: Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo and caption by David Hardy/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Fishermen pull a net containing fish from a pond during the traditional carp haul near the village of Belcice, Czech Republic, October 25, 2016. Carp, the traditional Czech Christmas Eve dinner, is harvested primarly from the region of southern Bohemian lakes. (Photo by David W. Cerny/Reuters)

Participants dressed as characters such as elves, dwarves, goblins and orcs from the J.R.R. Tolkien's novel “The Hobbit” re-enact the “Battle of Five Armies” in a forest near the town of Doksy, Czech Republic, June 4, 2016. Several hundred people arrived in the forest to re-enact the famous battle from Tolkien's novel that was published for the first time in 1937. (Photo by David W. Cerny/Reuters)

Tiffany Porter of Britain falls after competing in the women's 100 metres hurdles final during the 15th IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium in Beijing, China August 28, 2015. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)

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)

A girl jumps from a tomb, a day before the nationwide cemetery closure during All Saints' Day amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a flooded cemetery in Masantol, Pampanga, Philippines, October 28, 2021. (Photo by Lisa Marie David/Reuters)

Artists perform as people watch from the safety of their cars, during the Art Parking drive-in festival in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, April 26, 2020. Artists in Czech Republic are finding different ways to perform as regular theaters remain closed in an effort to stem the spread of coronavirus. (Photo by Petr David Josek/AP Photo)