Swans swim over a lake, with the air temperature at about minus 35 degrees Celsius (minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit) as steam ascends above the water during sunset near the village of Urozhainy, Sovetsky district of Altai region, January 26, 2015. About 600 swans annually migrate to the lake, which is heated by warm springs, where they spend their winter being fed by yagers, which helps them to survive the severe cold. (Photo by Andrei Kasprishin/Reuters)

The 26th annual National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest is now accepting submissions. Official categories include: “Travel Portraits”, “Outdoor Scenes”, “Sense of Place” and “Spontaneous Moments”. The contest is accepting entries until June 30. Photo: “Forest lights”. Aurora Borealis over the forest of the Pyhae Luosto National Park, Finland. (Photo and caption by Nicholas Roemmelt/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

People dance during New Year's celebrations in downtown St. Petersburg, Russia, early Sunday, Januaru 1, 2023. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)

Honourable mention, Behaviour category. Toss the scorpion – Indian roller playing with its kill by Susmita Datta. The image was taken during an early morning safari drive at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in India. (Photo by Susmita Datta/PA Wire/Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition 2017)

People pose for photos with scarecrow installations during the Scarecrow Art Festival at Huatuo Baicao Garden on November 22, 2025 in Bozhou, Anhui Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

“A snow roller is a rare meteorological phenomenon in which large snowballs are formed naturally as chunks of snow are blown along the ground by wind, picking up material along the way, in much the same way that the large snowballs used in snowmen are made”. – Wikipedia. Photo: Snow Roller. (Photo by The Daily Omnivore)

People enjoy the beach as they look at a forest fire in La Croix-Valmer, near Saint-Tropez, on July 25, 2017. Firefighters battle blazes that have consumed swathes of land in southeastern France for a second day, with one inferno out of control near the chic resort of Saint-Tropez, emergency services say. (Photo by Valery Hache/AFP Photo)

Gold medallist Suzanne Schulting of Team Netherlands celebrates with Bronze medallist Hanne Desmet of Team Belgium after the Women's 1000m Final A on day seven of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 11, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)