Breath of an Arctic fox by Marco Gaiotti, Italy. Marco was watching this little Arctic fox as it incessantly called another nearby. Gradually he noticed the fox’s wet breath was quickly freezing in the air after each call. It was late winter in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, and the air was -35C (-31F). Photographing Arctic foxes is often frustrating, as they are normally running around fast in search of food, but this one was very relaxed and let Marco get close enough to focus on it, with the light glowing perfectly in the background. (Photo by Marco Gaiotti/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021)

A dramatic rise in owning exotic pets in China is fuelling global demand for threatened species. The growing trade in alligators, snakes, monkeys, crocodiles and spiders is directly linked to species loss in some of the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Here: A fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is groomed in a pet store in central Beijing. Native to the Sahara in North Africa, the species became a popular pet after being depicted as a character in Disney’s 2016 animated movie Zootopia. Individuals can cost between $2,000–$3,000. (Photo by Sean Gallagher/The Guardian)

Fox cubs venture out from their den under a popular boardwalk alongside Lake Ontario during the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 22, 2020. (Photo by Carlos Osorio/Reuters)

In this February 19, 2017 photo, a couple dances during the “If you don't give me....then you lend me” Carnival street party on Ipanema beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The typical view of Carnival in Brazil is anything goes, with no headdress too big, no outfit too small, no song too ribald, but this year some organizers of the world's best known party are drawing the line at lyrics that are sexist, homophobic or racist. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

A woman poses with her tattoo during the Shanghai Tattoo Extreme & Body Art Expo 2017 in Shanghai, China September 2, 2017. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Przemek Pawlicki performs during training in Leszno, Poland on May 12, 2016. A stunning action-packed catalogue of photographs from sporting events around the world has been released by Red Bull. The energy drink giant's photographers have been busy capturing extraordinary images of action sports and some of the world's greatest daredevils. (Photo by Lukasz Nazdraczew/Red Bull/SWNS.com)

A woman arranges peppers for drying in the sun as seasonal workers process tomatoes after a harvest in Gaziantep, Turkey on August 10, 2021. Drying of peppers, zucchinis, eggplants and gherkins began. (Photo by Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Diana Silva, representing Distrito Capital state, is crowned the winner of the annual Miss Venezuela beauty pageant in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, November 17, 2022. (Photo by Matias Delacroix/AP Photo)