A competitor dressed up as Santa Claus jumps into the sea during the 102nd Barcelona Traditional Christmas Swimming Cup at the Old Harbour of Barcelona on December 25, 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

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 model presents a creation from The Sergio Hudson Fall/Winter 2024 collection during New York Fashion Week in New York City, New York, U.S., February 12, 2024. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

Sue Hall goes for a walk in Charlton village in Worcestershire on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Heavy rain could bring flooding and travel disruption across much of the UK on Wednesday and Thursday with an amber warning issued for part of the country. (Photo by David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images)

American actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld attends the UK Gala Screening of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” at Cineworld Leicester Square on June 01, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage)

An endangered desert bighorn lamb leaps in play at a park where bighorns are tempted to leave the safety of their native habitat to eat grass and drink water in the summertime on August 9, 2023 near Indio, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Leipzig's David Raum, left, and Juventus' Nicolo Savona go for the ball during the UEFA Champions League opening phase soccer match between Leipzig and Juventus in Leipzig, Germany, Wednesday, October 2, 2024. (Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

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)