Police in Stanley, the Falklands capital, had to temporarily close a road after a pair of sea lions picked an awkward spot to get frisky on Sunday, December 5, 2021. (Photo by Genti Cena Photography/Triangle)

Guardian of the Mangroves – Overall Winner. Tanya Houppermans, Cuba. A curious American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) swims right up to Tanya, at Gardens of the Queen (Jardines De La Reina), an archipelago off the coast of Cuba. It has been strictly protected since 1996, and is one of the most untouched marine ecosystems in the world. ‍ “The healthy population of American crocodiles is down to the pristine condition of the mangroves and I wanted to capture close ups of this gentle giant in its natural habitat. I hope this image can illustrate that protecting areas like this is so critical”. (Photo by Tanya Griffin Houppermans/Mangrove Photographer of the Year)

Play-fighting cheetah siblings at the Zimanga game reserve in South Africa in the second decade of November 2024 were spotted by Gavin Bickerton-Jones, an amateur photographer, who said: “It is a bit scary at first being so close, but also a privilege for them to let you share their space”. (Photo by Gavin Bickerton-Jones/Solent News)

Inbar Regev, an eight-year-old Israeli girl, holds her pet python while swimming in her backyard pool in Ge'a, southern Israel on October 7, 2020. (Photo by Amir Cohen/Reuters)

Blake Perkins #16 of the Milwaukee Brewers gets dunked with Gatorade after the Brewers defeated the Boston Red Sox at American Family Field on April 22, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Palestinian man Mohammed al-Hoor, 23, demonstrates his street workout skills in Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on May 2, 2017. (Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

A protester throws a stone while clashing with Mozambican riot police in Maputo on November 27, 2024. Fresh anti-government protests erupted in Mozambique on November 27, 2024 after a police vehicle mowed down a woman at a demonstration in the capital for the opposition leader disputing October elections in a deadly weeks-long standoff AFP reporters at the scene said protestors hurled stones at security forces who fired bullets and tear gas as clashes broke out after the woman was struck while standing behind a large banner of opposition leader Venancio Mondlane. (Photo by Alfredo Zuniga/AFP Photo)

An old woman smokes a cigar at Old Havana's Plaza de la Catedral on February 07, 2006 in Havana, Cuba. (Photo by Marco Prosch/Getty Images)