These spectacular landscapes may look like something from another planet – but they are in fact colorful salt ponds which stretch for miles. Despite being better known for tech companies and expensive property – San Francisco, California is also home to this vibrant quilt of color spanning the South Bay Area. From eerie green pools to gothic shades of red the surreal landscapes are caused by the organisms or micro-algae living within them. Photo: Aerial view of the salt ponds in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Cris Benton/Caters News)

Children beg for alms in a street on August 11, 2014 in Manila, Philippines. The Philippines has one of the fastest growing populations in Southeast Asia with around 100 million people. At least 12 million people live in the capital city of Manila alone, making it one of the most densely populated and largest cities in the world. Lack of space and economic opportunities has pushed around four million people to live informally along waterways, bridges and even cemeteries further straining the already weak infrastructure and straining the resources of the city. (Photo by Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images)

From towering elephants to tiny insects, photographers will be offering a rare insight into the natural world at this year’s Wildscreen Photography Festival 2014. The festival, formerly known as WildPhotos, is the UK’s largest wildlife photography show. The Wildscreen Photography Festival 2014 will be taking place between 24-26 October at London’s Royal Geographical Society. (Photo by Sam Hobson/Wildscreen Photography Festival 2014)

Hornets are insects that are the largest eusocial wasps. Some species can reach up to 5.5 cm (2.2 in) in length. The true hornets make up the genus Vespa and are distinguished from other vespines by the width of the vertex (part of the head behind the eyes), which is proportionally larger in Vespa and by the anteriorly rounded gasters (the section of the abdomen behind the wasp waist). The best known species is the European hornet (Vespa crabro), about 2–3.5 cm in length, widely distributed throughout Europe, Russia, North America and Northeast Asia.

The quokka the only member of the genus Setonix, is a small macropod about the size of a domestic cat. Like other marsupials in the macropod family (such as the kangaroos and wallabies), the quokka is herbivorous and mainly nocturnal.

A dog known as “Menswear Dog”, a 5-year-old Shiba Inu, poses for photos during the 24th Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York October 25, 2014. Hundreds of dog owners dress their dogs and compete for fun and prizes during the parade. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Tourists look at would-be immigrants at the Maspalomas beach, on Gran Canaria in Spain's Canary Islands, after some 21 would-be immigrants arrived in a fishing boat on their way to European soil from Africa, November 5, 2014. (Photo by Borja Suarez/Reuters)

The name “Aiguille du Midi” translates literally as “Needle of the Noon” or “Needle of the South”. It gets its name from its tapered form and from its position when viewed from Chamonix: it approximately indicates noon when the sun passes over its summit.