Spain's Lidia Rodriguez, Spain's Marta Garcia and Spain's Raquel Roy compete in the Kata team female final during the 24th Karate World Championships at the WiZink center in Madrid on November 11, 2018. (Photo by Javier Soriano/AFP Photo)

Ethnic Miao women wearing traditional costumes take part in a parade during the traditional Lusheng (reed-pipe wind instrument) festival in Gulong, Guizhou province, China November 15, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/China Stringer Network)

Two brown bear cubs born at Whipsnade Zoo. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images). 1970

Men at work at the Cardiff Institute, making huge baskets, unique in size and construction, for loading oil cake in South Africa. (Photo by Maeers/Getty Images). 1938

The endangered antipodean albatross, which is often caught in fishing nets, won most first-choice votes out of the more than 55,000 votes cast during the 2020 New Zealand’s bird of the year competition. (Photo by Wildestanimal/Getty Images)

Gray whale feeding at the surface and showing it's baleen. (Photo by Christopher Swann/Biosphoto)

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)

Zoee Heath of New South Wales competes in the womens U18 discus throw during day two of the Australian Junior Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre on March 11, 2011 in Sydney, Australia.