First place, The Beauty of Plants. “There are many stages of lotus growth on display at the Aquatic Gardens, but to come across twotwisted dancing stems of nelumbo nucifera was unexpected and quite magical”. (Photo by Kathleen Furey/The Guardian)

A photographer in Somerset, South West England captured the mating rituals of toads as several males attempt to mate with one female all at once. (Photo by John Waters/NPL)

Yanna Xian, 24, and her boyfriend Mitch Brown, 27, were swimming while on a boat tour off Honolulu, Hawaii last year, when a curious two-week-old humpback approached them. (Photo by South West News Service)

A woman walks past a graffiti mural, showing a child protecting with a Ukrainian flag against the war, made by artist ChemiS, on March 19, 2022 in Prague. (Photo by Michal Cizek/AFP Photo)

A fox pounces on a mouse in the snowy hills on the border of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. (Photo by Johnny Krüger/Mediadrumimages)

An Afghan hound arrives for the second day of the Crufts Dog Show in Birmingham, Britain March 9, 2018. The annual four-day event sees around 22,000 pedigree dogs visit the centre, before the “Best in Show” is awarded on the final day. (Photo by Darren Staples/Reuters)

A Yorkshire Terrier rests backstage before competing at the 141st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, February 13, 2017 in New York City. There are 2874 dogs entered in this show with a total entry of 2908 in 200 different breeds or varieties, including 23 obedience entries. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Shaolin martial arts students perform Kung Fu suspended on wires in a rehearsal for a live-action night show in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China on April 28, 2018. (Photo by Reuters/China Stringer Network)