Fireworks explode around the London Eye wheel, the Big Ben clock tower and the Houses of Parliament to mark the beginning of the New Year in London, Britain, January 1, 2016. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) was the most popular species overall based on English language Wikipedia page views. It is the world’s largest lizard, living on the islands of Komodo, Rinca and other smaller islands, and on Flores island in Indonesia. (Photo by Eric Nathan/Alamy)

An orange oakleaf rests on a plant at the Taipei Zoo on November 26, 2020. (Photo by Sam Yeh/AFP Photo)

A surfer is seen during sunset at Pacifica State Beach in Pacifica, California, USA on August 6, 2023. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Bonita the border collie sticks out in the bluebells at Kingley Vale, Chichester in West Sussex, England in the last decade of April 2024. (Photo by Trevor Adams/Matrix Pictures)

A man wearing a mask and dressed in a clown costume rides an electric tricycle while carrying a container in the shape of a rubber duck amid heavy smog in Beijing, China, December 29, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

Enjoying a tickle from her keeper, an orphaned orangutan at the SOCP Quarantine Centre in Sumatra, Indonesia on March 20, 2016. The island’s orangutan population has been devastated in recent years as the forest areas are destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations. (Photo by Jami Tarris/Barcroft Media)

“Sunward”. When the Mediterrenean Mantis opened its wings, It seemed very impressive at the sunshine... Photo location: Nicosia, Cyprus. (Photo and caption by Hasan Baglar/National Geographic Photo Contest)