“The pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis) is a large mammal native to the forests and swamps of western Africa (the specific name liberiensis means “of Liberia”, as this is where the vast majority live). The pygmy hippo is reclusive and nocturnal. It is one of only two extant species in the Hippopotamidae family, the other being its much larger cousin the common hippopotamus”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Monifa, a one month old baby Pygmy Hippopotamus takes a morning bath at Taronga Zoo on November 7, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. Monifa is the first Pygmy Hippopotamus to be born at Taronga Zoo in the past twenty three years. (Photo by Sergio Dionisio/Getty Images)

Flowers have always been used in art and fashion. They are everywhere from haute couture scarves to household wallpaper but one artist Lim Zhi Wei, who calls herself Limzy, has created beautiful paintings using fresh flowers that outshines all of those things.

“Microscope images forge an extraordinary bond between science and art, said Hidenao Tsuchiya, Olympus America's Vice President and General Manager for the Scientific Equipment Group. We founded this competition to focus on the fascinating stories coming out of today's life science research laboratories. The thousands of images that people have shared with the competition over the years reflect some of the most exciting work going on in research today – work that can help shed light on the living universe and ultimately save lives. We look at BioScapes and these beautiful images as sources of education and inspiration to us and the world”. – OlympusBioScapes

Photo: Pretarsus of the third leg of a female drone fly (Eristalis tenax), ventral view, by Dr. Jan Michels, Institute of Zoology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany. (Photo by Olympus BioScapes)

A seagull looks on as the Italian three-color special air force acrobatic team “Frecce Tricolori” flies over Rome and the Vatican Wednesday, June 2, 2021, as Italy celebrates the anniversary of its unification. (Photo by Andrew Medichini/AP Photo)

A graduated cadet bleeds after being hit by a hat tossed in the air, at the end of the 2023 graduation ceremony at the United States Military Academy (USMA), at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York, U.S., May 27, 2023. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Visitors enjoy a walk accross a suspension bridge for the pedestrians that is the longest such construction in the world shortly after its official opening at a mountain resort in Dolni Morava, Czech Republic, Friday, May 13, 2022. The 721-meter (2,365 feet) long bridge is built at the altitude of more than 1,100 meters above the sea level. It connects two ridges of the mountains up to 95 meters above a valley between them. (Photo by David W. Cerny/Reuters)

A dragonfly rests on a leaf in Hinojedo, Cantabria, northern Spain, 01 June 2023. (Photo by Pedro Puente Hoyos/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A woman with the Ukrainian national colours painted on her body and reading “Stop raping us” protest on the red carpet during the screening of the film “Three Thousand Years of Longing” during the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 20, 2022. (Photo by Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters)