A bulldog dressed as Marilyn Monroe poses for a photograph during the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in the Manhattan borough of New York City, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Reuters)

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)

Brandy Shelton of Greensboro, North Carolina, “twerks” for a group of bikers on Ocean Boulevard during the 2015 Atlantic Beach Memorial Day BikeFest in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina May 22, 2015. After three people were killed and seven wounded in shootings during 2014 Bikefest, State officials called for an end to the event that draws thousands to the family-friendly beach town.Their efforts were unsuccessful. Bikers returned to Myrtle Beach – just a week after a bloody motorcycle gang shootout in Waco, Texas. But this time authorities are more prepared, with dozens of new surveillance cameras and a police force three times the size of last year's. (Photo by Randall Hill/Reuters)

A huge supercell dominates the Texas skyline like an atomic bomb explosion on April 11, 2015 in Lubbock, Texas. A huge supercell dominates the Texas skyline like an atomic bomb explosion. These incredible images were taken on April 11th, by photographer Darin Kuntz who has spent in his entire life in so-called Tornado Alley. And Darin confirmed that he snapped the storm standing in his backyard in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by Darin Kuntz/Barcroft Media)

Revelers dance and shout as they listen to music, in front of the main stage, during the 21st Woodstock Festival in Kostrzyn-upon-Odra, Poland July 31, 2015. An estimated 200,000 people attended the ongoing festival, a brainchild of Polish journalist and social campaigner Jerzy Owsiak, on Friday. Owsiak initiated the event to say thank you to those who donated money to his GOCC charity organisation that delivers medical care for children. (Photo by Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

A Palestinian man walks on the beach, as storm winds blow, near a camp for internally displaced on the beach near the Nuseirat refugee in the central Gaza Strip on December 20, 2024, amid the continuing war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Eyad Baba/AFP Photo)

The Guinness World Record for the fastest tortoise in the world is held by Bertie, a South African leopard tortoise, who covered 5.49 metres in 19.59 seconds. (Photo by Paul Michael Hughes/Guinness World Records/PA Wire Press Association)

Sunday night, Lauren Watts searches for her dog in Mayflower, Arkansas., after a tornado struck the town. (Photo by Benjamin Krain/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)