The Flying Duck

Caleana major, the Flying Duck Orchid is a small orchid found in eastern and southern Australia. This terrestrial plant features a remarkable flower, resembling a duck in flight. The flower is an attractant to insects, such as male sawflies which pollinate the flower in a process known as pseudocopulation. In 1986 this orchid was featured on an Australian postage stamp.

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Swimming in the polluted waters

A man swims in the polluted waters of river Yamuna on a hot day in New Delhi, India.

Reuters

VOI scooter

Members of the TUM CREATE group ride a prototype of their VOI scooter at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. The electric-powered VOI multipurpose scooter was designed to provide the ease of mobility and affordability of a scooter while offering car-like comfort and protection to the passenger.

Reuters

Portable Room

Liuzhou, China: A man carries his makeshift dwelling as he walks along a road. Five years ago, Liu Lingchao, 38, decided to walk back to his hometown in Guangxi from Shenzhen. His portable room weighs 60kg, which he carries on average 12 miles a day

Reuters

Oasis surrounded by sand

Yueyaquan (Chinese: 月牙泉; pinyin: Yuèyá Quán) is a crescent-shaped lake in an oasis, 6 km south of the city of Dunhuang in Gansu Province,China. It was named Yueyaquan in the Qing Dynasty. According to measurements made in 1960, the average depth of the lake was 4 to 5 meters, with a maximum depth of 7.5 metres (25 ft) In the following 40 years, the depth of the lake continually declined. In the early 1990s, its area had shrunk to only 1.37 acres (5,500 m²) with an average depth of 0.9 meter (maximum 1.3 meter). In 2006, the local government with help of the central government started to fill the lake and restore its depth; its depth and size have been growing yearly since then.The lake and the surrounding deserts are very popular with tourists, who are offered camel and 4x4 rides.

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Hey don't touch me!

Lewes, UK: Jessica Mander stands beside an installation entitled 'Catafalque' by British Artist Sean Henry at Glyndebourne Opera House.

Gettyimage

Roller Coaster in the sea

A roller coaster sits in the ocean after the boardwalk it was built upon collapsed during Hurricane Sandy, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, November 28, 2012

The remnants of the Jet Star roller coaster is pictured in the ocean, almost five months after Superstorm Sandy, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, March 21, 2013. 

reuters

Rice Planting Machine

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe drives a rice planting machine at a paddy field in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, in this photo taken by Kyodo.

Reuters

Abu Dhabi Racing's

Abu Dhabi Racing's Emirati driver Mohammed al-Sahlawi and his Irish co-driver Allan Harryman veer off a cliff during the first stage of the Jordan Rally, round three of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, in Sweimeh near the Dead Sea. The drivers escaped unhurt

Ho/Jordan Rally photo

13 scrapped cars

People look at a sculpture made of 13 scrapped cars created by Gu Yuan and Sun Yeli at a cultural industrial park in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.

Reuters

Safety campaign

The high number of traffic accidents in the district of Magelang, Indonesia. Magelang Police Traffic Unit encourages campaigning safety of driving (driving safety), Monday (1/4). Interestingly, this campaign is done by holding a number of photos of beautiful models

SM

Other Animal "Wingtips"

Runner-up other animals category: Wingtips by Karsten Mosebach. Photograph: Klaus Tamm/GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2013.

From the most extraordinary animal behaviour to the wildest landscapes, the hunt is on for the planet’s best photographs in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 competition.To be in with a chance of seizing one of the coveted titles, photographers must produce breath-taking imagery that shows creativity, artistry and technical excellence. Now in its 49th year, the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has showcased some iconic photos and is regarded as the most prestigious wildlife photography contest in the world. 

Giant Rubber Duck

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman created the bright-yellow duck, and it was built of PVC material in New Zealand by a company specializing in large sails. Hofman was on hand as the duck arrived and said it later had to be deflated because high winds and waves created a "big challenge."

The duck has been transported around the world since 2007, bringing a message of peace and harmony. It has previously been to Osaka, Japan, Sydney, Sao Paulo, Auckland, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Amsterdam.

China Earthquake 2013

People gather to charge their phones and electric bikes at a temporary power supply station in Longmen township in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan province, on April 21

Tents on the playground in a middle school in Tianquan county of Yaan, southwest China's Sichuan province on April 22.

Getty image 

Rescuers and relief teams struggled to rush supplies into the rural hills of China's Sichuan province Sunday after an earthquake left at least 179 people dead and more than 6,700 injured and prompted frightened survivors to spend a night in cars, tents and makeshift shelters.

The earthquake Saturday morning triggered landslides that cut off roads and disrupted phone and power connections in mountainous Lushan county, further south on the same fault line where a devastating quake wreaked widespread damage across the region five years ago.

Kartini Day

Female members of the Indonesian armed forces perform as they mark Kartini Day in Jakarta.  The event is held to enhance integrity and solidarity for Indonesian women commemorating the birth of Raden Ajeng Kartini, an Indonesian heroine born in 1879, a pioneer in the emancipation of Indonesian women.

voa

A loose pig

Guilford County Animal Control officer E. Afari carries a loose pig to his truck after catching it in Greensboro, N.C., April 11, 2013. Citizens in the area called police after seeing the animal roaming around the area.

Nelson Kepley/News & Record/AP Photo

A car parked upside down

A car lies upside down in an art installation by German artist Hans-Peter Feldmann, April 12, 2013, near the Deichtorhallen museum in Hamburg, Germany. Until June 2, 2013, the museum presents sculptures, installations and paintings by the artist. 

Getty Images

STOP TERRORISM

A sculpture with a message against terrorism, created in regard to the attacks in Boston and Bangalore, at the golden sea beach in Puri, India, April 17, 2013.

APphoto

Head

A man looks at " MaskII" a sculpture by Australian artist Ron Mueck exhibited at the Fondation Cartier pour l art contemporain in Paris. Mueck will present his new sculpture from April 16 to September 29, 2013.

AFP

Afghan policeman

A heavily armed Afghan policeman destroys an opium poppy field in Noorgal district of Kunar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan.

AP