Wildlife Gets Wacky (and Funny) in the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photo Finalists

From a group of sheep following King penguins to kung fu Steller’s sea eagles and a squirrel with a serious bad hair day, this year’s finalists for the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards are sure to tickle your funny bone and delight animal lovers everywhere.

This year’s funniest wildlife photography competition received a record number of brilliant and hilarious entries, with just under 10,000 in total from 108 countries Take a look at the delightful images from this year’s finalists below.

Now which direction is my nest? A windy day on Bempton Cliffs during the nesting season for a gannet.

The Shoulders of Giants. In a bore casing on a minesite tenement around 2 hours drive from Leonora [Australia], there lives a colony of frogs. Slightly too short to see over the PVC casing, they make do wherever they can.

Welcome to Zen Lemur Yoga Course! Instructor Lemur demonstrates perfect enthusiasm, reaching high to embrace the universe. Student Lemur contemplates whether enlightenment is worth this much effort before breakfast. Flexibility? Optional. Dramatic flair? Mandatory.

This was taken in Japan where I was observing a White-Tailed Sea Eagle putting their fish in a hole and protecting it. This one had a fish and saw another Eagle coming in to try and steal it.

Territorial Defence Operation. Rest day in Iceland after a scientific field session of 5 weeks in Greenland. White tailed eagle was harassed by a goeland !

The Frog Prince of the Grape Vine. Beate Ammer from Australia writes, “Meet the Frog Prince of my little garden — he’s been lazing around guarding my grape vine, waiting for a kiss, but I think he’s just here for the grapes. This charming amphibian seems to have mistaken the vine for his royal court, lounging among the plump fruit as if he’s the monarch of the orchard.”

What do you mean I need to see a dentist? A porcupine fish that has a mouthful of algae and seems to have trouble closing his mouth. So he has this eternal shocked look, and his dental hygiene is probably bothering me more than it’s bothering him!

I Just Can’t Wait To Be King. While photographing a pride of lions in the Serengeti, I watched as a group of cubs channeled their inner toddler tantrum, relentlessly demanding milk and attention from their mother, much to the exasperation of the adult lions. Life in the dry season is no picnic—lions are anxiously waiting for the Great Migration and the feast it promises—but it makes for some incredible wildlife behavior and these cubs were the stars of the show.

For over an hour, they followed their mother around a famous Serengeti kopje—those iconic rocky outcrops that dot the landscape—alternating between trying to suckle and play. Each time the mother, already in a foul mood from the sweltering heat, would give a quick roar of disapproval and escape the circus. But the cubs, like any persistent little ones, would chase her down, nipping at her and yelping for more attention. This back-and-forth drama played out again and again, until I captured the perfect moment: the entire pride, in perfect unison, seemed to say, “Not this again!”

All Smiles. Flame Skimmer Dragonfly lands on the stalk of an Aloe Vera plant and flashes a quick smile for the camera.

Bad Hair Day! A mother Grey Squirrel was moving her babies to a new nest. The grass she was running in was wet from the nights rain. After she moved her last baby into the nest, she popped her head out while her tail was still sticking out. It looked like she had just come out of the shower and ran to answer the door.

Great Hair Day. David Fettes writes, “An umbrella bird was sitting on the ground and seemed to be unwell or injured (we summoned a vet – not an easy find where we were.) Initially its feathers on its head wee swept back so I could see its eyes and beak but then it pulled the forwards – and disappeared!”

OMG he’s at it again! Crazy morning antics of the Red-Crowned Cranes

Relaxing in the trees! This Yellow-cheeked Gibbon was just hanging out in the trees. Looks like he’s waiting for a beer to be served.

Landing Gears Down. Red-throated Loon landing like a Floatplane

Hornbill In A Hurry. This hornbill was spooked by the incoming tawny eagle and decided a quick exit was probably wise. Its ungainly departure was captured in a sequence of shots but this one for me perfectly captured the panic of the hornbill at that moment. The hornbill safely escaped although I doubt the tawny eagle was seriously interested in tackling that hornbill beak anyway.

“Baptism Of The Unwilling Convert.” “These two frogs were fighting over their territory in our pond in Maine. It looked to me like one of them was getting baptized against his will. I thought it was kind of a funny situation,” writes Grayson Bell.

Peek a Boo. A Sri Lankan Elephant playing peek a boo

Bad mouthing. These are two siblings the smaller one being the female leopard. They were playing with each other and for a moment the male just put his arm on her shoulder and appeared as if he is bad mouthing of another leopard.

Smiler. Jenny Stock writes, “I kept returning to this little smiling little fish that was popping in and out of its little home – a hole in the coral. Its face was so expressive and characterful. The challenge was to get it comfortable with me being there and then for her to face me directly. It was a peek-a-boo moment!”

Battle Hug. Two Asian water monitors were locked in battle right by a main path in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park, Singapore. A battle of strength and wills never looked so affectionate!

It is tough being a duck.

Monkey Circus. A troop of baboons was playing in a tree in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Several baboons were jumping off the tree, going around again climbing back and jumping down again while one of the baboons was standing on the tree, tossing the jumping baboons.

Outdoor smoking zone. Lars Beygang writes, “On a cold morning I was outside taking photos at a local pond. The temperatures made the breath quite visible against the sun. I noticed a loud call from a garden fence nearby where this male mallard called a few times. It really looks like he is smoking a cigarette outside in its garden, since it is not allowed to smoke inside.”

Oh my! A young baboon looking up as an elephant approaches, unsure whether to stand his ground or to run away. He decided to flee shortly after the picture was taken.

Fonzies advertising. “This moment happened after the tourists had left Nosy Komba (Madagascar). I stopped, letting the silence fall around me, and turned my attention to a group of crowned sifakas (Propithecus deckenii). It was then that he appeared, staring at me with wide, curious eyes, as if questioning my presence… or perhaps my clothing choices. Then, with the grace of a stage actor and the timing of a comedian, he raised his hand, licked it thoughtfully, and then paused mid-gesture, as if he knew exactly what he was doing,” writes Liliana Luca.

“The photo immediately reminded me of that old snack commercial: “If you don’t lick your fingers… you’re only half enjoying it!” Ultimately, this is why I love nature photography so much: sometimes nature’s sense of humor is better than our own; you just have to be ready to catch it.”

Black Woodpecker camouflaging as an arrow. “While a black woodpecker flew by, I captured a stunning photo just as it tucked its wings, creating the perfect illusion of sheer speed,” Magnus Berggren.

High Five. “This photograph was taken during a trip to Rwanda earlier this year, where we spent four unforgettable days trekking through the misty Virunga Mountains in search of the gorilla families that call them home. On this particular day, we came across a large family group gathered in a forest clearing, the adults were calmly foraging while the youngsters were enthusiastically playing. One young male was especially keen to show off his acrobatic flair; pirouetting, tumbling, and high kicking. Watching his performance was pure joy, and I’m thrilled to have captured his playful spirit in this image,” writes Mark Meth-Cohn.

Aaaaaww Mum! Caring Gorilla mum giving her infant a big sloppy kiss!

Darling, please stop! During a heavy rain, the male shakes his mane several times, annoying his partner.

The Choir. A hilariously lucky moment I caught of these these three lions yawning at the same time.

Steller Eagles Practice Kung Fu Tango. Photographed in very early morning light from a boat sailing from Rausu, Hokkaido in Northern Japan. These two eagles were fighting over the fish held by the right hand eagle under his claw. The decisive moment captured the kick with both eagles extending the same wing upwards as if in a synchronised dance. The golden light at dawn and shadows complete the image.

Paint Me Like One of Your Forest Girls. Our jungle photoshoot turned Titanic real quick. This fabulous female orangutan found her stage, caught the perfect light, and struck a pose like she’d been waiting her whole life for this moment.

F L A M I N G O N E. Miles Astray says, “We’ve all seen a flamingo, but have you ever seen a flamingone? Only an AI could make that up. Or did I just make that up? With AI-generated content remodelling the digital landscape rapidly while sparking an ever-fiercer debate about its implications for the future of content, its creators, and its consumers, I entered F L A M I N G O N E into the AI category of the 1839 Awards. That oddball took home two awards, which were revoked when I revealed that the emphasis of this surreal creature is on real, as in real animal, real photograph.”

“The idea was to prove that Mother Nature and her human interpreters can still beat the machine, and that creativity and emotion are more than just a string of digits. The picture shows a flamingo whose head is apparently missing, but I promise it’s there somewhere. In fact, the bird is just going about its morning routine at a Caribbean beach, head tucked beneath the torso to give the plumage a good cleaning.”

Hit the dance floor! Foxes in a breakdance battle. “I frequently visited these three young playful fox siblings and they often went for play sessions in the sand, just like that particular evening. The movements are always very fast, the moments very short. The foxes run from one side to another. It wasn’t until I checked my photos back at home that I saw this funny picture, where it looked like the fox in the middle was showing off some breakdance skills.” writes Paula Rustemeier.

Stretch your Leg. “Actually just out on capturing alligators but then this guy showed up and performed right in front of the everyone on the boardwalk. Not everyone was so excited about this guy than me,” writes Peter Reinold.

Pied Piper of Penguins. Ralph Robinson says, “Our last day of shooting in the Falkland Islands, after a week of island hopping, was at Volunteer Point, a headland on the east coast of East Falkland, northeast of Stanley. It received its name in 1815, when the sealing ship Volunteer left a boat’s crew there to collect seal skins while it went in search of opportunities elsewhere. Volunteer Point is notable for having about 2000 pairs of king penguins breed here, at the most northerly part of their range.”

“King penguins were once nearly extinct in the Falklands, and Volunteer Point contains most of the Falkland population. I spent most of the day lying on my belly, often in the sand, watching the Kings. What a show! Not far away, a shepherd tended his flock of sheep, and it appeared for a moment that these king penguins were leading the way. Long Live the Kings!”

Squirrel airborne: surrender mode. This flying squirrel looks like it’s throwing in the towel mid-air—arms wide, total surrender!

Smile, you’re being photographed. “When I was photographing bears, this one year old bear cub saw it and started smiling at me,” writes Valtteri Mulkahainen. “Apparently he had already had to pose in front of photographers.”

Two Bridled Guillemots in the midst of a domestic dispute. Warren Price writes, “The island of Hornøya is always a hectic mix of chaos and noise, squabbling seabirds vying for space and nesting sites. Sometimes you just want to bite your neighbours head off, literally!”

The wig. A Greater One-Horned Rhino feasting on aquatic fine dining, diving underwater and getting back up with a new wig made out of his delicious meal.

Playful Cubs in the Marsh. Lion cubs frolic and play in the marsh in Ndutu, Tanzania in early morning. There is nothing more adorably funny than watching cubs play together. (image part of portfolio entry)

Digging For Gold. A young female chimpanzee picking her nose and eating it! (image part of portfolio entry)

Hear, See, Silence, Enjoy. Proudly presented to you by “Donald” the Seal. (image part of portfolio entry)

The Overall Winner, Category and Highly Commended Winners will be announced on December 9th. Visit Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards website for further details on the competition and awards.