Finalists of the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards Will Leave You Laughing

“Nagging is a universal concept” by Scott Frier
” I liked this image as It reminds me of the old TV commercial for Maxell audio cassette tapes called: “Blown Away Guy”. On safari in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania we hung around a Kopji of rocks because there were lion cubs being nursed when this action happened. I was just lucky enough to catch it. I have this image printed and hung on a wall of my home, everybody who sees it laughs at it. One of those people mentioned that I should entered it in this contest so here it is.”

“Stuck squirrel” by Milko Marchetti
“When the squirrel entered, he removed his feet from the trunk for a moment, and for that moment it seemed as if he was blocked at the entrance to the burrow.”

“Mafia Boss” by Takashi Kubo
“It looked like he was sucking a cigar, and he looked like a mafia boss.”

“Song of the Zeisel” by Kath Aggiss
“Ground Squirrel (local name Zeisel) calling to family that he's found food.”

“The Contemplative Chimpanzee” by Arvind Mohandas
“Shot in the jungles of Uganda, following a group of around 50 chimpanzees. This one was obviously comtemplating an important issue, on a day of realization and reaffirmation of how close chimpanzees are to humans!”

“The Rock Star” by Sanjay Patil
“Fan-throated lizards are found only in the Indian subcontinent, where they have evolved under the influence of changing climates. These lizards are colorful and belong to the category of reptiles. Female Lizards do not display fan as they do not have. Male lizards inflates its attractive neck pouch to attract the female in hot summer season. Here is the female lizard standing upright to escape the summer heat.”

“England Cricket's Latest Secret Weapon!” by Andy Rouse
“I took this photo of a dancing sifaka in Madagascar; as it ran towards us, it created all sorts of funny shapes. But this one was the best, it looks to me like it is practicing its bowling action ready for an England call-up!”

“Mantis Flamenca” by Jose Miguel Gallego
“On my way back from my photo walk in a swamp near my town (Pantano el Sitjar), I suddenly stopped my car on the road when I saw someone ordering me to stop. This was when I saw my friend the Flemish Mantis for the first time. You can imagine the faces of the other cars passing by, seeing a car with the indicators on and the door open, stopped on the roadside and a madman lying on the ground with his camera in his hand.”

“I am coming” by Inés Godínez
“Razorbill attempting a very wobbly landing!”

“The Speed Skater” by Mark Meth-Cohn
“Stellers Sea Eagle in the drifting sea ice off Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan.”

“Holding for a ride” by Alex Fine
“After a nap, the mother brown bear wanted to go for a walk, but the cubs wanted a ride.”

“Frog in a balloon” by Eberhard Ehmke
“During a photo shoot at the pond I discovered this frog with its head in a bubble. This resembles a tree bell.”

“Laughing out loud” by Ingo Hamann
“This newborn seal seems to be laughing at a good joke.”

“Gecko-fashion-model” by Michela Bordoli
“As we walked on the sands of the Namib Desert, a gecko suddenly appeared, emerging out of nowhere with a smile on its face. It positioned itself perfectly, posing for a portrait worthy of a National Geography cover. It seemed to say: “Take my picture, I'm ready for my cover!””

“Smiley Elephant Seal” by Gabriel Rojo
“These multi-ton giants fight to keep their harem of females. In the instant of the photo, the animal seems to be smiling… but the reality of the situation is that its expression of astonishment and smile is at the moment of fleeing quickly, because the dominant male was on his way to a bloody fight. It is better to preserve physical integrity… I better go…”

“Parrot fish likes to be washed” by Wim Bellemans
“I saw this parrotfish with 2 other fishes cleaning him. The smile on his face shows that he really loves it. Picture shot while diving in Dahab, Egypt.”

“Awkward smiley frog” by Kingston Tam
“I asked this frog to smile for the camera but it seemed a little shy.”

“I'm too sexy for my love” by Artur Stankiewicz
“One of the ‘lazy' mornings we have decided to stop by the pool with hippos while in Mana Pools NP. My idea was to try and catch fighting hippos, yet, they all were quite peaceful. I have positioned on the bank, safely from the potential charge and waited. Some of them raised their heads in curiosity or when proximity to the other individuals was too close. Then I got this idea to catch the portrait with water plants decorating he head, It looked like the guy just got our of the hairdresser with a big smile on his face.”

“Rock Guitar” by Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb
“A squirrel came into my garden and started playing with a long stick. It moved so quickly, darting this way and then that way, jumping up in the air and rolling on the lawn.”

“Furry Ninja Series – Toetopsy” by Simone Heinrich

“Whiskered tern crash on landing” by Damyan Petkov
“Whiskered tern head hit the rock when try to land.”

“You're not my mother” by Randy Herman
“This female red-bellied woodpecker had been investigating this Screech Owl nest for a couple of days; perhaps it was her nest last year? This little owlet was definitely startled, and didn't seem to know what to make of this intruder. The woodpecker moved on, and the owlet fledged with its two siblings about an hour late.”

“Unexpected role swap” by Przemyslaw Jakubczyk
“Every annoyed and overtired fish needs to de-stress by hunting for a bald eagle.”

“Easy fellas – Hajime!” by Philippe Ricrodel
“Hajime! This is the term used by the referee in Judo to invite opponents to start fighting. Here, the standing bear seems to be saying this to the other two, adopting the gesture that referees use when they say this word.”

“Did you hear the one about the….” by Wendy Kaveney
“Anthropomorphic antics of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) telling each other jokes and laughing hysterically.”

“Smooching Owlets” by Sarthak Ranganadhan
“Our parents always find a way to embarrass us, I guess that's also true in the case of spotted owlets. It was truly a funny sight to see two owlets trying to get some privacy as their little offspring stood next to them with a grin shut eyes.”

“Alright Mate Back off — This is My Bird” by Andy Rouse
“This image was taken in South Georgia, it really does show a male king penguin trying to make a move on a female who has already paired up with her male. The body position and wing posture make the message clear – ‘back off!'”

“Hide and Seek” by Leslie Mcleod
“We were on safari in Kenya and happened upon this beautiful female who was looking for a mate. A group of topi were also keeping a pretty close eye her as she left messages for a potential partner on various trees. This shot makes me think that the cheetah is just about to shout out, ‘Ready or not, here I come!'”

“In Love” by Andrea Rosado
“After the meeting.. comes love!! This is everyone's daily life”

“Wait…Which Zebra Is In Front” by Sarosh Lodhi
“An image that causes optical illusion making it difficult for the viewer to tell which zebra is in front. Shot in Kenya, I stayed focused on these two as they started coming towards each other. I was expecting them to interact, nozzle or maybe fight, but they coincidentally got aligned in a way to cause this beautiful optical illusion.”

“Hello World” by Alex Pansier
“This image shows the happy life of a Red Ant, looking down to us. The photo was taken in a dark forrest nearby in The Netherlands last autumn. I like the tones of this autumn leaf. So warm. It was hard to take this image because of the fast moving Ant, but with a little help of a flashlight I was able to freeze the motion.”

“Peekaboo” by Alexander Fine
“Blenni fish peeking out from a hole in the coral.”

“Time to Cool Off” by Zikri Teo
“An Adelie penguin stands over its chick as it lays flat on the rock to cool off. Due to their high level of insulation, penguin chicks can sometimes overheat and lay on the rocks with their feet out to lower their body temperature.”