There’s nothing like the wild antics of animals to make us crack a smile and laugh. Featured here are some of the funniest comedian creatures caught on camera—in our books at least—to hopefully make your day.
Wildlife photographers from across the globe have gone to great lengths to bring you: a monkey apparently performing CPR on his ailing friend; a squirrel from out of a kung fu flick; a haughty penguin brushing off his mate, seemingly telling him to “talk to the hand;” what appears to be a bovine with wings; and oodles more.
Selected from thousands of entries, the crème de la crème has been released ahead of the final awards, which will be announced on Dec. 8. For now, 40 standalone photos and 10 portfolio entries comprise the shortlist of The Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2022. We have selected a bunch of our faves just for you.
"Jumping Jack": A red squirrel jumps during a rainstorm. Courtesy of Alex Pansier
Back in 2015, two professional photographers co-founded the awards with a specific mission: to showcase the light, humorous side of their craft, while promoting conservation.
It’s a turbulent world, say Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, and they loved the idea of making people smile and laugh.
“With so much going on,” Sullam says, “we could all use a bumper dose of fun and laughter and this year’s finalists have definitely delivered that!”
Competition is stiff, and it will undoubtedly be hard for the judges—who include comedian Russell Kane, actor Hugh Dennis, and Will Travers, OBE, wildlife expert and co-founder of The Born Free Foundation—to pick the winners.
"Monkey Wellness Center": Walking near a Cambodian temple where groups of wild monkeys lived, I came across this scene: a wild monkey in total relax, while its friend was taking care of it. Courtesy of Federica Vinci
Will it be the charming little raccoon waving to the camera? the impish fox tipping a wink? the zebra apparently launching himself by breaking wind? Whoever the lucky winner is, be they professional or amateur, they'll become the recipients of a week-long safari in the Masai Mara, Kenya.
“When you see these amazing photographs like the one of an elephant seal, trying to use his neighbour’s head as pillow (and we’ve all been there) or a wallaby at sunset, seemingly about to launch another wallaby into space,” says Sullam, “it makes you smile and wonder at the incredible animals that are on this earth with us, and we love that about the competition”
Voting is open for members of the public to choose the animal snap that made them laugh the loudest in the Affinity Photo People’s Choice Award. The public can cast their vote at www.comedywildlifephoto.com until Nov. 27, 2022, and will have a chance to win a cash prize of 500 pounds.
"Say Cheeeese": A couple of triggerfish looking into the camera, captured at the Azores. Even they may look funny, these fish can be quite aggressive. In this case they didn't attempt to bite me, but the domeport of my camera housing ended up with some scratches ... life is hard ... at least it wasn't me who was hurt. Courtesy of Arturo Telle Thiemann
"Talk To The Fin!" This was shot on the Falkland Islands. These two gentoo penguins were hanging out on the beach when one shook himself off and gave his mate the snub. Courtesy of Jennifer Hadley
"It's All Kicking Off!" Apart from its beauty, Cape Hillsborough is renowned for its resident kangaroos and wallabies. I visited the area for three consecutive sunrises, but it was on my final morning that I captured this beautiful spectacle, two wallabies playing/ fighting on the beach as the sun burst through the surrounding clouds. Courtesy of Michael Eastwell
"Stop and Stare": After hearing Borneo's borders would reopen again in April 2022, I couldn't wait to visit and photograph some of the weird and wonderful wildlife on the island. After two years with no tourists it seemed like the wildlife was just as shocked to see me as I was to see them. This young proboscis monkey watched in amazement as I cruised by on the Kinabatangan River. Courtesy of Andy Evans
"What Do You Mean Smile?! I Am Smiling!" I spent a whole morning with this lion pride. One of the lionesses made some funny facial expressions after yawning, luckily for me she looked straight into the camera for a moment and I caught this fake smile. Courtesy of Alison Buttigieg
"Pegasus, The Flying Horse": Actually this is Indian Saras crane attacking a bluebull from behind, the bull happened to venture close to Saras's nest, where in, it had laid a single egg. The Saras crane, which is tallest flying bird in the world, opened it's huge wings and attacked the bull from behind, driving the bull away from the nest. Courtesy of Jagdeep Rajput
"Not So Cat-like Reflexes": This 3 month old cub and his sibling were in a tree. The other lionesses were in other trees and on the ground. He wanted to get down and walked all over the branches looking for the right spot and finally just went for it. It was probably his first time in a tree and his descent didn't go so well. He was just fine though after landing on the ground. He got up and ran off with some other cubs. Courtesy of Jennifer Hadley
"Cute": Monkeys of the city of Abha, where they gather and steal food from people in various ways. Courtesy of Ahmed Alahmed
"Buck-a-roo!": A zebra does a great impression of the 80s children's game Buck-a-roo. It also looks like its been "fart-powered." Courtesy of Vince Burton
"Happy Feet": This chick has grown old enough to take to the seas and fish for their own food. Courtesy of Thomas Vijayan
"I'm Gonna Strangle You!" I was following a group of meerkats on foot in the Kalahari Trails Game Reserve, in South Africa. Most individuals, including adults, were in a playful mood. It gave me a unique opportunity to capture very interesting and dynamic interactions between some members of the group. In the photo that I have selected, there is no aggression between individuals, but rather an interaction that reminds us of humans when one of your friends jokes about you and you pretend to strangle them and, in response, they open their mouth like a simpleton. Courtesy of Emmanuel Do Linh San
"Can I Borrow Honey From You Until Tomorrow?" Photographed in taiga Finland, in the town of Martinselkonen. Courtesy of Valtteri Mulkahainen
"Maniacs": Lappet-faced vultures in display. Courtesy of Saverio Gatto
"Excuse Me ... Pardon Me!" A duckling walking/ waddling across a turtle covered log at the Juanita wetlands; the duckling fell off after a few turtle crossings; it was cute. Courtesy of Ryan Sims
"Uncomfortable Pillow": These elephant seal weaners were practicing their jousting skills for many minutes before they collapsed in exhaustion. One looks to be resting far more comfortably than the other! Courtesy of Andrew Peacock
"Tight Fit!" I was going to see and photograph this eastern screech owl nest in a local park in Florida. One morning, a few days before the two owlets fledged, one owlet tried to squeeze into the nest hole with Mom, maybe to see the outside world for the first time. It was hilarious and I was glad I was there that morning to photograph it. The moment lasted only a few seconds as Mom didn't seem very happy with the arrangement. Check out the expression on her face. Courtesy of Mark Schocken
"Three Headed ('Kerberos')": The three cubs seem to form a "Kerberos," the three—headed dog of Greek mythology. Courtesy of Paolo-Mignosa
"Your Picnic's Mine!" When this Southern Cassowary sat confidently down on a picnic blanket, it scared all of the picnickers away and start eating up the fish and chips that were laid out before it. I captured this photo just as this cassowary swallowed some food, lending the bird a cheeky and mischievously satisfied look! Cassowaries, touted as the ‘most dangerous bird in the world’, roam the beachfront of Etty Bay on most afternoons, raiding picnics and frightening many unaware tourists. Armed with dagger-like claws and often being territorial and aggressive towards intruders, cassowaries command respect and most people keep a safe distance from them. I spent several days photographing and documenting their behaviour at Etty Bay, where these wild birds regularly come into contact with humans and have become comfortable approaching people. Picnickers in this area often inadvertently attract these birds with food, however human food can have a negative effect on their health. Cassowaries are well known for being important seed dispersers in their rainforest ecosystems, and when their diet strays from natural seeds and fruits, their important seed dispersal role diminishes. Courtesy of Lincoln Macgregor
"Rushing Little Owl Fledgling": I was told that I can find a lot of little owls in the Judean Lowlands in Israel. So, I went on a journey early in the morning and really, I found a lot of little owls standing on the ground, on stones, near the nest and on tree branches. Suddenly, my eyes were caught by two fledglings that were playing with each other on the ground. One of them crossed my field of vision. I started taking pictures in sequence and this is what came out. Courtesy of Shuli Greenstein
"Shark Moose": Is this bull moose smiling ... or getting ready to attack!? Courtesy of Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
"Misleading African Viewpoints 2": Hippo yawning next to a heron standing on the back of another hippo. Courtesy of Jean-Jacques Alcalay
"Do You Have a Moment to Talk About Our Lord and Saviour, T-Rex?" Two black-headed gulls squabbling over territory during the breeding season, at RSPB Minsmere, Suffolk. Courtesy of Alex Cooper
"Mum Life": A baby long-tailed macaque clings on to its weary mother. Courtesy of Sophie Hart
"Curtain Call II": This little guy had a blast playing with a stick . I also had a very good time watching him. Courtesy of Dave Shaffer
"Lisper Squirrel": We encountered this little squirrel when climbed mountain in June. When noticed our approaching, instead of escaping right away, he just kept standing on the edge of cliff and overlooked into the distance, then turned around to staring at us as if we had interrupted his meditation. We left him with some biscuits for inconvenience and I took a photo of him telling thanks, just found that he was a lisper. Courtesy of Lee Zhengxing
"You Can't See Me, Can You?" A little owl hides in the chimney of a collapsed house in Bulgaria. Courtesy of Lukas Zeman
"Romantic": Photographed in the Finnish taiga in the town of Martinselkonen. This is the center of Finland. Courtesy of Valtteri Mulkahainen
"Keep Calm and Keep Your Head": Two King Penguins (aptenodytes patagonicus) at Volunteer Point in the Falklands. The right hand bird may have an inscrutable expression but it must be wondering where its mate's head has gone. Perhaps it is a Rudyard Kipling scholar: "If you can keep your head when all about you. Are losing theirs and blaming it on you." Courtesy of Martin Grace
"The Comedian": She calls her children, and the picture shows that she is laughing at those in front of her. Courtesy of Ahmed Alahmed
"Fight Back": This salmon decide to punch the bear in the face rather than be lunch. Courtesy of John Chaney
"What Shall I Write Next?" Most bear cubs do cub-like things. Like, follow mom around, nurse, and be generally cute. But this cub took it to another level of cuteness. She found an eagle feather and started to play with it for a good 10 minutes! As she danced and rolled with the feather, she held it in her mouth for a moment—as if she was thinking of what to write next! Cuteness overload! Courtesy of Torie Hilley
"Barf": This picture of a Picasso triggerfish was taken in Marsa Shagra, Egypt. The fish just vomited the coral residues that it picked up while nibbling on the coral. Courtesy of Paul Eijkemans
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