33 Hilarious Photos From the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

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Matt Growcoot

A split image shows a white-tailed eagle walking on ice on the left and a large elephant seal roaring among penguins on the right.

The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards finalists have been announced: a spectacular collection of laugh-out-loud images celebrating wildlife in all its glory.

This year, the competition received more than 10,000 entries — the highest number in its history — from 112 countries. Entrants are competing for the top prize: a once-in-a-lifetime safari with Alex Walker’s Serian in the Masai Mara. Other prizes include a Nikon Z6 III, a Nikon Z50 II, and a Nikon ZR.

A baboon mother climbs a tree while holding her infant by one arm as it dangles below her.
An infant olive baboon appears to demonstrate massive strength by holding an adult above its head. | Andy Parkinson / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A water buffalo rests in a grassy field, its head and horns covered in aquatic plants and mud.
A water buffalo in Sri Lanka appears to wear a pretty garland. | Andy Rouse / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
An adult lioness gently nudges a young lion cub with her paw while the cub sits on the sandy ground with its eyes closed.
A lion pride was playing in the riverbed of Ruckomechi in Zimbabwe. | Barbara Seiberl-Stark / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A brown hare sits in a field of green grass, grooming its face with one paw.
A brown hare grooms itself in England. | Carolyn Moore / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A group of fluffy goslings huddle together in the grass, with one gosling in the center resting with its beak open.
A puddle of sleepy goslings at Finnamore Lakes in Ireland. | Celine Nic Oireachtaigh / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Two brown bears stand on their hind legs facing each other in a grassy field, appearing to spar or play.
Two juvenile brown bears play fight in Alaska. Their sparring is practice for when they have real fight later in life. | Charles Janson / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A close-up profile view of an elephant with its trunk curled upward against its forehead, set against a blurred green landscape.
An elephant in Addo National Park holds its trunk up to its face. | Cliff Fawcett / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A long-tailed macaque sits on a tree trunk with its mouth wide open in a yawn, showing its teeth.
A long-tailed macaque miscalculates a jump across the canopy and cries out in pain. | David Lee / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A green praying mantis stands on a large, smooth leaf against a solid black background.
A tiny green mantis peeks over a leaf during a night walk in an area of Cusco, Peru. | Diego Perez / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Two elephant seal pups interact, with one gently biting the neck of the other, which has its mouth wide open.
Two southern elephant seals on Macquarie Island. | Doug Gimesy / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A polar bear lies on a flat ice floe, facing a small white bird standing a few feet away, with a backdrop of distant icebergs and dark water.
A polar bear and ivory gull on the pack ice near Svalbard. | Eric Boren / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A small, yellow-eyed blenny fish with its mouth open peeks out from inside a cylindrical, algae-covered tube.
A surprised blenny in Curacao. | Fabi Fregonesi / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A small elephant calf sits in the tall grass surrounded by several adult elephants in a dry, open savanna.
A cheeky baby elephant in South Africa. | Hannah Dietl / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A leopard performs a handstand on a large, weathered tree branch against a clear blue sky.
A leopard does a handstand in Kenya. | Homagni Sahana / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A small, round goldcrest bird stands facing forward on a flat, textured surface against a blurred, light brown background.
This angry bird was spotted in Germany. | Jan Wittmer / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Two Malabar parakeets face each other on a wooden branch, with one bird spreading its vibrant blue and green wings toward the other.
This pair of blue-winged parakeets don’t want the photographer to see what they’re up to. | Jeetendra Chaware / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A brown owl with bright yellow eyes perches on a tree branch surrounded by green pine needles.
An angry owl in China. | Ka Chun Jacky Sung / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A squirrel leaps through the air toward a young great horned owl perched on a pine tree branch.
A squirrel launches a surprise attack in Santa Cruz. | Kevin Lohman / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A small, silver-colored fish swims in the foreground with a large, shadowy whale shark looming in the deep blue water behind it.
This spadefish can feel the presence of a nearby whale shark. | Kyo Chen / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A bright blue damselfly with dew-covered eyes and body peeks through a circular hole in a green leaf.
An azure damselfly waves from his leafy window. | Lee Frost / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A European badger sits upright on a dirt slope in a forest, looking down toward its raised hind foot.
A tired badger in Sweden. | Lukas Andree Andersen / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Two little owls stand side-by-side on a rocky ledge against a plain, light brown background.
Two little owls form one in the Al Qudra Desert, Dubai. | Lynn Emery / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A group of walruses with prominent tusks stands in shallow, rippling water against a backdrop of a sunset sky and mountains.
You wouldn’t mess with this gang of walruses. | Marek Jackowski / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A large elephant seal with its mouth open stands prominently behind a dense group of brown penguin chicks and a few adult king penguins.
An elephant seal looms large over king penguins. | Marek Jackowski / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Two beavers sit in shallow water, both holding their webbed hind feet up near their faces while grooming.
Two Belgian beavers pose for the camera. | Natalie Veekmans / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A close-up profile view of a caiman with a clump of dark, matted aquatic vegetation resting on its head, set against a blurred green background.
This caiman in Brazil is channeling his inner Elvis. | Paolo Torre / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A sparrowhawk with wings spread wide lands on a moss-covered post, one leg extended forward.
A sparrowhawk in Scotland puts his best foot forward. | Robert Nairn / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A brown bear cub stands upright against a tree trunk, looking toward the camera with one paw raised.
This brown bear in Finlands throws the perfect Instagram pose. | Rosie Barrett / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A brown bear sits on a sandy riverbank with its legs extended in the air, looking toward the right.
This brown bear in Alaska practices its calisthenics. | Scott Suriano / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
An adult elephant and a calf walk across a dry, flat landscape, with a small safari vehicle visible in the distance behind them.
A great example of forced perspective in Kenya. | Shailza Singhal / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Three meerkats stand on orange sand, with the middle one reaching out to touch the head of the one on the left.
One meerkat insists on giving a last-minute grooming inspection while the others are trying their best to look respectable. | Subi Sridharan / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A male orangutan with prominent cheek pads looks toward the camera while holding one finger up near its nose.
Disrespect from this orangutan. | Tanner Mansell / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
A white-tailed eagle walks across a partially frozen lake, with a small red cabin in the background.
A white-tailed eagle walks on the spring sea ice, splashing water as it struts along. | Tapani Linnanmaki / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

Each year the competition supports a sustainable conservation organization, and this year Comedy Wildlife is working with the Born Free Foundation, an international charity rescuing and protecting wild animals from exploitation and conserving threatened species.

The People’s Choice Award is open now until March 1, 2027. The public can vote for their favorite here.

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