Photography

Feel-good finalists come in to land in the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards

Feel-good finalists come in to land in the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards
"I am coming" – Ines Godine
"I am coming" – Ines Godine
View 26 Images
"I am coming" – Ines Godine
1/26
"I am coming" – Ines Godine
"Laughing out loud" – Ingo Hamann
2/26
"Laughing out loud" – Ingo Hamann
"Whiskered tern crash on landing" – Damyan Petkov
3/26
"Whiskered tern crash on landing" – Damyan Petkov
"Where do you think you're going?" – Jörn Clausen
4/26
"Where do you think you're going?" – Jörn Clausen
"Unexpected role swap" – Przemyslaw Jakubczyk
5/26
"Unexpected role swap" – Przemyslaw Jakubczyk
"Parrotfish loves to be washed" – Wim Bellemans
6/26
"Parrotfish loves to be washed" – Wim Bellemans
"Wait which zebra is in front" – Sarosh lodhi
7/26
"Wait which zebra is in front" – Sarosh lodhi
"Mantis flamenca" – Jose Miguel Gallego Molina
8/26
"Mantis flamenca" – Jose Miguel Gallego Molina
"Nagging is a universal concept" – Scott Frier
9/26
"Nagging is a universal concept" – Scott Frier
"I'm too sexy for my love" – Artur Stankiewicz
10/26
"I'm too sexy for my love" – Artur Stankiewicz
"Easy fellas" – Philippe Ricordel
11/26
"Easy fellas" – Philippe Ricordel
"Saying my prayers" – Christine Haines
12/26
"Saying my prayers" – Christine Haines
"Smiling elephant seal" – Gabriel Rojo
13/26
"Smiling elephant seal" – Gabriel Rojo
"I'll tell you a secret" – Jan Piecha
14/26
"I'll tell you a secret" – Jan Piecha
"You're not my mother" – Randy Herman
15/26
"You're not my mother" – Randy Herman
"Awkward smiley frog" – Kingston Tam
16/26
"Awkward smiley frog" – Kingston Tam
"Monday again" – Christopher Arnold
17/26
"Monday again" – Christopher Arnold
"The speed skater" – Mark Meth-Cohn
18/26
"The speed skater" – Mark Meth-Cohn
"Stuck squirrel" – Milko Marchetti
19/26
"Stuck squirrel" – Milko Marchetti
"Hide and seek" – Leslie McLeod
20/26
"Hide and seek" – Leslie McLeod
"Gang of four" – Ralph Robinson
21/26
"Gang of four" – Ralph Robinson
"The rock star" – Sanjay Patil
22/26
"The rock star" – Sanjay Patil
"Time to cool off" – Zikri Teo
23/26
"Time to cool off" – Zikri Teo
"Mafia boss" – Takashi Kubo
24/26
"Mafia boss" – Takashi Kubo
"Hello world" – Alex Pansier
25/26
"Hello world" – Alex Pansier
"Peekaboo" – Alex Fine
26/26
"Peekaboo" – Alex Fine
View gallery - 26 images

At a time when we could all do with a good laugh, it's a joy to see the images that have made the shortlist in the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. From clumsy birds to dramatic insects, this year's photos capture the comical wildlife moments that we rarely get to see.

This year, the competition sifted through almost 9,000 entries from 98 countries, to come up with a shortlist that will be whittled down to select an overall winner, category winners and a handful of highly commended images on December 10.

This also means that voting is now open for the People's Choice Award, which will run until midnight (GMT) on October 31. You can cast your vote here.

The awards are more than just a chance to see such diverse wildlife doing silly things (though, to be fair, birds seem to be sillier than most), but are a chance to bring attention to conservation and preservation of biodiversity and habitats. Just as no humans are alike, big personalities and absurdity spans the animal kingdom.

Here are some of our highlights of the final 40, and you can see more in our gallery.

"The rock star" – Sanjay Patil
"The rock star" – Sanjay Patil

"Fan-throated lizards are found only in the Indian subcontinent, where they have evolved under the influence of changing climates," says photographer Sanjay Patil. "Here is the female lizard standing upright to escape the summer heat."

"Stuck squirrel" – Milko Marchetti
"Stuck squirrel" – Milko Marchetti

Milko Marchetti captured this funny moment – but all is not what it seems, showing how in wildlife photography, so much is down to timing.

"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," Marchetti said.

"Saying my prayers" – Christine Haines
"Saying my prayers" – Christine Haines

"I visited Lake Clark National Park to photograph bears," said the snapper behind this shot, Christine Haines. "While there, I had an opportunity to travel to Duck Island where I saw an otter floating next to the boat. Otters hold their food with their paws making it appear like they are praying."

"Unexpected role swap" – Przemyslaw Jakubczyk
"Unexpected role swap" – Przemyslaw Jakubczyk

While a little unconventional in the comedy department, this fantastic shot by Przemyslaw Jakubczyk is something you would not expect to see in predator-prey interactions, and who doesn't love an underdog?

"Every annoyed and overtired fish needs to de-stress by hunting for a bald eagle," joked Jakubczyk.

You can see more of our favorites from the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards in our gallery. And because they're as amusing now as they were then, check out our previous finalist galleries from 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020.

Source: Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

View gallery - 26 images
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