Funniest wildlife photos showcase hippo hats and embarrassing owls

A fish chasing an eagle across the sky, polar bear Judo and a tiny flying squirrel doing its best impression of a crime boss. These are just some of the finalists in the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.

This year the competition received a record number of entries – just under 9,000 in total from 98 different countries.

The awards were founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam. They wanted to fuse exceptional wildlife photography with the power of humour in a bid to promote the conservation of wildlife and habitats.

Each year the competition supports a sustainable conservation organisation. This year it is working with the Whitley Fund for Nature – a UK-based charity that supports conservation leaders working in their home countries across the Global South.

Hello World by Alexander Pansier

Photographer Alexander Pansier captured this image of a red ant looking down on us in the Netherlands last autumn.

“I like the tones of this autumn leaf. So warm,” Pansier says. “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.”

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,” says Sarthak Ranganadhan who took this photo in Gurgaon, India.

Ranganadhan says it was funny to see the spotted owlets attempt to get some privacy while their little offspring stood right next to them.

Unexpected Role Swap by Przemyslaw Jakubczyk

Photographer Przemyslaw Jakubczyk captured this image of a bream appearing to chase a bald eagle at Szczecin Lagoon in Poland.

“Every annoyed and overtired fish needs to de-stress by hunting for a bald eagle,” Jakubczyk jokes.

The Rock Star by Sanjay Patil

Fan-throated lizards can only be found in the Indian subcontinent where they have evolved under the influence of changing climates. Photographer Sanjay Patil explains that female lizards don’t have the fan that gives them their name.

“A male lizard inflates its attractive neck pouch to attract the female in the hot summer season. Here is the female lizard standing upright to escape the summer heat.”

Mafia Boss by Takashi Kubo

Photographer Takashi Kubo took this photo of a flying squirrel in Hokkaido Japan.

“It looked like he was sucking a cigar, and he looked like a mafia boss,” Kubo says.

Gang of Four by Ralph Robinson

“On the penguin highway, these rockhoppers are moving into town, and this town ain’t big enough for all of them,” photographer Ralph Robinson jokes.

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This image of southern rockhopper penguins was taken on Pebble Island in the Falkland Islands.

“I set up my camera a good distance from this ridge, where rockhopper penguins were returning from feeding in the southern Atlantic Ocean in the Falkland Islands,” Robinson says, adding that they look ready for a fight.

Easy fellas – Hajime! by Philippe Ricordel

Philippe Ricordel explains that Hajime is a 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.”

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Ricordel captured this shot of the three polar bears in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, USA.

Nagging is a Universal Concept by Scott Frier

Scott Frier likes this photo because it is reminiscent of an old TV commercial.

“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,” Frier explains.

“I have this image printed and hung on a wall of my home, everybody who sees it laughs at it.”

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I’m Too Sexy for my Love by Artur Stankiewicz

Photographer Artur Stankeiwicz positioned himself on the bank at Mana Pools NP in Zimbabwe hoping to catch a fight between the hippos. But they were all peaceful with a few raising their heads to investigate his presence.

Instead, Stankiewicz got the idea to capture this portrait with water plants decorating a hippo’s head.

“It looked like the guy just got out of the hairdresser with a big smile on his face.”