No matter what your sense of humor may be like, it’s hard not to laugh at an animal acting silly. Whether it’s purposeful, like baby bunnies playing a game of leapfrog, or simply a well-timed accident, animals have so many ways of brightening our days.
The annual Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are always a hit! Photographers, both amateur and professional, from around the world submit their bizarre, awkward, and perfectly timed animal photos for everyone to enjoy, and the first few days of this year’s competition are already off to a humorous start.
These may be early entries to the 2025 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, but they could very well be some of the finalists, too. It’s impossible to pick just one favorite!
Two joyful mudskippers look like they are having the best time in the mud – I just wish I knew what the joke was!
Image via Emma Parker / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
LOL, these two mudskippers really look like they’re laughing! These aquatic creatures may not be belly laughing or singing an opera, but now they’re making others smile with their accidentally joyful appearance.
Image via Mark Meth-Cohn / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
Aww, this picture would be considered purely sweet and not funny if it weren’t for the baby gorilla‘s face. They look like they’re over Mom’s kisses and affection! Everyone’s gone through a phase when kisses from Mom are embarrassing rather than endearing, but this brave mama knows what she’s doing.
Many parents will agree that time goes by too fast, so sneak in those kisses with your baby while you still can!
Image by Annette Kirby / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
“What are you lookin’ at?” This eagle practically screams diva with this facial expression, though thankfully, he’s not screaming literally. As the travel photographer explained, they snapped this pic while watching the majestic eagle guard its prized fish from another bird about to swoop into frame.
Image via Bhargava Srivari / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
OMG, look at these naughty lion cubs! Giving a friend a boost in order to wreak havoc is so kid-coded, and it’s nice to see that these formidable predators get to have fun childhoods, too. As for their mom—the poor lioness must always be on her toes!
Image via Brian Hempstead / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
At first, I could hardly see the tiny birds compared to the giant nest next to them! This South African bird species is known for building huge nests, but it’s still comical to see. It’s almost as if they moved into a nest that a much larger bird made and then abandoned.
This perfectly represents the enormity of moving to a new home, or of creating a home for oneself. As exciting as the blank slate may be, it’s also incredibly overwhelming!
Image via Jeremy Duvekot / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025 Duufje_image
What a beautiful deer! This perfectly-timed photo freezes the deer in midair to make it look like it’s flying. The smile on its face is simply the cherry on top!
I can only imagine how thrilling it must feel to leap and bound through the morning grass like this roe deer. This deer species is common in Europe and the Mediterranean, but catching on in action like this never gets old.
Image via Martin Schmid / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
This looks like the line for the diving board at the public swimming pool, and for these gentoo penguins, that’s exactly what it is! They gave each other ample time and space to dive safely into the icy waters below the cliff, which is more awareness than some people have. As funny as this may be, it’s also downright impressive!
Taking a polar plunge like these penguins sounds unbelievably chilly, but to them, it’s just another day hunting for food. Hopefully, they had a successful dive!
Image via Rachelle Mackintosh / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025 Rachelle Mackinttosh
OMG, is this lizard hitching a ride on Godzilla? That’s what it looks like from this ultra close-up angle, but in reality, this is a tiny lava lizard resting comfortably on the head of a Galapagos marine iguana. Those spikes and filmy eyes may be startling, but this is just an incredibly-timed picture of the heroic reptile‘s third eyelid!
Meanwhile, the tiny lizard is completely unfazed by its pal’s prehistoric appearance. It’s just happy to go for a ride, and to get to its destination faster than ever!
These wildlife photos are just a few of the entries submitted so far, and it’s impossible to predict the kind of animal comedy that will emerge when the finalists are announced. In the meantime, both professional and amateur photographers can submit their photos for the contest until the end of June. Good luck!
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