Funny Finalists of the 2025 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

“I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” by Bret Saalwaechter (United States)
Animal: Lion
Location of shot: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
While photographing a pride of lions in the Serengeti, I watched as a group of cubs channeled their inner toddler tantrum, relentlessly demanding milk and attention from their mother, much to the exasperation of the adult lions. Life in the dry season is no picnic—lions are anxiously waiting for the Great Migration and the feast it promises—but it makes for some incredible wildlife behavior and these cubs were the stars of the show. For over an hour, they followed their mother around a famous Serengeti kopje—those iconic rocky outcrops that dot the landscape—alternating between trying to suckle and play. Each time the mother, already in a foul mood from the sweltering heat, would give a quick roar of disapproval and escape the circus. But the cubs, like any persistent little ones, would chase her down, nipping at her and yelping for more attention. This back-and-forth drama played out again and again, until I captured the perfect moment: the entire pride, in perfect unison, seemed to say, “Not this again!”

“Now which direction is my nest?” by Alison Tuck
(United Kingdom)
Animal: Gannet
Location of shot: Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire, UK
A windy day on Bempton Cliffs during the nesting season.

“Fonzies advertising” by Liliana Luca (Italy)
Animal: Propithecus coronatus (Lemur)
Location of shot: Madagascar
This moment happened after the tourists had left Nosy Komba (Madagascar). I stopped, letting the silence fall around me, and turned my attention to a group of crowned sifakas (Propithecus deckenii). It was then that he appeared, staring at me with wide, curious eyes, as if questioning my presence… or perhaps my clothing choices. Then, with the grace of a stage actor and the timing of a comedian, he raised his hand, licked it thoughtfully, and then paused mid-gesture, as if he knew exactly what he was doing. The photo immediately reminded me of that old snack commercial:
“If you don’t lick your fingers… you're only half enjoying it!”
Ultimately, this is why I love nature photography so much: sometimes nature's sense of humor is better than our own; you just have to be ready to catch it.

“Baptism Of The Unwilling Convert” by Grayson Bell (United States)
Animal: Green Frog
Location of shot: Biddeford, Maine USA
These two frogs were fighting over their territory in our pond in Maine. It looked to me like one of them was getting baptized against his will. I thought it was kind of a funny situation.

“Aaaaaww Mum!” by Mark Meth-Cohn. (United Kingdom)
Animal: Gorilla
Location: Rwanda
This photograph was taken during a trip to Rwanda earlier this year, where we spent four unforgettable days trekking through the misty Virunga Mountains in search of the gorilla families that call them home. It was pouring with rain that day, by the time we reached the group we were completely soaked, as were they. Despite the weather, this mother proudly cradled her baby for us to see, a tender moment of affection that was both heartwarming and humorous, especially since the infant looked far less enthusiastic about all the affection it was getting.

“Squirrel airborne: surrender mode” by Stefan Cruysberghs (Belgium)
Animal: Red squirrel
Location of shot: Belgium – Diest
This flying squirrel looks like it’s throwing in the towel mid-air—arms wide, total surrender!

“Steller Eagles Practice Kung Fu Tango” by Michael Lane (United Kingdom)
Animal: Steller Eagles
Location of shot: Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan
Photographed in very early morning light from a boat sailing from Rausu, Hokkaido in Northern Japan. These two eagles were fighting over the fish held by the right-hand eagle under its claw. The decisive moment captured the kick with both eagles extending the same wing upwards as if in a synchronized dance. The golden light at dawn and shadows complete the image. The image is a successful winner in FIAP International competitions but only published in their catalogues.

“Go Away” by Annette Kirby (Australia)
Animal: Steller's Sea Eagle
Location of shot: Hokkaido, Japan
In February 2025 I flew from my home in South Australia where the summer temperatures ranged from mid 20s to mid-40 degrees Celsius to the island of Hokkadia in Japan, where temperatures were minus degrees, the coldest day being minus 18 Celsius.
I experienced a winter wonderland so vastly different from my arid hot home environment. A highlight was visiting Rausa on the Shirenhoka Peninsula and Nemuro Straits, where the Steller’s Sea Eagle gather in the winter to fish from drift ice. With fewer than 5,000 left in the world they are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species. The female can weigh up to 9.5kg, making it the heaviest eagle in the world. Their wingspan, up to 2.5 meters is of the largest of any living eagle. In Japan they are protected and classified as a national treasure.
They indeed are a national treasure and so entertaining to watch and photograph as they fight to protect their catch. A favorite place for them to perch is on the sea wall protecting the fishing fleet at Rausa. They wait watching the boats come into the harbor hoping for a free feed of fish. I captured this photo of the Steller’s Sea Eagle as it sat in a deep hole in the snow. It had a fish and had flown on the sea wall and found a hole in the deep fresh snow. Other birds were flying above and as they came closer, I captured the look it gave them. There was no way it was parting with its catch. As it had made its intentions clear to other competitors, it stayed alert but managed to enjoy its catch.

“OMG he’s at it again” by David Rice (USA)
Animal: Red-Crowned Cranes
Location of shot: Pantanal, Brazil
Crazy morning antics of the Red-Crowned Cranes

“Landing Gears Down” by Erkko Badermann (Finland)
Animal: Red-Throated Loon
Location of shot: Finland
This photograph came about as a hard-won victory of patience. I have been photographing Red-throated Loons for several years. I lie on the edge of a bond under a camouflage net and photograph their spring courtship displays from my hide. The ground is wet and cold. That morning, an unseasonable early-spring snowfall caught me by surprise, making photography almost impossible. Lying there on the cold shore of the bond, I found myself thinking there was no sense in being there. I was already about to leave. However, I decided to stay, and the snowfall faded into quiet, beautiful drifting flakes, and a thin mist rose from the surface of the lake.
Another Red-throated Loon on the lake had turned white from the snowfall. From its behaviour I noticed that its mate was arriving at the lake, and I managed to get it in my camera’s focus against the grey sky. I lost it for a moment, but caught it again just before it landed on the water.
The Red-throated Loon is quite a “poor” flier, and its landing is usually very wobbly: it seeks balance with its legs stretched backwards and then belly-lands to glide. I like to say they use the water as their runway. This time the bird came straight towards me and was so steady you might imagine it had taken flying lessons.
The photograph has travelled with me in my exhibitions, and it always elicits a chuckle from viewers. There is something funny about it. I thought it would be perfect for this competition to bring joy to its viewers.

“Peekaboo” by Henry Szwinto (UK)
Animal: Asian Elephant
Location of shot: Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Elephant playing peek a boo with his ears

“Darling, please stop!” by Massimo Felici (Italy)
Animal: Lions
Location of shot: Tanzania, Serengeti
During a photo safari in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, we were following this pair of lions in love. Unfortunately, they were disturbed by a violent thunderstorm, which dampened their enthusiasm!
It created a cute scene with both of them shaking off the rain, but the male always prevailed due to his impressive mane!

“Hit the Dance Floor!” by Paula Rustemeier (Germany)
Animal: Red foxes (vulpes vulpes)
Location of shot: Netherlands
This shot was taken quite at the beginning of my wildlife photography “journey.” I always enjoyed nature, but usually only photographed my dog, until I observed foxes for an essay I wrote for biology lessons in school and decided I want to try to photograph and learn even more about foxes.
The photo was taken in a nature reserve. They don’t get hunted there and therefore are seen during the day as well. Something I found true with all areas with low hunting pressure that I've been to so far.
I'm not the biggest fan of camouflaging. While I do use it occasionally, the best way I have found to photograph them, especially young ones, is just being present. If you put in the time, I found that the foxes usually get either curious or see you as something natural, not dangerous. Either way, they come close eventually. I had several foxes nipping at my shoes already like this, as well as foxes catching mice just a couple meters away from me!
This was my tactic with these foxes too. Like this, I could follow and document them for several months while they grew up. Their den lied in a sandy valley. Sometimes I found one or two sleeping in that area during the day, but when dawn set, they met up at this spot, got really active and often played a lot together, just like in the image.
The time with them taught me a lot about their social behavior. I saw them fight, hunt, sleep, groom—and of course play, which is always my favorite to watch! You really have to giggle a lot watching foxes play with their quirky personalities.
Since then, I had been photographing and following fox cubs every spring/summer and had much more amazing encounters with foxes and also other wildlife. 🙂

“Smile you’re being photographed” by Valtteri Mulkahainen (Finland)
Animal: Brown Bear
Location of shot: Martinselkonen village, Suomussalmi district. Finland
When I was photographing bears, this one year old bear cub saw it and started smiling at me. Apparently he had already had to pose in front of photographers.

“Headlock” by Warren Price (UK)
Animal: Bridled Guillemots
Location of shot: Hornøya, Norway
These guillemots were nesting on a small rocky cliff ledge where space was at a premium. The nests all crammed in close together which isn’t a good recipe for being good neighbors, as guillemots are fiercely territorial. Aggression and battles are frequent over nesting space and I captured this image of this bemused looking bridled guillemot, its head firmly clamped in his/her neighbors beak. I liked the way the guillemot was looking directly into my lens, its white eye-liner eyes highlighting its predicament! Sometimes you just want to bite your neighbours head off..literally !

“Relaxing in the trees!” by Diana Rebman (United States)
Animal: Yellow-cheeked Gibbon, male
Location of shot: Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam
This Yellow-cheeked Gibbon was just hanging out in the trees. Looks like he's waiting for a beer to be served.

“Hornbill In A Hurry” by Geoff Martin (United Kingdom)
Animal: Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill
Location of shot: Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
This hornbill was spooked by the incoming tawny eagle and decided a quick exit was probably wise. Its ungainly departure was captured in a sequence of shots but this one for me perfectly captured the panic of the hornbill at that moment. The hornbill safely escaped although I doubt the tawny eagle was seriously interested in tackling that hornbill beak anyway.

“Bad Hair Day!” by Christy Grinton (Canada)
Animal: Grey Squirrel
Location of shot: Victoria, British Columbia
A mother Grey Squirrel was moving her babies to a new nest. The grass she was running in was wet from the night’s rain. After she moved her last baby into the nest, she popped her head out while her tail was still sticking out. It looked like she had just come out of the shower and ran to answer the door.

“What do you mean I need to see a dentist?” by Bingqian Gao (United Kingdom)
Animal: Porcupine fish
Location of shot: Baja California Sur, Mexico
A porcupine fish that has a mouthful of algae and seems to have trouble closing his mouth. So he has this eternal shocked look, and his dental hygiene is probably bothering me more than it's bothering him!

“Bad mouthing” by Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod (Sri Lanka)
Animal: Sri Lankan Leopard
Location of shot: Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.
These are two siblings the smaller one being the female leopard. They were playing with each other, and for a moment, the male just put his arm on her shoulder and appeared as if he was bad-mouthing another leopard.

“Battle Hug” by Jessica Emmett (Singapore)
Animal: Asian water monitor
Location of shot: Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park, Singapore
Two Asian water monitors were locked in battle right by a main path in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park, Singapore. A battle of strength and wills never looked so affectionate!

“Stretch your Leg” by Peter Reinold (United States)
Animal: Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
Location of shot: Everglades, Florida, USA
Actually just out on capturing alligators but then this guy showed up and performed right in front of the everyone on the boardwalk. Not everyone was so excited about this guy than me.

“If I have seen further…” by Andrew Mortimer (Australia)
Animal: Frog
Location of shot: Leonora
If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giant [frog]s. In a bore casing on a minesite tenement around 2 hours drive from Leonora, there live a colony of frogs. Slightly too short to see over the PVC casing, they make do wherever they can.