76. Hey! Where’s Your Head?!
Possible Camera Used: Nikon D7500
Where to Buy: Nikon USA
Avg. Cost: $1,000-$1,400*
There is no animal as majestic and cute as a penguin: there is just no reason not to like them. This picture by Martin Grace shows two king penguins in all their glory, but there is something strange about it: the first penguin does not seem to have a head! So is this one of those “ghost caught on tape” pictures, but for penguins?
Penguin without a head Martin Grace/ComedyWildlifePhoto
Winner of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards in 2022, this shot was captured at Volunteer Point in the mighty Falklands. The penguin at the left has his head tucked underneath his coat, which also explains the dazzled expression of his peer.
77. Ugh. These Kids
Possible Camera Used: Canon EOS 90D
Where to Buy: Target
Avg. Cost: $1,200*
This highly commended winner of the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards was shot by Mark Schocken on a random morning in a local Florida park. He was trying to capture a shot of the eastern screech owl nest in the picture when he saw one owlet sneaking his way into the nest, squeezing in to get to his mother’s comfort.
Owlet squeezing in with Mother owl r/funny/Reddit
But their expressions are enough to tell us the whole story. The mother owl does not seem amused with the situation, and the owlet also looks like he regrets his decision. It is obvious that the mother owl kicked the owlet out soon after this hilarious shot was taken!
78. Not Today, You Bear!
Possible Camera Used: Nikon Z5
Where to Buy: Nikon USA
Avg. Cost: $1,000*
We have all seen animations of bears effortlessly plucking their favorite fishes out of the water and munching on them without a care in the world. Be it Disney’s Brave or Nat Geo’s wildlife documentaries, our expectations about a bear-salmon relationship have been set in stone. So is it possible for a salmon to fight a grizzly bear? Absolutely!
Salmon punching bear John Chaney/ComedyWildlifePhoto
This shot, titled “Fight Back” by award-winning photographer John Chaney, captured the surprise of a bear whose lunch flew across the air and whacked him across the face. Talk about turning the tables in the animal kingdom!
79. Flying Scrat
Possible Camera Used: Sony A1
Where to Buy: Sony
Avg. Cost: $6,500*
We have all grown up watching Ice Age’s Scrat fly around space in the quest for his beloved nut. But what if Scrat’s character was adapted from a real-life squirrel, which an award-winning photographer managed to capture just during his antics?
Squirrel submerged in air Alex Pansier/ComedyWildlifePhoto
Titled “Jumping Jack,” this picture was captured by Alex Pansier and is one of the recipients of the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. It features a red squirrel, which dramatically resembles Scrat, mid-jump and suspended in the air. And the dramatic water droplets around him? Pansier captured the photo during a rainstorm. Hence the water drops make it seem like a shot straight out of a movie.
80. Now You Know Who The Boss Is
Possible Camera Used: Canon EOS Rebel T7
Where to Buy: Target
Avg. Cost: $400*
This picture is undoubtedly one of a kind, which is why it made its mark in the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. We hardly ever think about hierarchical arrangements or acts of humanity in the animal kingdom. But that does not mean they do not exist, and this picture stands testament to this fact.
Duckling waddling over turtles Ryan Sims/ComedyWildlifePhoto
Captured by Ryan Sims, who named it “Excuse Me…Pardon Me” this picture features a tiny duckling crossing a pond by waddling over a fallen-over log in the water. But that is not all: the log is covered by turtles! But that is not enough to faze the tiny duckling who can be seen waddling over them like it’s the most normal thing in the world. And for it, maybe it is.
81. Come Here, You!
Possible Camera Used: Sony Alpha A7 III
Where to Buy: Walmart
Avg. Cost: $1,580*
There is no crime in the animal kingdom: only serious violence and silly strangulation. This iconic shot by Emmanuel Do Linh San falls in the latter category and rightly won the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Linh San titled the picture “I’m Gonna Strangle You!” and captured it while traversing South Africa’s Kalahari Trails Game Reserve on foot.
Meerkats strangling eachother playfully Emmanuel Do Linh San/ComedyWildlifePhoto
He was enjoying a group of meerkats fooling around when he witnessed an incredible sight: two meerkat friends having fun with one of them pretending to strangle the other and the other amusing him with his mouth flung wide open. Human or not, friends are like that everywhere around the world!
82. Monkey Care Center
Possible Camera Used: Canon 4000D
Where to Buy: ID Wholesaler
Avg. Cost: $657*
Friendship connects humankind – but also the animal kingdom, and Federica Vinci’s “Monkey Wellness Center” is enough to show us that. Vinci was strolling around a historic temple in Cambodia when a group of wild monkeys startled him until he sat down to look at them closely.
Monkey taking care of another monkey Federica Vinci/ComedyWildlifePhoto
To his surprise, he saw a wild monkey lying on the ground with his arms flailed in sheer relaxation and his monkey friend taking care of him. The scene almost resembles a drunk human passed out on the floor, with his sober friend on guard, showing us that humankind and animals aren’t that different after all.
83. Real-Life Pegasus
Possible Camera Used: Canon EOS R3
Where to Buy: Canon
Avg. Cost: $5,500*
We have only heard of the mythical creature Pegasus in folktales and heroic stories, but did a photographer ever think he would capture one? Well, life works in mysterious and often geometrically synchronous ways. Jagdeep Rajput, an Indian wildlife photographer, could not believe his eyes when he captured a snap of a living Pegasus.
Sarus crane taking flight behind a blue bull Jagdeep Rajput/ComedyWildlifePhoto
It may be an optical illusion beautifully caused by a sarus crane taking flight directly behind a blue bull, but the picture earned Rajput a spot in the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards held in 2022 and our recognition as well.
84. Smiley and Wavy Raccoon
Possible Camera Used: Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Where to Buy: Canon
Avg. Cost: $3,600*
Wildlife photographers have often clicked their cameras at just the right time to capture an animal mid-pose, making them look like they are waving at the highly interested humans constantly peeking into their lives. But none of those pictures hold a light to Miroslav Srb’s snap.
Raccoon waving and smiling Miroslav Srb/ComedyWildlifePhoto
Titled “Hello Everyone,” this perfectly timed picture features a gleeful raccoon who seems to be smiling and waving at the photographer. Srb took this shot on a Florida beach, where he fed this raccoon some shrimp. Could his furry little friend be thanking him for the meal? Srb thinks yes, and we do too.
85. Swing Me Around
Possible Camera Used: Canon EOS R3
Where to Buy: Canon
Avg. Cost: $5,500*
It is not just humans who take advantage of romantic sunsets and sunrises to spend lovely moments with their loved ones; animals do that too. This so-in-love (we believe that is the case) wallaby duo are enjoying their playtime at sunrise, with one of them playfully swinging the other around.
Wallabies swinging eachother Michael Eastwell/ComedyWildlifePhoto
This picture was captured by Michael Eastwell in Cape Hillsborough – renowned for its majestic wallabies and kangaroos – which he visited three times in a row before stumbling across this opportunity. The beautiful background is just like a cherry on top of the playfulness with the yellow-tinted clouds and the Sun peeking through the hills.
86. Who Said A Cooper Hawk Couldn’t Play?
Possible Camera Used: iPhone
Where to Buy: Apple Store, Walmart, Amazon
Avg. Cost: $500-$1,200*
This Cooper’s hawk seems motivated by the football season. Since humans do not make footballs for hawks, this Cooper had to take matters into his own hands and take on a pine cone to fulfill his football ambitions. He can be seen kicking the pine cone in the air, flying around it, and doing his best to amuse himself.
A hawk playing with a pine cone Jia Chen/ComedyWildlifePhoto
Jia Chen captured these interesting pictures and turned them into a collage titled “Football Dream,” which went ahead to win the “Amazing Internet Portfolio Award.” These shots were taken in Ontario, Canada, but truly give onlookers an out-of-the-world experience.
87. Did You Say? An Owl Winked At You?
Possible Camera Used: Canon EOS 90D
Where to Buy: Target
Avg. Cost: $1,200*
Winking is not just for anybody, especially when it comes to the animal kingdom. Nobody could do it better than this furry little owl, although the glaring other eye might put you off. Arshdeep Singh took this iconic picture during a leisure trip to explore the wildlife of rural Bikaner in India.
An owl winking Arshdeep Singh/ComedyWildlifePhoto
Singh came across an owlet perched inside a pipe during the last days of his trip and was trying to capture a sneaky picture of the furry beauty. He waited for the owlet to come out, who spotted the intruding photographer and looked straight at him before closing one of his eyes and crawling back into the pipe.
88. Talk To My Hand
Possible Camera Used: Olympus TOUGH TG-6
Where to Buy: Best Buy
Avg. Cost: $500*
It is not just humans who get angry and frustrated with each other: animals are bound to feel such emotions too. Jennifer Hadley’s “Talk To The Fin” perfectly depicts this idea, which is why it won the “People’s Choice Award” in the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
An annoyed penguin Jennifer Hadley/ComedyWildlifePhoto
This image features two penguins, one visibly irritated and frustrated with the conversation and the other trying to figure out what it did wrong. The frustrated one can be seen showing his fin to the other, most certainly telling it to “talk to its hand” in the human tongue.
89. 3,2,1.. Smile!
Possible Camera Used: Sony RX10 IV
Where to Buy: Sony
Avg. Cost: $1,700*
Smiling fish may creep you out, but they are smiling happily nonetheless. Arturo Telle Thiemann’s “Say Cheese” snapshot features two smiling triggerfish, but does something sinister lurk behind their teeth?
Smiling triggerfish Arthur Telle Thiemann/ComedyWildlifePhoto
Although Thiemann’s photograph won the “Creatures Under the Water Award” in the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, triggerfish are actually quite dangerous. They are prone to biting people that come too close to their liking. Theimann was already taking on a perilous task by trying to capture these fish from up close, so fate smiled at him, making the fish smile too, and letting him leave unscathed.
90. Don’t Judge A Hippo By Its Mouth
Possible Camera Used: Nikon COOLPIX P1000
Where to Buy: Nikon USA
Avg. Cost: $1,000*
A picture can be misleading, which is also true for the animal world. This award-winning picture aptly titled “Misleading African Viewpoints 2” was captured by Jean Jacques Alcalay in Africa. The first look at it makes one immediately jump to the conclusion that the blood-thirsty hippo is trying to gulp an innocent bystander heron whole.
Hippo yawning Jean Jacques Alcalay/ComedyWildlifePhoto
But context is vital to understand the true essence of this snap: the hippo is merely standing on the back of another hippo to soak in his surroundings and is only yawning in the process. Don’t judge a book by its cover and a hippo by its mouth.