Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be flipped off by an orangutan or seduced by a mantis? Well, wonder no more, thanks to the 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.
This photography competition showcases the amusing side of nature, usually by anthropomorphizing it in some way, and features a variety of comical critters from across the globe.
This year, a surprised owl and a brown bear striking a pose are featured among the more than 10,000 entries, with photographers competing for a luxury safari in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve.
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Live Science rounded up some of the funniest photos from the 2026 finalists for your enjoyment. And yes, the orangutan and mantis have made it to the finals.
“Are You Kidding Me?”
I’m owling with laughter.
(Image credit: ©Kevin Lohman/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)
Here we see a squirrel launching itself at a great horned owl fledgling in Natural Bridges State Beach park in Santa Cruz, California. According to photographer Kevin Lohman, the squirrel knocked the owl off its perch three times.
Our video channels editor, Elise Poore, said this photo really made her laugh. I doubt the owl found it quite so funny. However, great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) do hunt squirrels, so it’s no surprise that these rodents can get a little tetchy around the birds.
“Spicy Orangutan”
A critically endangered orangutan raises a finger in an unspecified area of Borneo.
(Image credit: ©Tanner Mansell/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)
This “Spicy Orangutan” entry features a male Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) raising one finger, giving the appearance that he’s flipping off the camera. In the description accompanying the image, photographer Tanner Mansell explained that the orangutan was finishing his meal at the time.
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“Even though he was completely wild and just enjoying his food, I couldn’t help wondering, ‘Does he know what he’s doing?'” Mansell wrote.
No, Mansell, he doesn’t.
“Ballet Dancer”
One magnificent sparrowhawk, or a bird of slay.
(Image credit: ©Robert Nairn/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)
This photo of a sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) in Dumfries, Scotland, is titled “Ballet Dancer,” but to me, the balancing bird looks more like an Olympic gymnast in the middle of a complex beam routine. Either way, perfect form!
“Push Over”
Is that really the punch-lion?
(Image credit: ©Barbara Seiberl-Stark/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)
This lion snapshot, taken in the Ruckomechi riverbed in Zimbabwe, is one of many finalists that appear to show animals laughing or joking around.
“#ForTheGram”
(Image credit: ©Rosie Barrett/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)
Photographer Rosie Barrett was getting shots of three yearling brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Finland when one appeared to strike a pose.
“Pretty sure he knew it was for Instagram..un-bear-lieavable!” Barrett wrote in a description of her photo.
S-bear me.
“Sexy Mantis”
Watch out, boy, she’ll chew your head off, oh-oh here she comes, she’s a man-tis-eater.
(Image credit: ©Diego Perez/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)
I know what you’re thinking: This mantis looks like it’s saying, “Draw me like one of your French girls.” However, if you can look past the sexualization of an insect, you might notice a pretty neat trick in how the photo was framed.
Half of the mantis’s body is hidden behind the leaf. What appears to be a torso and legs are actually the creature’s forelimbs, which it uses to catch prey. Photographer Diego Perez explained that he snapped the mantis while documenting wildlife in the proposed Bosques del Araza Regional Conservation Area in Peru, which is currently threatened by illegal gold mining.
“Sea Gangsters”
These walruses are about to make an offer you can’t refuse.
(Image credit: ©Marek Jackowski/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)
Here we see a herd of walruses on the coast of Svalbard in Norway. The photo is titled “Sea Gangsters,” implying that the walruses look like tough guys. You’d probably feel tough, too, if your tusks (which are actually sabers) grew to around 3 feet (1 meter) long.
“Little Godzilla”
This red squirrel has high grass-pirations.
(Image credit: ©Udo Harms/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)
Ten out of 10. No notes. But, in all seriousness, red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) are known to grab materials like dried grass and moss to line their nests, called dreys, so maybe this little fellow is working on its home sweet home.
“The Different One”
They’re giraffe-ing with you, not at you.
(Image credit: ©Dirk Koster/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)
Sometimes, all a photographer needs is the Maasai Mara, three young giraffes and a perfectly placed acacia tree. It’s nice that the photographer caught them at a standstill, since these ungulates can run up to 35 mph (56 km/h) in short bursts.
This is just a selection of the finalists. You can see the rest of the contenders in Nikon’s 2026 finalists gallery. The winners will be announced Dec. 8.
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