Throw the kangaroo out of the earth! This year's funny wildlife photography award is all emojis!

Recently, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards announced this year's finalists - a total of 40 cute (ugly) moments of wildlife. We selected some of the best works and take a look at which photos will make you laugh.

Take off now

Title: Pegasus, the flying horse

Photographer: Jagdeep Rajput

A Pegasus suddenly appeared in a forest park in India?

Unfortunately, it is not. The one running in front is a blue wildebeest, and behind it is a red-necked crane attacking the blue wildebeest's butt . The reason for the attack is also very simple - the blue wildebeest dared to approach its nest, and there was an egg that it had worked so hard to lay in the nest.

As the tallest flying bird in the world, the Sarus crane stands about 1.55 meters tall and has a wingspan of 2.4 meters. Although the blue wildebeest is called the blue wildebeest, only the male has a gray-blue body, while the female and young blue wildebeest are brown or brown; in addition, only the male has horns on his head.

In this conflict, the situation of "being unable to escape even with wings" did not occur. The contest between the two ended with the red-necked crane successfully driving away the blue wildebeest .

"Go!"

Title: It's all kicking off!

Photographer: Michael Eastwell

At sunrise, a kangaroo rises with the sun.

Kangaroos often use their upper limbs to push each other when fighting, but their most important weapon is actually their long and strong hind legs. In the photo, this suspended kangaroo may be releasing a powerful "air kick" , but it looks like its companion is grabbing its hind legs and swinging it away, and it will soon be thrown to the end of the coastline.

This scene happened on the beach of Cape Hillsborough, Queensland, Australia. The local tourism industry has two highlights: the magnificent sunrise and the herds of kangaroos. Every morning, eastern grey kangaroos and wallabies come from far away to the beach to have breakfast. Kangaroos are herbivores, and there will be seaweed and mangrove seeds washed ashore the night before, so the kangaroos can have a good meal.

"Stop talking."

Title: Talk to the Fin

Photographer: Jennifer Hadley

In the water, penguins are graceful swimmers; but on land, they are very silly and adorable.

In the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, a Gentoo penguin and a Magellanic penguin met on the same beach . The Gentoo penguin on the right turned its head away from the Magellanic penguin on the left, raised its chin, and raised its hand meaningfully... The atmosphere between the geese seemed a little subtle. Did they have a quarrel?

In fact, there was nothing fishy going on. The gentoo penguin was just shaking itself off, shaking off the water .

"I didn't realise I had captured this until I got home and was looking through the photos. I then noticed the penguin's expression and raised wings and burst into laughter," explained photographer Jennifer Hadley.

Lion Fall

Title: Not so cat-like reflexes

Photographer: Jennifer Hadley

In a tree in Tanzania, a 3-month-old lion cub is climbing and playing with his brothers and sisters. However, it is easier to climb up the tree than to get down. Before going down, the lion cub first looks around the tree to make sure it is ready before taking action. In the end, it did get down, but the posture was not what people expected of the king of beasts.

Fortunately, the little lion was not injured (perhaps its self-esteem was a little hurt). After landing, it got up and ran away with several other little lions.

The proud penguin in the previous photo and the wrestling lion here are both from photographer Jennifer Hadley. As for how to capture wonderful moments, she said: "You never know when something will happen, so you have to be patient or wait for a moment. You also need to understand some animal behaviors and be able to predict the occurrence of certain things.

“And a lot of times, it’s just luck .”

"You didn't invite me to the picnic?"

Title: Your Picnic's Mine!

Photographer: Lincoln Macgregor

Photographers need good luck to get the right shot, but some picnickers were not so lucky. On the picnic mat, a double-wattled cassowary showed up uninvited to enjoy the fish and chips people put out.

The double-wattled cassowary is the third largest bird in the world, second only to the ostrich and emu, and can reach a height of 1.8 meters. They have long and sharp claws, and a strong sense of territory, so they are often called " the most dangerous bird in the world ."

But despite their dangers, they are also gardeners in the rainforest. Although omnivores, cassowaries mostly feed on fallen fruits. Their feces are large and contain hundreds or even thousands of seeds. The feces not only spread the seeds, but also serve as a ready-made fertilizer, helping the seeds to germinate and grow. Some small animals sometimes eat the seeds in the cassowary feces, which further helps to spread the seeds.

But now, these birds are often attracted to human picnics. If they eat too much human food, their ecological role in spreading seeds may be weakened.

Smiling at the mirror

Title: Say Cheeeeeeese

Photographer: Telle Thiemann

With their sausage-shaped mouths, large front teeth, and slightly upturned corners, these two gray triggerfish look very camera-savvy. However, the smile they show to the camera is not a welcoming one, but a "dangerous smile" with a hidden knife in it - the scratches on the photographer's camera casing can prove it .

Gray triggerfish have sharp teeth and strong jaws that can punch holes in hard-shelled prey. They can be aggressive if they find intruders in their territory, especially during the breeding season. Some divers have been attacked and chased by gray triggerfish and eventually fled.

Kung Fu Squirrel

Title: Jumping Jack

Photographer: Alex Pansier

In the rainy woods, a squirrel showed off its lightness skills to the camera. Netizens who liked this photo even said that the picture was a bit like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

" It often jumps from one branch to another , and you concentrate and try to capture the moment it flies into the air." Usually, it takes photographer Alex 10 days to take a satisfactory photo, but this time, he took this Kung Fu squirrel on the first day.

"Slightly"

Title: Lisper Squirrel

Photographer: Lee Zhengxing

This photo of a little squirrel sticking out its tongue was taken by Chinese photographer Lee Zhengxing in Xi'an Zhuque National Forest Park .

When the squirrel found people approaching, it was not scared away. Instead, it turned around and stared at the people, even sticking out its tongue, acting cute at the moment the photographer pressed the shutter.

"Mom, let me get some help too."

Title: Tight Fit

Photographer: Mark Schocken

In a park in Florida, a young owl is trying to squeeze out its little head . This may be its first time to see the outside world. The cute baby's big eyes are full of curiosity, but the owl's mother's expression...

The Eastern Scops Owl is a small owl, with an adult bird usually only about 20 centimeters long. Females are larger and more aggressive, and are responsible for protecting offspring and nests. Males are small but agile, and are responsible for foraging and delivering meals home.

Unbearable to hear

Title: Fight Back

Photographer: John Chaney

Over the years, brown bears in Alaska have eaten countless salmon. This time, a salmon finally decided not to sit still and wait for death, and decided to fight back by hitting the brown bear in the face ! But where is the salmon's head...

Under the bridge in front of the door, there is a group of turtles lying...

Title: Excuse Me... Pardon Me!

Photographer: Ryan Sims

After stepping on a few turtles, the duckling finally fell into the water without counting how many turtles there were.

"Hurry up, it's busy!"

Title: Rushing Little Owl Fledgeling

Photographer: Shuli Greenstein

Hearing that there are many owls in the Judean Lowlands of Israel, photographer Greenstein got up early and got what he wanted. Some owls were on trees, some on the ground, some next to their nests, and some on rocks... Suddenly, two Little Owls jumping on the ground attracted the photographer's attention, and one of them took the initiative to enter the camera, leaving a picture of a little adult in a hurry in the camera .

Owl Hide and Seek

Title: You can't see me, can you?

Photographer: Lukas Zeman

In an old house in Bulgaria, an owl hid in the chimney, as if playing hide-and-seek with the photographer.

The flirting vixen (bushi)

Title: The Wink

Photographer: Kevin Lohman

A red fox turned its head and blinked, then disappeared into the bushes.

"Don't you have a brain?"

Title: Keep Calm and Keep Your Head

Photographer: Martin Grace

Kiss Leopard

Title: Uncomfortable Pillow

Photographer: Andrew Peacock

"I'll strangle you to death... just kidding"

Title: I'm gonna strangle you!

Photographer: Emmanuel Do Linh San

Confirmed: I slept really hard

Title: Monkey Wellness Centre

Photographer: Federica Vinci

Hippos eat birds?

Title: Misleading African viewpoints 2

Photographer: Jean Jacques Alcalay

Hippo: I just yawned.

Cute bear picking up feathers

Title: What shall I write next

Photographer: Torie Hilley

After picking up a feather, the little bear played with it for 10 minutes, holding the feather in its mouth, looking thoughtful.

★

Currently, the Funny Wildlife Photography Award is still in the voting stage . Voting will end on November 27 and the winning works will be announced on the evening of December 8.

In the context of pervasive human activities, global warming, increasing environmental pollution, and social unrest, the topic of wildlife protection has become increasingly serious. The desolate habitats and wildlife at risk of extinction may make viewers feel more uncomfortable. The anthropomorphic effect of funny animal pictures may trigger empathy and allow people to pay attention to wildlife protection in a more relaxed way.

As photographer Jennifer Hadley, who made it into the finals with two works, said, "With the world today full of bad news, I feel like we need these photos to relax and laugh." At the same time, these photos also show us a completely different side of wild animals than usual.

References

[1] 2022 Selection :: Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards - Conservation through Competition. (2022, October 22). Retrieved from https://www.comedywildlifephoto.com/affinity-photo-peoples-choice-award/vote-affinity-photo-peoples-choice-award.php

[2] Pappas, S. (2022). Screaming monkeys, 'headless' penguins and face-planting zebras take top honors in Comedy Wildlife awards. Livescience. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/animal-comedy-wildlife-photographs

[3] M ichael E astwell (@michaeleastwell) • Instagram photos and videos. (2022, October 23). Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/CQimsyZB2EI

[4] Lakritz, T. (2022). Funny animal photos: Comedy Wildlife Photography Award finalists. Insider. Retrieved from https://www.insider.com/funny-animal-photos-comedy-wildlife-photography-award-finalists-2022-10

[5] Gemma. (2020). Kangaroos on the beach at Cape Hillsborough - Our Coast Life. Our Coast Life. Retrieved from http://www.ourcoastlife.com.au/discover-kangaroos-on-the-beach-at-cape-hillsborough

[6] Alex Pansier's flying squirrel in race for international photo prize - World News | TakeToNews. (2022, October 23). Retrieved from https://taketonews.com/alex-pansiers-flying-squirrel-in-race-for-international-photo-prize

[7] Southern cassowary. (2022, October 24). Retrieved from https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/conservation/threatened-wildlife/threatened-species/featured-projects/southern-cassowary

[8] Goodyear, S. (2022). How does a wildlife photographer strike comedy gold? Know-how, patience — and lots of luck. CBC. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/comedy-wildlife-photo-finalists-1.6625504

[9] Triggerfish | British Sea Fishing. (2020, December 23). Retrieved from https://britishseafishing.co.uk/triggerfish

Flickr. (2022, October 25). Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/hyalella/52058855454

Author: Cloud

Editor: Mai Mai

The copyright of the image belongs to the photographer

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards official website www.comedywildlifephoto.com

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