December 10, 2025, 12:53 pm | Read time: 8 minutes
For exactly ten years now, the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards have been honoring the funniest wildlife photos from amateur and professional photographers worldwide. The winners have now been announced. PETBOOK presents its 10 favorite award winners–and one photo that didn’t make it to the winners’ circle but became the editorial team’s personal favorite.
Most people associate wildlife photography with cute animal babies and spectacular shots of predators chasing each other through picturesque natural settings. The words “fun” or “humor” are hardly ever part of the equation. That’s exactly what the creators of the “Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards” want to change: They have invited photographers to submit their funniest wildlife snapshots. More than a thousand images have already been submitted, they say. The winners have now been announced. A total of nine categories were awarded:
- Overall Winner: the main winner of the awards
- ThinkTANK Birds Award: This category specifically honors photographs of birds.
- Fish and Other Aquatic Species Award: This category celebrates photos of fish and other marine life.
- Reptiles, Amphibian and Insect Award: recognizes images of insects, amphibians, or reptiles
- Nikon Junior Category (Under 16) Award: Honors images by photographers under 16 years old
- Nikon Young Photographer Category (Under 25): Honors images by photographers under 25 years old.
- Amazing Internet Portfolio Award: Honors images that tell a story in sequence.
- Video Category Winner: Videos can also win prizes at the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
- Highly Commended Winners: Photos that were recognized but do not fall into a specific award category
Kung Fu Gorilla is the Funniest Wildlife Photo of 2025
With its unusual movements reminiscent of martial arts, this gorilla secured the win at the “Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.” The winning photo was submitted by British photographer Mark Meth Cohn. He explains how the snapshot came about: “We spent four unforgettable days trekking through the misty Virunga Mountains, searching for the gorilla families that live there.”
A young male gorilla stood out by showcasing its acrobatic talent with pirouettes, tumbles, and high kicks. “Watching his performance was pure joy, and I’m thrilled to have captured his playful spirit in this image,” says Meth Cohn. “After reaching the finals last year, I’m absolutely thrilled to have taken the competition a step further and won this year.”
“Just Shut Up Already” – Winner of the “ThinkTANK Birds Award”
“Sometimes you just want to bite your neighbor’s head off–literally!” With these words, photographer Warren Price describes the situation he captured in the photo that won in the “Birds” category. The two guillemots sat–along with many other conspecifics–closely packed on a ledge. These seabirds only come to steep coasts to breed. In Germany, they are only found on Heligoland, as suitable breeding territories are scarce and space is limited. This leads to aggression and fights among the territorial guillemots.
Say Cheese! The Funniest Wildlife Photo in the “Fish” Category
This little coral fish smiles so beautifully at the camera, as if it had been waiting for photographer Jenny Stock with her camera. The Brit captured the snapshot during a dive in the Philippines. There, the fish repeatedly poked its head out of its home. “I took a few photos and loved its cheeky face smiling at me,” she says. However, one should not be deceived by the cheerful expression. This species, known in German as the Bluestreak cleaner wrasse, has a rare defense mechanism where the fish can bite an attacking predator and spray it with venom if it feels threatened. The venom causes dizziness and disorientation, as the photographer explains.
The Unwilling Baptism – Winner in the “Insects, Amphibians, and Reptiles” Category and the “Nikon Junior Category (Under 16)”
This moment, which appears funny to us, in the fight between two frogs was captured by photographer Grayson Bell in his pond in Biddeford, Maine, USA. “It looked to me like one of them was being baptized against its will. I thought it was kind of a funny situation.”
Breakdance Instead of Foxtrot – Winner of the “Nikon Young Photographer Category (Under 25)”
A German finalist was also recognized in the Nikon Young Photographer Category (Under 25) at the funniest wildlife photos 2025: Paula Rustemeier often visited these three young fox siblings–but not in her home country, rather in the Netherlands. The three red foxes often played in the sand, as the photographer recounts about her image. “The movements are always very fast, the moments very brief. The foxes run from one side to the other. Only when I reviewed my photos at home did I see this funny image, where it looked like the fox in the middle was showing off some breakdance skills!”
Best German Animal Accounts of the Year Announced
The Best Horse Influencers of 2026 Have Been Announced
Our Favorites of the “Highly Commended Winners”
A total of nine photographers received an award in this category for their photo. We have compiled our favorites of these funniest wildlife photos 2025:
Oh, I Just Can’t Wait to Be King
At least that’s the title of the funny lion picture, where it looks like one of the big cats let out a “stinker.” In reality, it’s pure desperation, as photographer Bret Saalwaechter reports. He observed a group of young lions relentlessly demanding milk and attention from their mother, much to the dismay of the adult lions in the pride. For over an hour, they followed their mother, who–already in a bad mood from the sweltering heat–let out a cry of disapproval. This back-and-forth played out repeatedly until Saalwaechter captured the perfect moment: The entire pride seemed to say in perfect unison, “Not again!”
Alarm Siren
Another entry that made it among the winners of the funniest wildlife photos 2025 is the snapshot by Annette Kirby. She observed a white-tailed sea eagle in Hokkaido, Japan, showcasing its talent as a sustainable alarm siren while protecting its prey. “This shot was taken in Japan, where I watched a sea eagle place its fish in a hole and protect it. This sea eagle saw another eagle coming and trying to steal it.” To the photographer, it looked as if it was shouting at the other bird to go away immediately. Whether it succeeded in driving off the potential fish thief is not recorded.
“Bad Hair Day”
Even though it looks like it: This squirrel didn’t just wake up like this. It’s a very busy mother squirrel moving her young from one nest to another. After bringing her last baby into the nest, she poked her head out while her tail was still sticking out. Canadian photographer Christy Grinton seized the moment–and landed among the winners of the funniest wildlife photos 2025.
Because the grass the squirrel was running through was still wet from the overnight rain, the fur was accordingly damp. “It looked like she had just come out of the shower and was running to open the door,” Grinton said.
Gannet with a Windblown Hairstyle
This winning photo was taken during a visit to the Nikon School, which aimed to photograph birds of the Bempton Cliffs. The cliffs on England’s east coast are known as breeding grounds for gannets, razorbills, and puffins. On this day, an unusually strong land wind made the gannets’ takeoffs and landings more dynamic than usual, as photographer Alison Tuck reports. While collecting nesting grass at a spot on the cliff top, the wind blew the grass directly into a gannet’s face, making takeoff and navigation even more challenging. Hence, she titled her image “Which Direction is My Nest?”
Our Personal Favorite: Smoke Break
This entry from Germany made it to the finalists but ultimately did not receive an award. However, it caused so much laughter in the editorial team that we want to honor it. It comes from Lars Beygang from Neumarkt in Bavaria. He was outside on a cold morning taking photos at a local pond. “The temperatures made the breath very visible against the sun,” he says. “I noticed a loud call from a garden fence nearby, where this male mallard called out a few times. It really looks like he’s smoking a cigarette outside in his garden because smoking is not allowed inside.”