While 2020 is no laughing matter, the finalists of this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards made sure to put a smile on everyone’s faces.
The wildlife photography finalists included the biggest to smallest creatures from around the world, but the top prize was awarded to a rude turtle. Photographer Mark Fitzpatrick was swimming off the coast of Lady Elliot Island in Queensland, Australia, when he stumbled across a sea turtle, who raised its flipper, resembling a middle finger.
“I was swimming with this turtle at Lady Elliot Island on the Great Barrier Reef when he flipped me the bird!” said Fitzpatrick.
Scroll through some of the other finalists from this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards:
The Yoga Expert (Galapagos Islands)
“We were surprised to see that sea lions actively practise yoga. Guess they need to get their zen as well”
Photograph: Sue Hollis/CWPAs 2020
Monkey business (Borneo, Malaysia)
“While on a trip to Borneo, I had many opportunities to watch monkeys interacting with each other. These pig-tailed macaques showed me a bit more than I bargained for!”
Photograph: Megan Lorenz/CWPAs 2020
Haven’t you heard sharing is caring? (Scotland)
“Atlantic puffins are amazing flyers and their fishing talents are, well, as you see, some do better than others! I just love the second puffin’s look: can I just have one please?”
Photograph: Krisztina Scheeff/CWPAs 2020
Mom, look what I found! (Kaziranga, India)
“At the Kaziranga national park, this elephant mother and calf seemed completely oblivious to our jeep and went about their stroll through the pond. The mom seemed to be giving her calf lessons on eating the hyacinth: select a lush green bunch, rip them out from the root, pound the stems against the trunk to remove the mud and then swallow whole. The calf looked like she was thoroughly enjoying the lesson and duly followed her mother’s every move”
Photograph: Kunal Gupta/CWPAs 2020
Guys, I don’t feel so good (Falkland Islands)
‘This picture was taken at sunrise. A group of gentoo penguins went to the shore to go fishing when one stopped and vomited’
Photograph: Christina Holfelder/CWPAs 2020
Sing your heart out (Hungary)
“It’s like he was just “singing” to me! She had a very nice voice”
Photograph: Roland Kranitz/CWPAs 2020
Talk to the hand (Sri Lanka)
“This is the beginning of a scene which lasted approximately one minute and in which each of the rose-ringed parakeets used a foot to clean the partner’s beak. While the whole scene was very informative, this first photo with the male already holding his foot high in the air was just asking to be taken out of context”
Photograph: Petr Sochman/CWPAs 2020
Kingfisher or a mocking bird? (Kirkcudbright, Scotland)
“I was hoping a kingfisher would land on the “No fishing” sign but I was over the moon when it landed for several seconds with a fish. It then flew off with its catch. It appeared to be mocking the person who erected the sign!”
Photograph: Sally Lloyd-Jones/CWPAs 2020
Having a laugh, Caithness, Scotland
“A young common seal chills out on a rock in Sinclair Bay, its thick layer of blubber moulding into the contours of the rock. Looking as if it is enjoying a really good joke, the seal is, in fact, yawning”
Photograph: Ken Crossan/CWPAs 2020
Faceplant (Namibia)
Photograph: Tim Hearn/CWPAs 2020
