2020’s Humor Heroes: Animals That Provided Much-Needed Comic Relief

After another year of friendly competition, the finalists for the 2020 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were announced on October 22 — and we’re living for the contest. The whole point of the awards, according to founder Tom Sullam, is to recognize the talent of photographers as they capture snort-worthy photos of the world’s wildlife. The competition also works to raise awareness for conservation and ethical issues, making it all the more appealing. In a year that proved to be full of hardships and challenges, we are glad that some animals out there made us laugh and forget about the horrendous year that was 2020 for just a moment, at least. So! Without any further ado, here are 44 of the finalists that were shortlisted for the award and had us cracking up.

That One Friend

In every friend group, there’s always one odd duck (penguin?). This friend will be the one that falls down all the time, scowls in every photo taken of them, or can’t seem to cook a meal without burning it to save their life.

Apparently, the idea of “that one friend” translates into the social circles of the animal world, too. As you can see here, the penguin at the end of the line up is definitely the odd man out in this group.

Bad News Bears

Bears have a reputation for being menacing, bad-tempered, and hungry. These baby bears, though, are anything but those things. Even though they look like they’re carrying out some sort of evil master plan, they’re downright adorable.

Honestly, we have no idea what they could possibly be doing with that person’s tire, but it’s not like they could do much harm. With those cute little faces, fluffy butts, and guilty expressions, these bears are the definition of “bad news bears.”

Bad Hair Day

Have you ever woken up with hair that resembles what you might look like if you were shocked by a plugin? This guy has! We feel for him, we really do. We know what it’s like to have hair this unruly, and we wouldn’t wish it on anyone — bird or human.

The bird pictured here doesn’t look like he cares about his hair that much. In fact, it seems like he’s more upset over the fact that someone is capturing his unfortunate hair day on camera than the bad hair itself.

Hangin’ Out

Oddly enough, this photo reminds us of the ever-popular classic high-school musical movie, Grease. The raccoon pictured here seems to ooze coolness and confidence while simultaneously making our sides hurt from laughter, much like the characters in the movie do.

You don’t think he looks like a greaser? Just imagine this little guy with a head full of dark hair, a leather jacket, and a comb in his back pocket! He’d be the star of the movie and the coolest guy around.

Turtle-tude

If you aren’t sure what to do today or where you put your keys, don’t worry because there’s one thing you can certainly be sure about: that this turtle has a ton of attitude! With a smile on his face and his middle flipper up, it’s safe to say that he didn’t want his picture taken.

Considering this, there is, perhaps, one more thing we can be sure of…that this is one side-splitting funny photo. The talented photographer behind it has an eye for capturing the perfect moment in time and has an awesome sense of humor.

A Smile A Day

There’s something particularly charming about animals who have enough personality to let it show through in their expressions. Dogs and cats are known for their adorable smiles, of course, but did you know that there are fish who can smile?

If you didn’t, you’re not alone. Until we saw this photo, we’d never considered the idea that a fish could smile at us, but we’ve stumbled upon all the proof we need. Meet the happiest fish alive! We like to call him Chuckles.

Beary Friendly

When we think of bears, we tend to think of menacing beasts who live in a constant state of blood lust and boast an impressive hunting drive. Although, as we can see in this photo, not all bears spend their days searching for a live meal.

Sometimes they just want to make a new friend — and this bear seems to have found his in the photographer who captured this shot. If we had been face to face with this bear, we would have happily waved right back, which is exactly what the photographer did before slowly backing up.

Trunk Over Tail

Elephants are surprisingly graceful for being one of the biggest land animals in the world. They make a lot of noise, sure, but rarely ever fall and walk with a certain sort of grace about them. Surely, that’s what this photographer was trying to capture when one of the photo’s subjects took a tumble.

Whoops! The poor little baby elephant is seen doing a nosedive into the dry grass of the savannah– and if that wasn’t bad enough, to add insult to the injury of his pride? The entire thing was caught on camera!

Sneak Attack

It’s never the most pleasant thing to have someone sneak up behind you and scare the daylights out of you. But when it happens, we can be thankful that the scare was only a scare and that it didn’t come with the addition of razor-sharp claws digging into our flesh.

Unfortunately, lion cubs don’t have that luxury. Nope, instead what they get a set of claws digging into their skin and, in this case, an attacker that strikes from above — claws, fangs, and all. Take that, big brother!

Did Someone Say Food?

We’d love to know what this squirrel has his sights eagerly fixated on? By the look on his face, it’s got to be something really, really good. A triple chocolate cake? A winning lottery ticket? Maybe a brand new puppy?!

Unfortunately, it’s probably just a pile of acorns or something. But for this little guy, that’s nearly as good as winning the jackpot and a major cause for celebration. Even though it’s nothing we’re interested in, we’re glad that this moment was captured on camera. His excitement is contagious.

Sharing Is Caring

We’ve all heard the expression “sharing is caring.” Most of us grew up with the rule, our parents drilling into our heads that to share with someone means to show them that you care despite the fact that, honestly, we really just wanted to have the entire bag of chips to ourselves.

It looks like the puffin with the catch of fish in his mouth was raised without the presence of the sharing is caring rule. On the other hand, his buddy wasn’t so fortunate and now thinks that his companion doesn’t care about him. Poor guy!

Motherly Love

It’s not every day that wild animals are captured during their vulnerable moments. Sometimes, though, photographers manage to snap a photo at just the right time, effectively melting the hearts of viewers and proving that the animal kingdom can be peaceful and serene.

The bond between mothers and their babies can be seen in this photo, and, yes, our hearts are definitely melting. Not only are these two attached at the hip (tail?) but they also have plenty of cute wrinkles that wave in the breeze!

Shhh, It’s A Secret

Shh, it’s a secret! What’s the secret, though? We aren’t really sure, but the way this bird has posed for this photo has us practically zipping our lips closed and forgetting that we even know there’s a secret at all.

We aren’t going to lie; we’d love to know what secret we’re protecting, but it’s unlikely that we’ll ever find out. Our best guess is that we aren’t supposed to tell the unsuspecting mouse below that it is about to become dinner.

Just Act Casual

Let’s face it — it’s hard to look like you weren’t starring when you were or to act like you weren’t just talking about the person who walked into the room. In these situations, we have a tendency to freeze up and, despite our best efforts, look anything but natural.

Maybe we should take lessons from this bird, huh? Seriously, he looks like he knows exactly what to do when he’s caught doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. It’s funny because it almost looks like he’s examining his nails.

Smile for The Camera

If we held a contest for the biggest smile, this guy would be the winner — no questions asked. His smile is so big that it practically stretches across his entire face. And that smile paired with his picture-perfect pose? Adorable!

We don’t know what he’s so happy about, but man, do we ever wish we did! Whatever it is, it has made for a great photo that’s sure to bring a smile to the face of everyone who sees it.

Too Hot To Handle

If you’ve ever taken a bath, you know how easy it is to run the water just a few degrees too hot. You wouldn’t think that those few degrees would make a difference but, as we realize every time this happens, they do.

Those couple of degrees often mean the difference between having a relaxing bath and entering the water only to make the exact same face that this monkey is making. Clearly, he underestimated how warm that hot spring was.

Don’t Look Now

To us, this looks like the perfect setup for a modern-day scary movie. This photo contains all the crucial elements: a dark background, an unassuming target, and a stealthy predator that may or may not mean our target harm.

In this case, we like to think that the bird in the background means his buddy no harm, except maybe to scare him. Either way, though, this is a great example of a spooky story before it unfolds (and an awesome picture!).

About To Chomp

It’s pretty entertaining when someone (or some animal!) gets caught making an embarrassing face or in a compromising position in a photo. The pair of hippos pictured here was caught just before one took a chomp of the other’s ear by the looks of things.

It’s really too bad that we don’t know what happened within the seconds following this photo. We can only imagine that things escalated rather quickly, with a pair of angry hippos stampeding all over the place. Look out everyone!

Monkey Motor Gang

When a group of bikers went into their favorite bar, they probably didn’t expect to have their bikes taken over by a group of monkeys. Nope, they probably just assumed that they’d have a few drinks and then go home for the night.

Instead, they get to deal with what we’d like to call the Monkey Motor Gang. These rough and tough primates are the fiercest things on the street and are ready to blow you away with their cuteness (after they make away with the bikes, of course!).

Just Clowning Around

Looking at this photo, we know which of these animals is the clown of the friend circle. What gives it away, you ask? Well, if it isn’t the way the creature’s friend is looking at him with subtle amusement…

….then it must be the absolutely hilarious face that the other creature is making! Between the nose, the pointy teeth, and the clear joy on his face, this wrinkly creature has effectively been dubbed “the funny friend” by our team.

Bearly Scary

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Check out these totally scary little guys. The photographer snapping this photo must have been so scared that he was shaking in his boots — these baby bears are the scariest things around.

Okay, so maybe we’re exaggerating a bit and, well…these bears shouldn’t be used as the poster children for “world’s most terrifying animals.” Unless, of course, dopey faces and rolling on the ground makes your knees knock together?

I Can See You

This photo is the perfect photo for defining the age-old belief that if I can’t see you, you can’t see me. All this teeny tiny damselfly has to do is close his eyes, and then voila! He vanishes behind the wheat stalk, never to be discovered by his enemies.

Although this hiding spot clearly wouldn’t score him a win in a game of hide and seek, we have to admit that his effort is stellar. So if we were giving out grades, we’d give him an A for effort and an A+ for featuring in such a heart-warming photo.

Deep In Thought

Shhh, he’s thinking! That’s what this photo says to us, and since gorillas are such smart beings, it very well could be the truth. For all we know this gorilla could be plotting a world takeover or to push the president out of office so he can free his fellow primates from zoos.

While either of those ideas makes for interesting scenarios, it’s more likely that he’s deep in thought about whether he wants three bamboo shoots for dinner or four. He might even be thinking as far ahead as dessert — a banana or guava?

Slimming Down for Summer

Ah, yes! Beach season is upon this bear, and we know what that means — it’s time for him to get slim and trim, lose the winter weight, and perfect his beach body. Even after slimming down, he’s far too big for a bathroom scale, so he uses this tree to measure his progress. Genius!

If he’s trying to be as slim as that tree, he’s got a ways to go yet, but we have to admit, he’s doing a pretty good job! Pretty soon, he’ll be able to hide behind it without a second thought.

No Fishing

When a sign says not to do something, it’s almost always geared towards any humans that might be in the area. After all, you wouldn’t expect a raccoon wandering through the city to stop at the stop sign, would you?

Of course you wouldn’t! That’s why we’re going to assume that this sign was directed at park visitors and not at this gorgeous avian specimen. Yep, by the looks of things, he just wants to rub his fishing privileges in our faces.

Monkeying Around

Remember how we mentioned “that one friend” above? Well, here we have another example of just how to recognize who those certain friends are. If you couldn’t already tell, the friend we’re talking about is the one swinging (you probably knew that right away).

Not only is he ruining a perfectly posed family photo, but he’s also using his companions’ tails as his own personal jungle gym! We can’t help but wonder how they don’t seem to mind….we know we certainly would.

A Flair for Dramatics

There’s nothing wrong with being a bit dramatic. In fact, this teeny tiny little guy proves that having a flair for the dramatics can work in one’s favor. While he won’t find himself on Broadway using his singing voice anytime soon, he very well might have a career in modeling.

If we were him, we’d be more than happy to trade in our singing career for a chance to grace the covers of wildlife magazines around the world. Who knows; maybe this photo is the thing he needed to get started!

Not Now Mom!

As a child, there were plenty of times when our parents felt compelled to shower us with love. Much to our utmost horror, most of these times were also times in which we were surrounded by friends. Talk about embarrassing!

This otter is experiencing first hand what we like to call “motherly affections gone wild.” If otters could talk, we’re sure he’d be protesting to the best of his abilities. We expect we’d hear something like, “come on, mom! Not in front of the other kids!”

Photo-bomb Level 100

Friends are great for an endless number of reasons. From being a shoulder to cry on to someone to run from hungry hyenas with, this giraffe’s friends always have her back. That’s why, when she was caught taking a new selfie, her best friend had to jump in.

She couldn’t let her best pal take a new photo without her! That’s something unheard of in this friendship, and to change it now would be crazy. If we had to give this photo a name, we’d call it “Photo-bomb Level 100”.

Happy Days

The first thing we notice when we look at this photo is, of course, the greenery! The entire frame is filled with it, and it takes up a large portion of the shot. In the center, though, is something equally as eye-catching: a pair of happy elephants.

Before you think we’re crazy for calling them happy elephants”, look closely at their facial expressions. Did you look? There’s no way that you can say that they aren’t smiling with a joy as bright as the fresh flowers around them.

A Nutty Idea

This raccoon has found himself in a pickle. Well, to be specific, he’s actually found himself stuck inside of the entrance to a squirrel’s home, but at this point, that detail doesn’t matter too much. The only thing that matters is that he is indeed, very, very stuck.

Since the only thing worth taking inside this burrow is likely a whole stash of nuts, we’re going to assume that this raccoon was in the mood for a snack. But instead of finding his own food, he tried to steal this poor squirrel’s food, and, as you can see, it didn’t go as planned.

Hello, Little Friend

Good friends come in all shapes and sizes — and the best part of that is when two unlikely people (or animals!) create a loving friendship. This is one of those friendships. Who knew a fox and his prey could be such close friends?

This photo goes to show just how amazing the animal world can be because let’s face it, this type of friendship probably isn’t one that happens often. In other situations, one friend – we won’t name any names- likely tries to eat the other.

Pain In The Back

There’s nothing quite like a bout of back pain to ruin your day. One minute you go from happily jumping through the trees with your friends to doubling over with crippling lower back pain the next. Why does getting older have to be so painful?

Judging by what we see here, this monkey is asking himself that very question as he mulls over the fact that he’s no longer as young as he once was. It looks like his days of triple-jumps and loopy-loops through the trees have come to an end.

He Said What?

“Wait, he said what?” asks one lion. “He said he ate three buffalo for dinner!” says the other. “He said what?!” replies the first one. That’s the kind of thing we imagine is going on in this chuckle-worthy photo.

These two lions look like they’re having a grand old time, engaging in some hot gossip and posing to have their photo taken at the same time. It’s too bad we don’t speak lion, or we might inform them that yes, he really did eat three buffalo just for the fun of it.

Do Not Disturb

Ah, peace and quiet! For once, this seal has a few minutes just to unwind. No pups, fishing to be done, or partners to entertain — just the open water, birds’ sounds, and the sunshine. Sounds almost perfect, doesn’t it?

It does to us! What’s more is that this seal doesn’t seem to have a care in the world, and man, does it make us jealous. Jealousy aside, this is also one of the cutest photos we’ve seen in a while.

Talk to the Hand

Back in the day, there was an old fad where if you didn’t want to talk to someone, you’d raise your hand in front of their face and effectively ignore them. This was called “talking to the hand,” and those on the receiving end didn’t appreciate it.

This fad saw its last day in the mid-2000s, quickly losing popularity in favor of aggressive finger-snapping — or so we thought. Apparently, it never went out of fashion within the animal world and, as we can see, is still in use today.

Oh Brother

We know what gesture this is. This is the gesture that says, “oops, I’ve done it again.” It’s a gesture of disbelief and disappointment that only comes about when something completely and utterly avoidable happens…again, and we know we messed up big time.

It’s hard to believe that a polar bear would have dropped his phone in the water or forgotten to bring a spare change of clothes when he went swimming, but it’s also completely possible that his breakfast managed to escape.

Nothing to See Here

These sneaky creatures are hiding something. Okay, so we don’t know that for a fact, but judging by the subtly guilty expressions on their faces, it’s clear that something is going on behind that mound of earth. But what?

That’s one thing we’ll never know, unfortunately. However, the photographer taking the photo may have been unable to unearth their secret somehow….if they did, though, they must have been sworn to secrecy because they didn’t share it with us.

Did Someone Mention Penguins?

Isn’t it funny how simply mentioning the word “dog” can have your family pet running towards you at full speed? They might even hear you across the house! Luckily, they don’t know when you write the word “dog,” or you’d have a whole new problem.

Well, at Table National Park, the local penguins have figured out how to recognize the clever pairing of letters that makes up the word of their species. Don’t believe us? Look at this guy! He seems to be saying, “did someone mention penguins?”

Big Cat Blushing

We’re not professional behavior analysts or body language decoders, but it doesn’t take a genius to get the message that this tiger is feeling a little shy. Perhaps she’s not used to the flash of the lights or the attention she’s being given, but either way, her shyness makes for an absolutely adorable photo.

Next time someone takes a photo of her, she’ll be more comfortable in front of the camera — maybe she’ll even strike a dramatic pose! After all, each and every great model starts off as a beginner at one point or another.

A Shocking Experience

Have you ever seen candid photos of people riding on scary roller coasters? If you have, you’ll probably agree that the face this monkey is making is nearly identical to the ones horrified roller coaster riders make as they plunge down into the darkness.

Even though he could see it coming, the monkey was still clearly caught off guard. We wonder what the other monkey would say if they could see this monkey’s face. What on earth is going on here? Perhaps an apology might be in order?

Hot…Hot…Hot!

It’s a fact that in the desert, the sand is always hotter than the air. In fact, the sand is 16 to 22 degrees hotter on average. In other words, it’s scorching hot! This poor owl didn’t know that apparently, landing as if he wouldn’t be greeted by the burn-your-skin-off hot sand.

As soon as he landed, his feet were likely engulfed in what felt like red-hot lava. Luckily, a quick takeoff was all that was needed to save his feet from their scalding. Next time, he won’t be so quick to land.

I Am the Chimpion

If this isn’t a victory pose, we don’t know what is. Everything about this photo screams Crazy Frog’s “We Are The Champion” vibes — just looking at it is enough to have the tune running through our heads on repeat.

Either he has stellar self-confidence, or he’s just won the girl of his dreams. Regardless, we feel like we should be throwing our hands up in celebration right alongside him….arms up, boys — Yes, we have finally done it! Time to party.

Say Cheese

Some people are just born to be in front of the camera — and this ape? He’s one of them. He has a showstopping smile that even the likes of toothpaste commercial stars can’t beat. His smile is so bright that it’s almost blinding!

Here, those eye-catching chompers are on full display as he graces the camera with a friendly smile. It’s almost like he knows what the photographer is saying when he says “Say cheese!”. What a clever little guy! Time for your 15 minutes of fame.