Nature’s got a sense of humour, too

Next time you go out for a hike, take your camera with you.

If you can capture a photo of wildlife doing something hilarious, you could become a big winner.

Nikon, the camera company, holds an annual photo competition for the funniest wildlife photos.

Prizes include a one-week safari stay for the overall winner, along with Nikon camera kits and photography backpacks for the other winners.

Here are some of the top photos from the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards in 2025.

Can you unscramble this photo?

The overall winner is a gorilla that seems to be practising dance moves in the grassy Virunga Mountains in Rwanda. 

It was photographed by Mark Meth Cohn, a photographer from the U.K.

“Watching his performance was pure joy, and I’m thrilled to have captured his playful spirit in this image,” he wrote in the photo caption.

The title he gave to this winning photo is High Five.

See if you can unscramble the photo below based on the image above, then keep reading for more puzzles.

 

The junior category winner (under 16)

This photo, titled Baptism of the Unwilling Convert, shows one frog dunking another frog into the water, like a baptism.

“It wasn’t until I got back to the house and looked at the pictures that I saw this one and realized how much I liked it,” said Grayson Bell, a 13-year-old from the U.S.

This photo also won the category for reptiles, amphibians and insects.

Two frogs in the water.

(Image credit: Grayson Bell/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)

The ThinkTANK birds award

Warren Price from the U.K. won the bird category with this photo of two guillemots, titled Headlock.

In the caption, he said that guillemots are fiercely territorial and battles over nesting space happen frequently.

“The nests [are] all crammed in close together, which isn’t a good recipe for being good neighbours,” he said.

Two birds, one bird is biting the other bird's head.

(Image credit: Warren Price/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)

The fish and other aquatic species award

This photo of a bluestriped fangblenny titled Smiley won the underwater category.

It was photographed by U.K. photographer Jenny Stock while on a scuba dive in the Philippines.

“I loved its cheeky face smiling back at me,” she wrote in the caption.

Close-up of an orange fish with stripes.

(Image credit: Jenny Stock/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)

Other winners and notable photos

Here are a few more of the top photos from the competition, including some photos that didn’t win, but were highly commended.

Four photos of a chimp picking its nose.

Digging for Gold by Maggie Hoffman from the U.S. (Image credit: Maggie Hoffman/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)

Close-up of a squirrel with messy hair.

Bad hair day by Christy Grinton from Canada. (Image credit: Christy Grinton/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)

A bird with a face full of grass.

Now which direction is my nest by Alison Tuck from the U.K. (Image credit: Alison Tuck/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)

Three lions roaring.

The choir by Meline Ellwanger from the U.S. (Image credit: Meline Ellwanger/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)

Close-up of a bear smiling.

Smile — you’re being photographed by Valtteri Mulkahainen from Finland. (Image credit: Valtteri Mulkahainen/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)

A loon lands on the water.

Landing gear down by Erkko Badermann from Finland. (Image credit: Erkko Badermann/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)

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TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Mark Meth Cohn/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards