Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2016 Shortlist

A bear appears to have wings growing from it’s head in a photo taken by Adam Parsons, September, 2015. (Photo by Adam Parsons/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

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A mother polar bear takes a nap during the day whilst her cub is full of energy and gives the camera a wave, Manitoba, Canada, March, 2015. Things are heating up at the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards as the shortlisted final 40 entries are revealed. This year’s competition has featured over 2200 hilarious entries from around the world with photos including a fox face planting in the snow, a dancing brown bear and a pair of seemingly headless penguins – all beautifully photographed with perfect comedy timing and a strong conservation message. (Photo by Philip Marazzi/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

“Wilderness speaks!” A gorilla appears to gesture at the photographer. (Photo by Gil Gofer/The Comedy Wildlife Awards/Mercury Press)

“Give us a kiss”. (Photo by Steven Biddlecombe/Comedy Wildlife Awards/Mercury Press)

“Wildlife comedy? Ha ha give me a break!”. Laughing goat. (Photo by Yuzuru Masuda/The Comedy Wildlife Awards/Mercury Press)

Gannet finding fishing difficult pictured by Chrys Mellor near Bempton for the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2016, East Yorkshire, England, August, 2016. (Photo by Chrys Mellor/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A puffin has some fun pictured by Mary Swaby, Farne Islands, June, 2006. (Photo by Mary Swaby/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

An adorable baby elephant appears to face plant the ground, Hwange, N.P, June, 2015. (Photo by Markus Pavlowsky/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A small herd of zebra were captured standing close to the road by photographer Alison Mees when one male zebra grinned for the camera, Ngorongoro Crater, February, 2015. (Photo by Alison Mees/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

Two meerkats appearing to have a dispute, Little Karoo, South Africa, May, 2015. (Photo by Brigitta Moser/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

Wide-Eyed Burrowing Owlet posing for selfies in front of a GoPro in Florida, May, 2015. (Photo by Megan Lorenz/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A frog appears to have a big smile for the camera, Russia. (Photo by Artyom Krivosheev/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A European brown bear dances like nobody is watching in the forests of Finland, June, 2014. (Photo by Alex Jevon/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A colourful reptile holds up a twig as it is pictured looking like a warrior with a powerful stance, May, 2013. (Photo by Anup Deodhar/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

This bataleur had been preening himself for 3 hours in the sun before taking off. It was if it was a shake, rattle and go moment, Singita National Park, South Africa, March, 2013. (Photo by Ross Couper/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A komodo dragon appears to exit a toilet in Indonesia, August, 2012. (Photo by Caroline Tout/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A wild owl appears to be marching in a very serious manner, Lancashire, UK, June, 2011. (Photo by Austin Thomas/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

An stag gets himself into an unfortunate situation in Richmond Park, London. (Photo by James Mitson/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

Two weaver ants otherwise known as fire ants dancing together, Bata, Indonesia, March, 2016. (Photo by Usman Priyona/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A meerkat appears to look like it’s just remembered it needs to be somewhere, Little Karoo, South Africa, May, 2015. (Photo by Brigitta Moser/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A tough day at the office for this fox in Yellowstone National Park, USA, December 2015. (Photo by Angela Bohlke/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

Two wide rhinos organised back-to-back in defence formation seem to be the rarest creature in Africa, Laikipia, Kenya, March, 2015. (Photo by George Dian Balan/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A mother and son leopard pair have a playful fight with photographer Ross Couper snapping a hilarious end result in Singita Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, May, 2013. (Photo by CWPA/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

Four pigeon burrowing owls stare directly at photographer Mario Gustavo Fiorucci and one appears to tilt it’s head to get a better look, Santa Rosa, Argentina. (Photo by Mario Gustavo Fiorucci/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A European ground squirrel does everything to get these rose hips – and I can tell you that it seemed to have fun climbing up there, Vienna, Austria, September, 2015. (Photo by Henrik Spranz/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

An adorable little squirrel captured on a beautiful sunny day holding the stem of a flower, unknown location, October 2016. (Photo by Perdita Petzl/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

The jungle babbler is a member of the Leiothrichidae family found in the Indian subcontinent. They are gregarious birds that forage in small groups of six to ten birds, a habit that has given them the popular name of Seven Sisters or Saath bhai in Bengali, December, 2015, Bharatpur, Rajasthan. (Photo by Ashish Inamdar/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

An unfortunate portrait of a Buffalo in Meru National Park Kenya, July 2016. (Photo by Tom Stables/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A grizzly bear doing a bad job of catching a salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, Alaska, July, 2014. (Photo by Rob Kroenert/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

An African lion looks like she finds something hilarious in the Maasai Mara, Kenya, September 2011. (Photo by Austin Thomas/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A pelican looks distraught as it drops a fish thrown to it by a fishermen in Kerkini Lake, Greece. (Photo by Nicholas De Vault/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

Photographer Andy Howard spent over 5 hours with a friendly mountain hare which appears to raise its paw to say hello, Cairngorms, Scotland. (Photo by Andy Howard/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

Bighorn Rams exhibiting attitudes during the rut, Gardiner, Montana, December, 2014. (Photo by Patricia Bauchman/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A hyena appears to find something hilarious in a shot capture by Yaron Schmid, Serengeti, Tanzania, February, 2016. (Photo by Yaron Schmid/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A little leopard tortoise jumps on a friends back, Tarangire National park, Tanzania. (Photo by Brenden Simonson/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

A yellow painted frogfish appears to hit another in the face as it pushes forward, Taiwan, June, 2014. (Photo by Jim Chen/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)