松鼠打猫头鹰、驼鹿打喷嚏：2026年最好笑的野生动物照片入围名单出炉

In Santa Cruz, California, a squirrel is hurling itself at a great horned owl in an almost suicidal pose.

Bear in mind, the great horned owl is one of North America's fiercest owls, and squirrels are already on its menu.

But in this photo, predator and prey seem to have suddenly swapped places, and the owl's face, written all over with 'are you serious?', becomes the whole joke.

This shot, 'Are You Kidding Me?', is one of the finalists in the 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.

The bar for entry is clear: it has to be real wildlife, and it has to make people laugh.

This year it received more than 10,000 entries from 112 countries, the most in the contest's history.

The 56 shortlisted entries include 40 single images, 3 works by under-16s, 4 portfolios and 9 videos.

Since this is a podcast, we can only 'see' with words, but luckily each of these photos is a little story in itself.

Hanover, Germany: a red squirrel stuffs a whole mouthful of grass into its cheeks, its head bulging to nearly twice the size; the photographer named it 'Little Godzilla.'

Maligne Lake, Alberta, Canada: a series of three—a moose first has a runny nose, then lets out a giant sneeze, and finally breaks into a satisfied grin, exactly how everyone looks after a sneeze.

Amboseli National Park, Kenya: an adult elephant gives a youngster an over-vigorous 'dust bath,' titled 'Lessons.'

Quick science note: elephants throwing dust on themselves is serious business—dust protects against sun and insects and helps them cool down—it's just that this time the force left the young elephant looking rather aggrieved.

There's also a South African photographer under 16 who captured a sunbird with a petal stuck to its beak, as if playing dress-up.

Why has this contest kept growing?

On one hand, it hits the rhythm of social media: a funny animal photo spreads far faster than a serious conservation report.

On the other hand, there's a very clear purpose behind it.

One of the co-founders is photographer Tom Sullam; the contest has always partnered with wildlife conservation groups, and this year's partner is Britain's Born Free Foundation.

Their logic: first make you laugh, then make you care.

Sullam says the contest has grown far bigger than they ever imagined.

Of course, some people have reservations about this kind of anthropomorphism.

Making animals look like people does bring us closer, but it may also make us remember only their cute side and ignore the real situation they face, like shrinking habitats, poaching and climate change.

So the best way to enjoy these photos may be to ask one more question after laughing: this squirrel, this moose, these two elephants—are their homes okay?

The final winners will be revealed on December 8th, and two exhibitions in London are showing the finalists now.

One last question: do you think 'cute' and 'funny' really make people more willing to protect wildlife?