42 hilarious finalists in this year's Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

"Males of this species of lizard choose higher elevations to monitor their territory and display," Kshirsagar wrote. "I caught this particular male roosting on the twig of a bush during the high heat of summer."

"Vine snakes are very commonly-seen snakes in the Western Ghats of India," Kshirsagar wrote. "When approached, they show aggression by opening their mouth wide open. Nothing to be afraid of with this beautiful harmless vine snake. I was happy to find it smiling, and it looks like he was smiling back at me."

"I took this shot while photographing a group of pied starlings perched in a tree at the Rietvlei Nature Reserve in South Africa," Mayes wrote. "It perfectly sums up my mood on most Monday mornings."

"A young cub decided to use his patient mother as a leaning post, the birds in the trees requiring closer inspection," Parkinson wrote.

"Two Kamchatka bear cubs square up for a celebratory play fight having successfully navigated a raging torrent (small stream!)" Parkinson wrote.

"Burrowing owl youngsters are so amusing to watch," Ross wrote. "This burrowing owl caught my eye because he looked like he had a hangover."

"When this bald eagle missed on its attempt to grab this prairie dog, the prairie dog jumped towards the eagle and startled it long enough to escape to a nearby burrow," Trevino wrote. "A real David vs. Goliath story!"

"A dragonfly on a flower looks into my camera early in the morning, and it seems as if it is laughing," Bocker wrote. "If I have a bad day, this image makes me smile back."

"There is a great big pine tree with a small-to-medium-sized hole in it near my house that a young racoon has called home for the past year," Burling wrote. "Well, this year it appears that the little racoon has outgrown its tiny home, as it barely fits!"

"Two gentoo penguins having a discussion after coming out of the surf," Taylor wrote.

"I was photographing a group of goslings for a while when one broke away from the pack," Page wrote. "It hid behind the leg of a bench for a few seconds before poking its little head out to say hello."

"A smooth-coated otter 'bit' its baby otter to bring it to and fro for a swimming lesson," Teo wrote.

"A polar bear mom and cubs frolicked in the icy waters of the Arctic," Strahl wrote. "They kept dipping under the water, and came up together with this amusing pose. A tender moment is shared by mom and one cub, while the other photobombs with a wave to the onlookers."

Lin captured this photo in Taiwan.

"Resting with its pack, down a road in the Saudi Arabian mountains, this hamadryas baboon started to yawn," Guinard wrote. "But the graceful position of its paws, its fluffy cape, its eyes looking like it put some makeup — in front of the camera, this baboon was on stage, ready to please its public and to start its tenor solo."

"Bald eagles will use the same nest for years, even decades, adding new material to it at the beginning and throughout the nesting season," Eppley wrote. "Normally, they are highly skilled at snapping branches off of trees while in flight. Possibly tired from working nonstop all morning on a new nest, this particular bald eagle wasn't showing its best form. Yes, sometimes they miss. Although this looks painful, and it might very well have been, the eagle recovered with just a few sweeping wing strokes, and chose to rest a bit before making another lumber run."

"I was photographing brown pelicans on a rainy day in southern Louisiana in early 2021, still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic," Wilson wrote. "As the pelicans woke up, they would shake the water off their bodies before heading out to fish. This particular one almost seemed to be shrugging his shoulders, as if to say, 'I have no idea what 2021 will be like.'"

"A frog climbed a flower from a plant," Oesin wrote. "When he made it to the top, he laughed, celebrating his success."

"During a game drive, we found a group of monkeys playing around with each other, jumping up and down from a bare branch," Steehouwer wrote. "It was a joy to watch. After a while, I saw a giraffe coming from the right. The moment the giraffe passed the branch, one of the monkeys was on his post to ride the giraffe."

"While trying to take proper pictures with flash, I visited two groups of wild horses for two years," Smits wrote. "Every now and then, they didn't try to eat my flashes or run over the stands and they posed for me."

The photo was taken in India's Western Ghats.

"This proboscis monkey could be just scratching its nose on the rough bark, or it could be kissing it," Hodan wrote. "Trees play a big role in the lives of monkeys. Who are we to judge?"

"The little raccoon cubs are telling secrets to each other," Piecha wrote.

"I was taking pictures of pigeons in flight when this leaf landed on a bird's face," Speirs wrote.

"I was lying on the beach during a stretch of fair weather at Volunteer Point in East Falkland, just waiting to capture a gentoo penguin jumping out of the surf to land on the beach," Galicki wrote. "To my delight, a trio emerged from the water and walked straight in my direction. I really enjoyed photographing this moment as it seems to capture some sassy personality displayed by these individuals."

"A golden silk monkey in Yunnan, China," Jensen wrote. "This is actually a show of aggression, however, in the position that the monkey is in it looks quite painful!"

"Isolated inside with your family eager to get out and explore the world? These eastern raccoon kits are too," Biskaborn wrote. "Just when you think there's no more room in the tree hollow, mother raccoon appears and displays just how compact the space is. The babies clambered all over their mom and each [other], struggling to take a look at the exact same time. This photo was taken in Southwestern Ontario, Canada."

"A male vervet monkey was hanging around a bridge over the Luangwa River in South Luangwa National Park looking for some action (handouts from passersby)," Petterborg wrote.

"Two western grey kangaroos were fighting and one missed kicking him in the stomach," Scaddan wrote.

"The kangaroo looked like he was singing 'The hills are alive, with the sound of music' in the field," Scaddan wrote.

"I loved the expression captured," Novotna wrote. "It looks so human-like. I was lying on a rocky beach for hours, as motionlessly as possible, patiently waiting for seal life to unfold around me. This seal pup came onto the shore for a bit of rest and ended up sleeping on its chosen rock for hours before the incoming tide forced it to move more inland. Occasionally, it would stretch and yawn, and it was one of the yawns that led to this expression, looking as if the seal was giggling."

"A red damselfly welcomes us into the world of macro nature," Hammar wrote. "It was so amazing to see it climb up the straw, and pause at the intersection to say hi!"

"This raccoon spends his time trying to get into houses out of curiosity — and perhaps also to steal food," de Vaulx wrote.

"A young bear descending from a tree looks like it is playing hide and seek," Marchhart wrote.

"I followed this ruby-crowned kinglet for about 15 minutes as it hopped from one branch to another in fast succession," Dirlam wrote. "I think it knew I was following it because all of the sudden, it just stopped and stared at me for all of about three seconds!"

"This picture was taken at Curaçao, Dutch Caribbean," Stahr wrote. "Usually boxfish are difficult to take pictures of. They do not have a problem with divers coming close, but if you show interest, they always turn their back and not their face towards you. When the right moment came, I turned the camera 90 degrees to the front to just point and shoot, hoping to have the fish in focus. Never expected to have its beautiful lips that close!"

"Ever seen a grizzly bear square dance?" Elieson wrote. "Just need a jug, some spoons and a banjo. Gets 'em every time."

"I spent my days in my usual 'gopher place' and yet again, these funny little animals haven't belied their true nature," Kranitz wrote.

Kranitz captured the photos in Hungary.

"A young langur sways its body to give the impression that it's dancing," Lodhi wrote.

"I have been following the family of a tigress called Paaro in India's Jim Corbett National Park for many years," Agrawal wrote. "This is her daughter, who stood on her hind limbs to be able to scratch her face with a log. But, it appears as if she is carrying the log on her shoulders."

"This young kodiak brown bear sauntered down the riverbed and stopped across from me," Suydam wrote. "She proceeded to start making herself a bear bed, pulling back the sand with her gigantic claws. Once she had her bed just how she wanted it, she laid down, rolled over on her back, and started smiling at me! And she didn't stop smiling! I would have to say she was the most provocative bear I had ever seen!"