The funniest wildlife photos of the year

"After a nap, the mother brown bear wanted to go for a walk, but the cubs wanted a ride," Fine wrote.

Fine photographed a blenny fish peeking out from a hole in a coral reef.

"It was hard to take this image because of the fast-moving ant, but with a little help from a flashlight, I was able to freeze the motion," Pansier wrote.

Rosado photographed two bears embracing in Sitka, Alaska.

"I took this photo of a dancing sifaka in Madagascar," Rouse wrote. "As it ran toward us, it created all sorts of funny shapes, but this one was the best. It looks to me like it is practicing its bowling action ready for an England call-up!"

"In a kayak with my camera balanced precariously on the gunnel, I stayed very still while floating by this resting sea otter," Janson wrote. "It stayed relaxed (you can tell because it is still floating on its back) and kept on grooming its fur. With its peaceful face and upturned paws, it reminded me of a Guru meditating."

"Otters hold their food with their paws, making it appear like they are praying," Haines wrote.

"I photographed this nutria directly from the canoe," Arnold wrote. "It was busy grooming itself."

"This doe got up on her hind legs to grab some leaves from the tree to eat, but when she got back up on all fours, she suddenly let go of the branch and took a cold shower on the head," Revel wrote.

"This area has always been a nesting place for burrowing owls, so I visit frequently," Amico wrote." When I saw this image on the computer, it just looked like this little owl was singing his heart out."

"These multi-ton giants fight to keep their harem of females," Rojo wrote.

Godínez's photo shows razorbills watching as one of their peers attempts a wobbly landing.

"This newborn seal seems to be laughing at a good joke," Hamann wrote.

"This picture was taken in 2015 during my first visit to the Farne Islands in the UK," Clausen wrote. "The islands were full of puffins, kittiwakes, shags, guillemots, and razorbills, and I never before and never since have taken so many photos in such a short time."

Aggiss photographed a ground squirrel, also known as a zeisel, calling to its family that it had found food.

Meth-Cohn photographed a Steller's sea eagle on ice off the coast of Rausu, Japan.

"As we walked on the sands of the Namib Desert, a gecko suddenly appeared, emerging out of nowhere with a smile on its face," Bordoli wrote. "It positioned itself perfectly, posing for a portrait worthy of a National Geographic cover. It seemed to say: 'Take my picture, I'm ready for my cover!'"

"'Hajime!' This is the term used by the referee in judo to invite opponents to start fighting," Ricordel wrote. "Here, the standing bear seems to be saying this to the other two, adopting the gesture that referees use when they say this word."

"I was expecting them to interact, nuzzle, or maybe fight, but they coincidentally got aligned in a way that caused this beautiful optical illusion," Lodhi wrote of the zebras in the photo.

Frier took this photo on a safari in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

"I have this image printed and hung on a wall of my home, and everybody who sees it laughs at it," Frier wrote.

"I saw this parrotfish with two other fish cleaning him," Bellemans wrote. "The smile on his face shows that he really loves it."

"An Adelie penguin stands over its chick as it lays flat on the rock to cool off," Teo wrote. "Due to their high level of insulation, penguin chicks can sometimes overheat and lay on the rocks with their feet out to lower their body temperature."

"A tiny raccoon is telling a secret to its mom while whispering in her ear," Piecha wrote.

Phillips photographed two cape fur seals having a laugh.

Mohandas photographed a chimpanzee in Uganda who was "obviously contemplating an important issue."

"On the penguin highway, these rockhoppers are moving into town, and this town ain't big enough for all of them!" Robinson wrote.

Stankiewicz wrote that it looked like the hippo "just got out of the hairdresser with a big smile on his face."

Kubo wrote that this flying squirrel looked like it was "sucking a cigar" like a mafia boss.

"Here is a female lizard standing upright to escape the summer heat," Patil wrote.

"This female red-bellied woodpecker had been investigating this screech owl nest for a couple of days — perhaps it was her nest last year?" Herman wrote. "This little owlet was definitely startled and didn't seem to know what to make of this intruder."

"This image was taken in South Georgia," Rouse wrote. "It really does show a male king penguin trying to make a move on a female who has already paired up with her male. The body position and wing posture make the message clear — 'back off!'"

Rouse's image was also highly commended in the 2006 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

"We were on safari in Kenya and happened upon this beautiful female who was looking for a mate," McLeod wrote. "A group of topi were also keeping a pretty close eye on her as she left messages for a potential partner on various trees. This shot makes me think that the cheetah is just about to shout out, 'Ready or not, here I come!'"

"In the picture, a white-tailed eagle is ruffling its feathers," Linnanmäki wrote.

"My goal for my images is to bring attention to our scaly or moist friends, showing that not only fluffy animals can be cute and beautiful," Tam said.

"Our parents always find a way to embarrass us — I guess that's also true in the case of spotted owlets," Ranganadhan wrote. "It was truly a funny sight to see two owlets trying to get some privacy as their little offspring stood next to them with a grin and shut eyes."

"Every annoyed and overtired fish needs to destress by hunting for a bald eagle," Jakubczyk wrote.

Petkov photographed a whiskered tern crash-landing on a rock in Bulgaria.

"During a photo shoot at the pond, I discovered this frog with its head in a bubble," Ehmke wrote.

Molina lay down on the side of the road to take this photo of a Flemish mantis with its front legs in the air.

Marchetti's photo shows a squirrel with its feet sticking out of a hole in a tree. It won first place in the Mammals category and the contest's grand prize.

"I have taken many, many photographs of squirrels in many situations over the years in Italy, but this one struck me as really funny and such a strange position because it is that exact moment when the squirrel is detaching its back legs from the trunk to enter its hide," Marchetti said of the photo. "Whenever I show this image at the nature seminars at my local photography club, the audience always explodes with raucous laughter, so I had to enter it!"

Correction: September 26, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misspelled the surname of the photographer who took the photo titled "Wait … Which Zebra Is In Front?" He's Sarosh Lodhi, not Sarosh Iodhi.