Yoga bears to resting owl face: 10 of the funniest animal photos of 2026

From a fitness-obsessed bear to a rather rude orangutan, here are 10 of the most amusing photos of the animal kingdom this year.

A scowling owl, bears sharing a laugh and a leisurely praying mantis are among the finalists of the 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. 

In the photo above, a female brown bear was captured appearing to do her morning exercises around Lake Clark in Alaska, US. Her workout routine included some bicycle kicks as she appeared to get herself ready for the summer season. 

Scroll down to see nine more entertaining photos of nature's top comedians. 

This red squirrel was caught red-handed in Germany while biting off more than it could chew. The squirrel managed to chomp through the huge mouthful, while striking a dramatic pose. 

Photographer Tapani Linnanmäki caught this white-tailed eagle touching down on watery sea ice on Finland's western coast. After photographing these birds at this location for years, Linnanmäki suspects, but can't be sure, that it's the same eye-catching individual that won the 2024 competition's people's choice award. 

Sunbathing or posing? In reality, a visual trick is at play in this photo: the praying mantis' hind legs are hidden behind the leaf. The image was captured in the proposed Bosques del Araza Regional Conservation Area in Cusco, Peru, which aims to safeguard the headwaters of several important rivers in an area increasingly threatened by illegal gold mining.

This mountain scops owl touched down for a moment in front of a group of birders in Nanling National Forest Park in China. In the flurry of pictures the birders took, the owl appeared deeply unimpressed.

Photographer Kyo Chen was watching a group of spadefish in the waters of Dumaguete in the Philippines when the huge silhouette of a whale shark appeared. Instinctively pressing the shutter, he captured the spadefish's apparent look of terror.

When Kevin Lohman raised his camera to take a picture of this young great horned owl in Natural Bridges State Beach, California, he found himself snapping a squirrel in mid-flight, launching itself towards the owlet. Both animals were knocked to the grass below.The squirrel then repeated the stunt – twice more. Owl and squirrel both appeared unharmed, Lohman says.

Whether or not these three meerkats in Namibia were actually lining up for a family portrait, the smallest seems accustomed to submitting to grooming inspections.

This wild orangutan in Borneo was just finishing a meal when it was caught in the act of raising its middle finger. A critically endangered species, the orangutan's forest home is rapidly being destroyed.

Charles Janson took this photo of two teenage brown bears playfully sparring in Chinitna Bay, Alaska, a behaviour that prepares them for real fights as adult males. "There is debate about whether the facial expressions of these bears are at all equivalent to human smiles – but I like to think that they are," says Janson.

You can see more finalists from the competition here.

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