By Jessica Stewart on October 28, 2020
“Terry the Turtle flipping the bird” ©️ Mark Fitzpatrick / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Overall Winner, Creatures Under the Water Award. Animal: Turtle, Location: Lady Elliot Island, Queensland Australia.
“I was swimming with this turtle at Lady Elliot Island on the Great Barrier Reef when he flipped me the bird!”
Could you use a good laugh? You’re in luck because there are lots of laughs to be had when looking at the winners of the 2020 Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards. With over 7,000 entries from photographers around the world, it wasn’t an easy decision to narrow the field to a winner. But in the end, it was a photo of a sassy turtle that helped photographer Mark Fitzpatrick win the top award.
It was a case of being in the right place at the right time for Fitzpatrick. The Australian photographer was swimming with turtles off Lady Elliot Island in Queensland when he happened to catch one giving him the middle finger. It’s a hilarious moment that makes you wonder how Fitzpatrick was able to maintain his composure and take the photo.
“It’s been amazing to see the reaction to my photo of Terry the Turtle flipping the bird, with Terry giving people a laugh in what has been a difficult year for many, as well as helping spread an important conservation message,” shares Fitzpatrick. “Hopefully Terry the Turtle can encourage more people to take a moment and think about how much our incredible wildlife depend on us and what we can do to help them. Flippers crossed that this award puts Terry in a better mood the next time I see him at Lady Elliot Island!”
Other category winners include a raccoon half stuck inside a tree (bottom side out), a spermophile singing a tune, and a brown bear knocked out by its own gas. Aside from giving us a good chuckle, the photographs remind us of how special our wildlife is, and that we need to continue to protect it at all costs.
If you’re looking for a laugh, check out the winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards.
“Social distance, please!” ©️ Petr Sochman / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Think. Highly Commended. Animal: Rose-ringed parakeet, Location: Kaudulla national park, Sri Lanka.
“This photo from January 2020 is the beginning of a scene which lasted approximately one minute and in which each of the birds used a foot to clean the partner’s beak. While the whole scene was very informative, this first photo with the male already holding his foot high in the air was just asking to be taken out of the context…”
“O Sole Mio” ©️ Roland Kranitz / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Affinity Photo People’s Choice Award. Animal: Spermophile, Location: Hungary
“It’s like he was just “singing” to me! She had a very nice voice.”
“Almost time to get up” ©️ Charlie Davidson / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Alex Walker’s Serian Creatures on the Land Award. Animal: Raccoon, Location: Newport News, Virginia.
“The raccoon was just waking up and stretching. We have a raccoon in this tree every so often, sometimes for a night and sometimes for a month.”
“Deadly Fart” ©️ Daisy Gilardini / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Amazing Internet Portfolio Award. Animal: Brown bear, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
“A brown bear is lifting its leg to smell after a fart.. then collapses.”
“I had to stay late at work” ©️ Luis Burgueño/ Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Highly Commended. Animal: South sea elephant (Mirounga), Location: Isla Escondida, Chubut, Patagonia Argentina.
“South sea elephant in patagonia (Isla Escondida) They adopt very curious gestures!”
“Tough negotiations” ©️ Ayala Fishaimer / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Highly Commended. Animal: Fox, Location: Israel
“I was came across a foxes den while I was traveling, looking for some nature, in the nearby fields. I spent an entire magical morning with four cute fox cubs. At some point I noticed that one of the cubs start sniffing around, and a seconds after, he pulled this shrew (which he probably hid there earlier) out of the sand and started playing with it. after a while, the fox cub stood on the stone and threw the shrew in the air .. the shrew landed in such a way that it seemed as if they were having a conversation, and he is asking the fox “Please don’t kill me” It’s actually reminded me of a scene from ‘The Gruffalo’ story …”
“Seriously, would you share some” ©️ Krisztina Scheef / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Highly Commended. Animal: Atlantic Puffin, Location: Scotland, UK
“Atlantic Puffins are amazing flyers and their fishing talents are – well – as you see some do better than others! I just love the second Puffin’s look—can I just have one please?”
“Smiley” ©️ Arthur Telle Thiemenn / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Highly Commended. Animal: Sparisoma cretense, Location: El Hierro, Canary Islands
“Parrot fish from El Hierro, Canary Islands… among a group of parrot fish I saw this one, with a crooked mouth, looking like it was smiling. I don’t know if it was caused by a fishing hook, or just something hard that it tried to bite. I concentrated on it, and it took me several minutes until I got this frontal shot… and yes, it made my day!”
“I’ve got you this time!” ©️ Olin Rogers / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Think Tank Photo Junior Category Winner. Animal: African lion cub, Location: Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
“An African lion cub stalks his brother from atop a termite mound.”
“Hide and Seek” ©️ Tim Hearn / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Spectrum Photo Creatures in the Air Award. Animal: Azure Damselfly, Location: Devon, UK.
“As this Azure damselfly slowly woke up, he became aware of my presence. I was lined up to take a profile picture of his wings and body, but quite sensibly the damsel reacted to the human with the camera by putting the marsh grass stem between me and it. I took the shot anyway. It was only later that I realized how characterful it was. And how much the damselfly looks like one of the muppets.”
“Fun For All Ages” ©️ Thomas Vijayan / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Highly Commended. Animal: Langur, Location: Kabini, India
“Shooting the most common is the most challenging thing. Langurs are very common but waiting for the right movement is very challenging and needs lots of patience. Photography is not about the quantity I consider it more of a quality and a storytelling frame that can put a smile in someone’s heart. In 2014 I had made 15 trips to India in search of a perfect frame out of these trips, in one of the trips I could only get this frame and I am more than happy with this picture – A playful monkey with its family is a special frame for me.”
“Sun Salutation Class” ©️ Sally Lloyd-Jones / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Highly Commended. Animal: Sea Lion, Location: Galapagos Islands.
“We were surprised to see that Sea Lions actively practice Yoga. Guess they need to get their Zen as well.”
“The race” ©️ Yevhen Samuchenko / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Highly Commended. Animal: Langur, Location of shot: Hampi, India.
“My friends and I walked in the center of the small town of Hampi in India. There was a bicycle parking nearby. Suddenly a flock of langurs jumped on these bicycles and began to frolic. We were afraid to frighten them away, I started taking pictures from afar, but then we came very close to them and the langurs continued to play with bicycles.”
“It’s A Mocking Bird!” ©️ Sally Lloyd-Jones / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Highly Commended. Animal: A Kingfisher, Location: Near Kirkcudbright
“I was hoping a Kingfisher would land on the ‘No Fishing’ sign but I was over the moon when it landed for several seconds with a fish. It then flew off with its catch. It appeared to be mocking the person who erected the sign!”
“Monkey Business” ©️ Megan Lorenz / Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020. Highly Commended. Animal: Pig-Tailed Macaques, Location: Kinabatangan River in Borneo, Malaysia.
“While on a trip to Borneo, I had many opportunities to watch monkeys interacting with each other. These Pig-Tailed Macaques showed me a bit more than I bargained for! Don’t blame me…I just take the photos, I can’t control the wildlife! So many titles came to mind for this photo but I went with the safe ‘family-friendly’ option and called it ‘Monkey Business’.