The world feels like complete panda-monium right now.
But thanks to the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, we can all take a brief break from the news cycle and focus on otter things -- like pictures of animals being complete goofballs.
The animals were pictured by photographers competing in the sixth annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, which saw thousands of pictures entered, taken around the world.
As well as providing a smile, the competition works alongside the Born Free Foundation to highlight a more serious matter -- the importance of conserving our planet's beautiful wildlife.
We share a selection of the best finalists' photos...
SMILEY
A Sparisoma cretense shot in El Hierro, Canary Islands. Photograph: Arthur Telle Thiemann/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
TOUGH NEGOTIATIONS
A fox and its prey are having a pretty serious discussion. Photograph: Ayala Fishaimer/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
CRASHING INTO THE PICTURE
A photobombing giraffe captured in Etosha National Park in Namibia. Photograph: Brigitte Alcalay Marcon/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
SURPRISE SMILES
While walking on trail at the southern side of Lake Bogoria, the photographer spotted a group of dwarf mongooses. Photograph: Asaf Sereth/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
I COULD PUKE
‘This picture was taken at sunrise. A group of gentoo penguins went to the shore to go fishing when one stopped and vomited’. Photograph: Christina Holfelder/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
HI, Y'ALL
Is this brown bear waving at us? Photograph: Eric Fisher/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
SPREADING THE WILDLIFE GOSSIP
Two lions appeared to be gabbing away in the Kalahari Desert. Photograph: Bernhard Esterer/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
LAMENTATION
A polar bear spotted in Spitzbergen, Norway. Photograph: Jacques Poulard/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER
Two matching Asian elephants in Corbett National Park in India. Photograph: Jagdeep Rajput/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
PEEKABOO
This tiger was found in Ranthambore National Park, India. Photograph: Jagdeep Rajput/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
HAVING A LAUGH
A young common seal chills out on a rock in Sinclair Bay, its thick layer of blubber moulding into the contours of the rock. Looking as if it is enjoying a really good joke, the seal is, in fact, yawning. Photograph: Ken Crossan/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
SERIOUSLY, WOULD YOU SHARE SOME?
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? Photograph: Krisztina Scheeff/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
I HAD TO STAY LATE AT WORK
South sea elephant in Patagonia (Isla Escondida). They adopt very curious gestures. Photograph: Luis Burgue/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
BOREDOM
A less-than-enthused mountain gorilla pictured in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. Photograph: Marcus Westberg/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
TERRY THE TURTLE, FLIPPING THE BIRD
This turtle made an obscene gesture. Photograph: Mark Fitzpatrick/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
SOCIALLY UNINHIBITED
A chacma baboon scratching its behind located in River Chobe, Botswana. Photograph: Martin Grace/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
SOCIAL DISTANCE, PLEASE
This is the beginning of a scene which lasted approximately one minute and in which each of the rose-ringed parakeets 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 context. Photograph: Petr Sochman/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
I AM CHAMPION
A triumphant snow monkey. Photograph: Ramesh Letchmanan/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
FUN FOR ALL AGES
Langurs having a blast. Photograph: Thomas Vijayan/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
WE ALL HAVE THAT FRIEND
A goofy brown bear in Kuril Lake in Kamchatka, Russia. Photograph: Yarin Klein/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
THE RACE
‘My friends and I walked in the centre of the small town of Hampi in India. There was 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’. Photograph: Yevhen Samuchenko/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
SO HOT
A monkey soaks in natural hot springs. Photograph: Wei Ping Peng/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
