The lions in the above photo may look like they’re having a good laugh, but wildlife photographer Bret Saalwaechter actually captured this pride bickering during the dry season in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park.
When he came across them, hungry cubs were clamoring for milk, their mothers depleted as a result of dwindling food and water. “Each time the mother, already in a foul mood from the sweltering heat, would give a quick roar of disapproval and escape the circus,” Saalwaechter writes in a description of the photo.
“But the cubs, like any persistent little ones, would chase her down, nipping at her and yelping for more attention.”
The image, titled I Just Can’t Wait to Be King, earned a spot in the final round of this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. This annual competition celebrates wildlife photography that makes people laugh out loud, and these seemingly cackling lions are sure to elicit a chuckle.
See if you can scroll to the end of these selected finalists without having a laugh—we bet you can’t.
Now, Which Direction Is My Nest?
This unfortunate gannet—a type of large seabird—may have a tough time finding its way home looking like that. Photographer Alison Tuck captured the exact moment a clump of grass smacked this bird in the face as it looked out over Bempton Cliffs in the U.K.
The Shoulders of Giants
“Hey, give me a boost!” Is probably what this frog said just before photographer Andrew Mortimer snapped this photo. These frogs are part of a colony that lives in a bore casing on mining land near the town of Leonora in Western Australia. “Slightly too short to see over the PVC casing, they make do wherever they can,” Mortimer writes.
Smile, You’re Being Photographed
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