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Perfect timing: Winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023

A ballerina otter, an enchanted turtle and a rock star roo: these are the hilarious winners of this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Olivia Harris
3 min read
November 28, 2023 - 6:30PM
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A chance encounter between a turtle and a dragonfly has made it into this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Picture: Tzahi Finkelstein
A chance encounter between a turtle and a dragonfly has made it into this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Picture: Tzahi Finkelstein
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READING LEVEL: GREEN

The hilarious winners of this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards* have been announced.

There were 5300 entries from 85 countries around the world and the chosen winner for this year was a Western Grey Kangaroo playing the air guitar*.

The shot, taken in Perth by Aussie photographer Jason Moore, was a happy accident.

After a disappointing* morning photographing birds at a nearby lake, Jason decided to try his luck with a faithful mob* that he drives past on his way to work.

Golden hour* lit up the wildflowers beautifully, the roos put on a show and Jason couldn’t help but smile as he captured his award-winning image.

Keep scrolling for 15 of the best photos from the awards.

1. This roo rocks out to his own tune during golden hour in Perth. Picture: Jason Moore
1. This roo rocks out to his own tune during golden hour in Perth. Picture: Jason Moore
2. Northern gannets* pose for a family picture in the UK* – definitely one for the album. Picture: Zoe Ashdown
2. Northern gannets* pose for a family picture in the UK* – definitely one for the album. Picture: Zoe Ashdown
3. A macaque* takes it upon himself to direct jungle traffic in Rajasthan, India. Picture: Pratick Mondal
3. A macaque* takes it upon himself to direct jungle traffic in Rajasthan, India. Picture: Pratick Mondal
4. An otter leaps to grasp some overhanging leaves and lands in a graceful arabesque* in Singapore. Picture: Otter Kwek
4. An otter leaps to grasp some overhanging leaves and lands in a graceful arabesque* in Singapore. Picture: Otter Kwek
5. This white grouse* seems like an angry snowball as it plods through the barren landscape*. Picture: Jacques Poulard
5. This white grouse* seems like an angry snowball as it plods through the barren landscape*. Picture: Jacques Poulard
6. Master of disguise. A monkey attempts to hide behind his “moustache” in Ubud, Bali. Picture: Delphine Casimir
6. Master of disguise. A monkey attempts to hide behind his “moustache” in Ubud, Bali. Picture: Delphine Casimir
7. A heron* takes a plunge into the water in an unsuccessful – and decidedly inelegant – attempt at fishing. Picture: Vittorio Ricci
7. A heron* takes a plunge into the water in an unsuccessful – and decidedly inelegant – attempt at fishing. Picture: Vittorio Ricci
8. A joey waves hello in the morning sunshine at Westerfolds Park in Melbourne. Picture: Lara Mathews
8. A joey waves hello in the morning sunshine at Westerfolds Park in Melbourne. Picture: Lara Mathews
9. A fledgling greenfinch argues with its parent in Krakow, Poland. Picture: Jacek Stankiewicz
9. A fledgling greenfinch argues with its parent in Krakow, Poland. Picture: Jacek Stankiewicz
10. A puffin does an inverted Snoopy impression* while watching jellyfish in Hartlepool, UK. Picture: Brian Matthews
10. A puffin does an inverted Snoopy impression* while watching jellyfish in Hartlepool, UK. Picture: Brian Matthews
11. A white-winged dove flies head-on into a cholla cactus skeleton* in Arizona, USA. Picture: Wendy Kaveney
11. A white-winged dove flies head-on into a cholla cactus skeleton* in Arizona, USA. Picture: Wendy Kaveney
12. Catch! This ground squirrel makes a promising cricket debut* in Austria. Picture: Timea Ambrus
12. Catch! This ground squirrel makes a promising cricket debut* in Austria. Picture: Timea Ambrus
13. After doing some elegant stretching, this Great Gray Owl gives up the pretence*, slumps and seems to say “is Monday over yet?” Picture: John Blumenkamp
13. After doing some elegant stretching, this Great Gray Owl gives up the pretence*, slumps and seems to say “is Monday over yet?” Picture: John Blumenkamp
14. This grey fox kit cleaning its teeth before bed. Picture: Dakota Vaccaro
14. This grey fox kit cleaning its teeth before bed. Picture: Dakota Vaccaro
15. A turtle is enchanted* by a visiting dragonfly in Tel Aviv, Israel. Picture: Tzahi Finkelstein
15. A turtle is enchanted* by a visiting dragonfly in Tel Aviv, Israel. Picture: Tzahi Finkelstein

GLOSSARY

  • Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards: a competition celebrating funny and entertaining animal photographs from around the world
  • air guitar: pretending to play a guitar without actually holding one
  • disappointing: something that didn’t meet expectations or was not satisfying
  • faithful mob: a group of animals that the photographer regularly sees or visits
  • golden hour: the period shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the light is softer and redder than usual
  • northern gannets: a species of seabirds found in the northern parts of the world
  • UK: United Kingdom
  • macaque: a type of monkey found in Asia and Africa
  • arabesque: a graceful ballet pose or position
  • white grouse: a type of bird resembling a chicken, found in cold regions
  • barren landscape: a place with little or no vegetation
  • heron: a long-legged freshwater and coastal bird
  • inverted Snoopy impression: mimicking the character Snoopy from the peanuts comic strip in an upside-down manner
  • cholla cactus skeleton: the dried remains or structure of a cholla cactus
  • cricket debut: first appearance or attempt at playing cricket
  • pretence: pretending or putting on a false appearance
  • enchanted: captivated or fascinated

EXTRA READING

Tree corridors to save koalas in the wild

Great whites’ mystery deep dives

Visual history of Australia’s most famous house

QUICK QUIZ

  1. How many entries were there in the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards?
  2. Where was the winning picture of the Western Grey Kangaroo playing the air guitar taken?
  3. Why did Jason Moore decide to photograph the kangaroos?
  4. In which country did a macaque direct jungle traffic?
  5. What peculiar action did the white grouse seem to resemble?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Photo captions
Choose your top five favourite photos from the winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards and write a funny caption to suit the picture.

Share your captions with your classmates and vote on your favourite for each.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Look at all the finalists from the 2023 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

(https://www.comedywildlifephoto.com/gallery/finalists/2023_finalists.php)

Which photo would you have awarded first prize to? Explain why.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Animal alliterations
With a partner, choose one of the pictures from the article.

Make a list of nouns you could use to name the animal in the picture. For example, instead of a tiger, you could also say cat, or feline.

Pick your favourite noun and identify its initial sound — what sound it starts with, not necessarily what letter.

Now, using the initial sound, make a list of adjectives to describe the animal. Try to be specific. Don’t just look at the animal as a whole, look at their different features as well.

Build on these same sound words, and add any verbs and adverbs you could use to describe the animal and their movements.

Try to put it all together and use as many same sound words in a sentence, to create an alliteration about the animal in the picture. For example: the terrifying tiger, tiptoed through tangled trees chasing his prey.

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