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A California photographer’s hilarious snap of a squirrel attacking an owl is in the running for top prize in the national Nikon Comedy Wildlife photo competition.
The shot “Are You Kidding Me?” captured the moment a squirrel decided to launch an apparent air attack on a great horned baby owl sitting on a branch. The owl’s expression says it all.
The incredible shot was taken in Santa Cruz by nature and wildlife photographer Kevin Lohman.
Lohman posted on his social media about his excitement of being one of 43 finalists in the running for photography award in 2026.
“I was photographing this seven-week-old owlet when a squirrel suddenly launched from a nearby branch and landed directly on its head, knocking both of them out of the tree,” Lohman wrote.
”And believe it or not, a squirrel knocked this same owlet out of the tree three times that morning! Fortunately, the owlet was fine and eventually settled down next to its mother.”
The terrific picture was selected out of more than 10,000 photos submitted from 112 countries, the Smithsonian Magazine reported.
This year’s standout shots capture animals big and small from across the animal kingdom.
There’s one featuring a dust bath of two elephants in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park. The photo was taken by photographer Heather Cudworth.
In the shot, a younger elephant is getting a bath from his mother and it’s not going smoothly.
“She pulled her trunk back as if she was winding up for a strike-out pitch, then proceeded to shower her youngster with presumably the most high-pressure dust bath he’d ever experienced, directly to the face!” Cudworth said of the shot.
One of the most hilarious snaps has to be two beavers sitting in the water waist deep and laughing. It’s titled “This is my best side” and was taken by photographer Natalie Veekmans.
Another incredible shot includes a small spadefish looking stressed out with a giant whale shark lurking above. The photo was titled “A very pressured spadefish” and taken by Taiwanese freelance photographer Kyo Chen.
Another standout captures a white-tailed eagle strutting across the frozen Finnish landscape. Titled “Fashion fades. Feather coats are forever,” the shot was taken by Tapani Linnanmaki.
The competition will take place over the next few weeks, with judges examining the shots and and winners in various categories will be announced December 8.
