We often think that photography is all about capturing the weight of a serious moment. The fateful second a cheetah springs toward its prey or the shivering arctic fox curling up to stay alive. Well, sometimes we just need photography that makes us laugh.

That’s where the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards come in. Founded by professional photographers and conservationists Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, the competition seeks to promote wildlife conservation in a fun, engaging way and show animals in anthropomorphic comedic moments, from a turtle flipping off the camera to a parakeet seemingly saying, “Talk to the hand.”

Winners of the contest will be announced on October 22 at an online awards ceremony. Until then, here are 11 of the 44 selected finalists to tide you over.

“Tough Negotiations,” Israel, by Ayala
“Terry the Turtle flipping the bird,” Australia, by Mark Fitzpatrick
“Social Distance Please,” Sri Lanka, by Petr Sochman
“It’s a Mocking Bird,” UK, by Sally Lloyd-Jones
“So Hot,” Japan, by Wei Ping Peng
“O Sole Mio,” Hungary, by Roland Kranitz
“Surprise Smiles,” Kenya, by Asaf Sereth
“Wait up Mommy, look what I got for you!” India, by Kunal Gupta
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The Great Trail of Canada is nearly 15,000 miles long, connecting major cities to all the natural wonders in between


The Great Trail of Canada is now open for hikers, bikers, kayakers and skiers.

The nearly 15,000-mile-long national treasure took a quarter century to build and has been called the largest volunteer effort in Canadian history.

It will give Canadians easy access to some of the country’s most breathtaking natural wonders.

Rather than a single trail, The Great Trail is a network of hundreds of local trails and greenways that are all now connected by a single “thread.”


Whether you’re starting in the East at St. John’s or starting in the West at Victoria, you’ll have over 400 individual trails to travel through.

They weave across all 10 provinces, with a huge looping detour north through the Yukon and Northwest Territories to the Arctic Ocean.

The Great Trail consists mainly of dirt paths and rugged mountain terrain, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to traverse the whole thing with just a pair of hiking boots.

Over 25 percent of the trails are water “trails,” which require a kayak or canoe.


Motorized vehicles, for the most part, are forbidden on the trail, except for snowmobiles. Cross-country skiing, horseback riding and cycling are other acceptable modes of transportation.


If you ever found the time to make it across the whole trail, you’d cover just about every type of terrain imaginable, from mountains, lakes and plains, to coastal islands, and even the dreaded frozen tundra.


While most the trail is found in the back-country, a good chuck still runs through urban areas in major cities such as: Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton.


The longest part of the trail wraps around the Great Lakes in Ontario, where there’s the most fresh water in the world. The views in and around these waters are absolutely stunning.


So, if you’re looking for the adventure of a lifetime, look no further. The rugged backcountry of Oh Canada awaits!

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Leaf sheep are one of the strangest kinds of animals on the planet.

They look like a farm animal, act like a plant, and live in the sea!

The little sea slugs are technically animals, but like plants, they get most of their energy from the sun.

When leaf sheep eat algae, they suck out the chloroplasts and incorporate them into their own bodies in a process called kleptoplasty.


“This process, which otherwise can only be performed by single-celled organisms, essentially makes them solar-powered slugs!” Bored Panda notes.

The funny little creatures have the face of a cow or sheep, but a back that looks like a house plant.


They’re only about 5 mm long and can be found in shallow marine waters in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.


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It’s a lovely day today! We have a chance to meet once again another unexpected dynamic duo from the domestic animal kingdom and oh boy they do not disappoint.