These Comedy Wildlife Photo Winners Will Make You Belly Laugh

The 2017 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards winners have been announced, and this year's crop doesn't disappoint in the humor department with hilarious expressions, amusing antics and even a little fun with perspective.

It wouldn't be the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards without a little laughter! This adorable, pint-sized mouse is basking in the flow of flowers in this year's "On the Land" winner, captured by photographer Andrea Zampatti.

While you may laugh out loud (or at least crack a grin), keep in mind the contest has a serious goal: highlighting wildlife conservation efforts.

We get by with a little help from our friends, right? This little guy needed his owl buddies to throw him a limb in this year's 2017 overall winner. Photographer Tibor Kercz captured four sequential images of this owl valiantly trying to join his friends on this branch.

Kercz received a week-long, all-expense-paid, photographer-led safari in Kenya for his winning photos.

Up in the sky! It's a bird; it's a plane -- no it's both? Ducks may not be the fastest birds in the world, but one duck in this group looks like its traveling at "duck speed" in this year's "In the Air" winner taken by photographer John Threlfall.

When we think of animals that are in a hurry to get places, we don't necessarily think of turtles. But this one was hustling and didn't have time for his sea creature friends to get in his way! This year's "Under the Sea" winner was captured by photographer Troy Mayne.

This year, more than 3,500 entries from 86 countries were submitted to the contest, which was started by photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam.

The entries were narrowed down to 40 finalists with animals from land, water, and the sky.

"Conservation was always at the heart of the competition, along with the fact that people seemed to enjoy images of animals doing entertaining things," said Sullam in a statement. "But essentially living in a country that has some of the best wildlife in the world — Tanzania — and seeing how destructive human actions can be to this wildlife, made us want to do our little bit to help."

Joynson-Hicks and Sullam recently released a new book of some of the funniest photos (the "best of the best," they say) to come through the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Some of the proceeds go to the Born Free Foundation, a wildlife conservation charity.

Take a look at more of our favorite finalists, including the fed-up mother owl above who has had it with her little ones.

He needed to get a better view — or maybe he really likes crowd-surfing.

Redditors would have a field day with this elephant seal photo as a meme.

It looks like this giraffe is peering into the plane as it comes in for a landing. Maybe this airport employs wildlife as part of the security team.

These two monkeys in Indonesia are making a getaway on a borrowed motorcycle.

This sea otter is living his best life and loving it. We should all be so lucky.

In the end, a hearty belly laugh can feel so good -- even if we are the only ones laughing like this seal!