PHOTOS: Finalists For The 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Hide caption A tough day at the office for this fox in Yellowstone National Park in December 2015.







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Hide caption A snowy owl looks very content in the Canadian province of Ontario. Previous Next Edward Kopeschny/Barcroft Images

Hide caption Portrait of an unfortunate buffalo in Meru National Park, Kenya, in July.





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Hide caption Bighorn rams exhibiting attitudes during the rut, Gardiner, Mont., in December 2014.



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Hide caption A nosy bald eagle peeks out from behind the rocks to check out what photographer William Saunders is up to, Cordova, Ala.



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Hide caption A pelican looks distraught as it drops a fish thrown to it by a fisherman in Kerkini Lake, Greece. Previous Next Nicholas De Vault /Barcroft Media

Hide caption A mother and son leopard pair have a playful fight in Singita Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, in May 2013.





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Hide caption A bear appears to have wings growing from its head in September 2015.





Previous Next Adam Parsons/Barcroft Images

Hide caption This bataleur had been preening itself for three hours in the sun before taking off in Singita National Park, South Africa, in March 2013. Previous Next Ross Couper/Barcroft Images

Hide caption A wild owl appears to be marching in a very serious manner, Lancashire, U.K., in June 2011.





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Hide caption This meerkat looks as though it just remembered it needed to be somewhere, Little Karoo, South Africa, in May 2015. Previous Next Brigitta Moser/Barcroft Images 1 of 11 i View slideshow

The 2016 finalists for the second annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been announced, and they are predictably delightful.

A grinning owl. A fish slapping a bear in the face. An unfortunate interaction between a buffalo and a bird. At least two eagles with very little dignity. Click through the slideshow for a selection of the finalists.

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were established last year by a wildlife conservation organization. The group's website says it is "a photography competition that was light-hearted, upbeat, possibly unpretentious and mainly about wildlife doing funny things."

There are 18 rules and guidelines for entrants into the competition, which judges both the technical excellence of images and the hilarity of the accompanying caption (so make sure to read the captions in the slideshow).

Rule No. 6 for entrants begins, "You must have taken the picture yourself within the last 99 years."

Rule No. 8 limits the photos to wildlife, so no "pets, domestic, farm or captive animals."

And Rule No. 9 bans any major digital alterations, so the images haven't been Photoshopped to look funny.

The winners are expected to be announced next month. You can see all the finalists here, and last year's winners — including this blissful seal — right here.