Two bears embracing, a chimpanzee scratching its chin in search of a good idea, a fish chasing an eagle... The photographs honored each year by the jury of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are sure to make you smile. By favoring anthropomorphism, by triggering empathy, these images easily reach the public while raising awareness of the challenges of preserving biodiversity.

The winner of the prize, awarded on Tuesday, December 10 in London, is Italian photographer Milko Marchetti for his image of a squirrel that appears to be trapped in the cavity of a tree trunk. The shot (above) was taken from a camera mount in the Podere Pantaleone park in Bagnacavallo, Italy, on April 23, 2022.

Founded in 2015 by wildlife photographer Paul Joynson-Hicks, the competition now has an international dimension, and there are several thousand images for the jury to decide between, in several categories: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, etc.

The editors of Le Monde's Science section have selected their favorite pictures among the nominees in the 2024 competition.