When scouring the internet, you can find thousands upon thousands of gorgeous photos that represent wildlife at its finest. Photographers from around the world share their best images for the rest us to enjoy. Along with those individuals are professional organizations that are 100 percent dedicated to capturing phenomenal wildlife photos.
But sometimes, things don’t turn out quite like expected. Whether that entails an image out of focus, an awkward pose, or something really bizarre, these photos also exist. And they’re often just as fun to look at as the flawless ones.
For all the people who love wildlife — from both near and far — these 75 photos are for you. Be prepared because these aren’t what you’ll see from award-winning photographers or National Geographic.
You always thought birds either sat or flew. But come to find out, they also do morning aerobics. These beautiful birds look as though they’re right in the middle of a session when someone surprised them by snapping their photo.
While this little guy is hard to see, if you look closely, you’ll notice a frog in hiding. He found a perfect spot where he can rest without being bothered by anyone. Just let him sleep.
If you know anything about anatomy, then you’ll quickly figure out this polar bear isn’t peeing. We don’t know if that’s what their poop usually looks like or if this beautiful gal ate something that didn’t agree with her.
For quite some time, a family thought they were putting food out every night for a sweet feral cat. Then, their surveillance camera caught this. We’re guessing two things…feeding is over and they’re never going out after dark again.
Either someone didn’t get the squirrel food out fast enough or they forgot about it altogether. Regardless, this guy’s not happy. And from his body posture, there’s a good chance he’s planning some kind of revenge.
This animal lives in South Africa, which is why a lot of people don’t know anything about it. We don’t either, which is why we’re wondering if its mouth is supposed to like that and what’s up with the tuft of fur on its back?
This guy invested a lot of time and money to capture an incredible photo of a great white shark. But just as he snapped the photo, this fish swam into frame. Now all he has is memories thanks to the shark’s fins that appear to be coming out of the fish’s mouth.
All he wanted was something to eat and then this happened. Not only did he get knocked off of the bird feeder but he also had to hang onto the railing for dear life. This little guy needs a break.
It’s not every day when you see a bird flying around with a fish in its mouth. But what makes this photo even crazier is there’s no water around. It’s just a bird and fish out for a rainy day stroll…or flight.
10. This is hysterical and interesting
Any photographers out there will appreciate this photo. The buy behind the camera was running a 90-second night exposure at 2000 ISO. That’s when a lit-up firefly decided to do some aerobatic moves right in front of the lens.
11. A gift for my favorite humans
You might not know it but both domesticated and wild birds have quirky personalities. Here’s proof. Every day, this fellow brings “gifts” to his favorite humans. Sometimes it’s worms and other times snakes and lizards. How sweet.
When scuba diving or snorkeling, you come across the strangest things. The woman taking this photo was met by a Trigger fish that was trying to attack her. Look at those teeth.
13. You got to do what you got to do
Hey, to become a butterfly there has to be a cocoon. It just so happens a caterpillar chose a unique spot. Take your time and look at the underbelly of the dinosaur.
Just imagine yourself sleeping in your car while on a camping adventure in Idaho. Then suddenly, a massive bull elk wakes you up. Yeah, we’d freak out too.
15. Nothing out of the ordinary here
Nope…just a domesticated housecat chasing a deer. Usually, you’d see a dog doing this but for whatever reason, this kitty decided to take on the task. Perhaps she just wanted to make a new friend.
Here you see an adorable sea lion. She’s perfectly posed for an amazing photo. And then in the background, you have two out-of-focus bald eagles determined to get their 15 seconds of fame. Oh, the shame.
Apparently, something from behind caught this girl’s attention. But by the way the photo was taken, it almost looks like her head is on the side of her body. Or could there be a second hyena in front? We’ll never know.
What do you get when you cross a deer with a wild turkey? Either a “teer” or a “durkey.” Oh, come on, you know that’s funny.
Since there’s no way this snail was moving so fast the photographer couldn’t get the focus right, we’re guessing something else happened. But the focused background vegetation looks nice.
It appears as though this eagle just woke up. She’s still yawning, her eyes are closed, and she hasn’t had time to do anything with her features. Maybe the photographer should come back in an hour.
Aren’t birds supposed to fly right-side up? We thought so too. Somehow, the person behind the camera captured an eagle flying upside-down. We have no idea how this happened. But the photographer’s comment “I did my best” gives us a hint.
At first glance, this photo looks perfectly timed. But if you look at the deer’s hind end, you’ll see something unusual. It looks as though there’s a bird nest on its rump with a single egg inside. That’s kind of cool.
When you have an itch, you might grab the nearest thing to use as a scratcher. That’s what this elephant in Africa did. She found a termite mound and used it to take care of a rump itch.
24. Just a second earlier
If this photographer had clicked the camera only a second earlier, she would’ve had a perfect shot of this majestic eagle. But instead, she ended up with what looks like the bird hiding his head.
25. Stay on his good side
Shaking his fist and with his jaw set tight, something’s obviously got hit guy mad. Whatever it is, we’d stay away from him until he has time to cool down. He might be small but we bet he has a mighty punch.
26. Garage grocery shopping
This adorable koala must’ve been looking for a late-night snack. Hearing a noise in the garage, this is what the homeowner found. That’s a pretty awesome shot.
27. “What are you looking at?”
Initially, the photographer caught some pretty good photos of this beautiful seagull. But when trying to get a close-up shot, let’s just say she didn’t get the same results.
We love doorbell cameras. They capture the oddest things, including this guy. In all fairness, he can’t read so the “No solicitor” sign didn’t mean a thing. We just wonder what he was selling.
You take a once of a lifetime trip to Africa knowing you’ll have all kinds of opportunities to take photos of the wildlife. Then, you spot a stunning giraffe…that’s what this person did but they forgot one thing. The animal’s upper body.
If there was ever a photo with a “come hither” look, this is it. Those eyes are just begging for attention. Okay, so the teeth aren’t very sexy but you have to admit they’re cute.
This dove found a great spot on the photographer’s lawn and he wasn’t going to budge. And if there was any question whether he meant business, just look at that face.
32. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi…
This adorable groundhog looks like he’s playing a game of hide-and-seek and counting down until he can go find his friends. Either that, of the person behind the camera, spotted him and he thought he could simply hide behind the pole.
The coronavirus is even affecting wildlife. This frog ate too many bugs and with nowhere to go, he’s looking quite well, puffy.
At first, you might think this is a UFO covered with feathers. But it’s really an owl caught taking off from a nest. Either way, this is a pretty awesome photo.
Here’s another photo of a squirrel trying to get a snack. But those darn bird feeders make it impossible. In the meantime, the woodpecker is having a feast. Life is so unfair.
36. You take what you can get
If you spot a gorgeous leopard, you have to take a photo fast. That’s what this person did but unfortunately for them, the animal turned at just the right…or wrong…moment. What can you say?
We’re not sure what kind of animal this is…maybe a Tasmanian Devil? Regardless, this thing is having a really bad night. We think he just needs a hug. Any volunteers?
With a night mode on his camera, this man decided to snap a photo of an owl in flight. Let’s just say things didn’t quite go as planned. He ended up with what looks like a nuclear bomb.
Imagine going out for a few drinks and then walking home only to have this raccoon pop out of nowhere. That’d be enough to get anyone to stop drinking. He was probably just protecting a trashcan containing his dinner.
40. You have to stay outside
Yes, this bird is beautiful. The patterns on her feathers are breathtaking. But no matter how good she looks she’s still not allowed inside the house.
While trying to do chores around the house, this carpenter bee wouldn’t stop following the homeowner around. So, he decided to snap its photo. Has anyone seen this stalker? It’s just wanted for questioning.
This photographer was trying to get an amazing photo of an owl. But then another bird snuck into the photo. So, he ended up with two for one. Not bad.
We didn’t either. We all know snakes slither along the ground but as this photo proves, they’re also skilled climbers. If you ever find a snake in your attic, you’ll know how it got there.
If you ever want to stretch a photo, this isn’t the way to do it. Especially when it comes to wildlife images, panoramic views don’t turn out very well. As you can see, this goose looks like it’s six feet long.
What would you do if possums came up through your kitchen vent? Hopefully, you’d grab your camera and take a photo as this homeowner did. Remember, these critters are important for the environment so treat them with kindness.
Unless you’ve seen an eagle in person, you can’t appreciate how large they are. As this photo shows, they’re beyond huge. These birds just wanted to enjoy a leisurely day on the water and with that size, they can do whatever they want.
We’re hoping the crazy look on that fox’s face is nothing more than a bad camera angle. Otherwise, we’d be running away as fast as possible. That thing looks possessed.
The person who took this photo was simply trying to capture a cute photo of a squirrel eating a nut. But then he turned around and she got a completely different view. We think he’s proud of himself.
If you’re going to take a photo of a Snow Bunting, you might want to do it while it’s sitting still. Otherwise, you’ll end up with an image like this. Since the bird was shaking its head, it looks as though there’s no face.
50. When you have to snooze
For this polar bear, it didn’t matter where she was when she needed to take a nap. So, she rested her head right where she stood. If it’s good for her…it’s good for us.
Known as the Reddish Egret, it seems this type of bird gets wet and then shakes its body to detangle its feathers. Had the photographer waited just a few minutes, we’d seen a very different looking bird.
It could be this adorable squirrel is having a tough morning or perhaps he just did something that embarrassed himself. Then again, he might have a headache and the photographer captured the exact time it started.
If you thought this was a hummingbird out of focus, you’d be wrong. It was actually a carpenter bee out of focus that wanted to get a better view of who was taking his photo…without permission, mind you.
This individual was trying to get a great shot of ducks as they floated along the water. But as soon as she got her camera focused, they did this. We’re thinking they were practicing synchronized swimming, which makes this photo even more spectacular.
This woman was sitting on her balcony and decided to take photos of birds as they flew by. Somehow, this is what she got…a picture of a fish. When did fish start to fly?
When you take a photo of a deer with the quest line perfectly in between his antlers, you have to wonder if it’s some kind of sign. Let’s hope it means something good.
Speaking of flying. How does a bird get around in the sky without wings? Well, it seems the photographer was trying to capture the moment when this bird had her wings fully extended but this is what happened instead.
This woman had an amazing opportunity to snap a photo of a predator. But then, a magpie chose to fly into view at the worst possible time. In a second, the mountain lion was gone and so was a perfect shot.
An individual came upon a beautiful snake and decided to pick it up. She showed other people just how friendly he was. Until…he wasn’t.
60. Need an explanation, please
From the angle of this photo, it’s hard to tell what’s going on. We will say the lower half of the dolphin is quite pretty. But something seems amiss here.
As hard as he tried, the old camera used by the man who took this just couldn’t do the owl justice. You can’t see her features very well and the coloring is…off. Good try though.
While trying to photograph a squirrel running around a tree, this person got more than bargained for. We’re just trying to figure out when this little guy had time to run to his favorite pizzeria while all this was going on.
We have to give this person kudos for capturing every beautiful detail of this tree. It’s really amazing. Oh wait, you mean she was trying to get a shot of the eagle in the background. Our bad.
If you thought they were a fake part of history, now you know the truth. Okay, so this is actually a photo of bird wings spread behind the pole. Still, totem poles are real.
This man was impressed this little bird would fly right into his hand for a snack. He thought it was so precious until he looked closer at the face. Does he seem a little pissed off to you? Yeah, we thought so, too.
You try your best to capture a perfect image of a gorgeous creature in the wild. But it’s like somehow, they know. Before you can press the button on your camera, they turn around giving you a view like this.
In all fairness, this person was focusing on the frog in the background. So, they did a pretty good job. But then this fellow hopped into the scene…out of focus. It’s pretty cool regardless.
68. You don’t impress me much
From the look on this deer’s face, that’s probably what she’s thinking. Okay, people, stop staring. It’s rude.
69. Saving some for later
This photo is so bad that it’s hilarious. It’s just a pigeon that decided to save some of her lunch for later. Hey, she doesn’t have fingers to carry a lunchbox so this will have to do.
When this fox isn’t shaking his body, he’s probably quite handsome. But to photographers near and far, either wait to get a still image or consider upgrading your camera to one that can keep up with motion.
We don’t mean go faster but try zooming in on your subject the next time. If you look REALLY close, way off in the distance, you’ll see a tiny speck. Believe it or not, that’s a bald eagle
72. We hate it when that happens
You’re so focused on the wildlife in the foreground that you fail to pay any attention to what’s going on in the background. In this case, the photographer captured a doe taking a crap. How nice.
73. This will give you nightmares
This image appears to be a dead body floating on the water. In reality, it’s a blurred photo of a blue heron. We’re glad the person who took this explained. Otherwise, we’d all have a hard time sleeping.
We’ve said it twice but it’s worth repeating. If you’re going to take an action shot of an animal, you need to know what you’re doing. Along with low lighting and the wrong camera setting, this is what the photographer captured. As for the type of animal…who knows?
Like us, it probably bothers you when people litter. But that’s not an empty milk jug. Nope…it’s a swan. Unfortunately, the person who snapped this photo wasn’t quick enough to get her with her head out of water.
