California Squirrel's Aerial Assault on Owl is Finalist in National Comedy Wildlife Competition

A photograph taken in Santa Cruz, California, depicting a squirrel in mid-air attack against a great horned owl fledgling has been named a finalist in the 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife photo competition. The image, titled "Are You Kidding Me?" by photographer Kevin Lohman, captures a moment of unexpected animal interaction.

The photo shows a squirrel launching itself from a branch towards a seven-week-old owlet perched on another branch. The owlet's wide-eyed expression has been highlighted as a key element of the image's humor.

Lohman documented the event, noting that the squirrel attacked the same owlet multiple times that morning. "And believe it or not, a squirrel knocked this same owlet out of the tree three times that morning!" Lohman stated on social media. "Fortunately, the owlet was fine and eventually settled down next to its mother."

The image was selected from over 10,000 submissions from 112 countries to become one of 43 finalists in the competition. The winners across various categories are scheduled to be announced on December 8.

Other notable finalists include a photo of two beavers appearing to laugh, a mother elephant showering her calf with a dust bath, and a white-tailed eagle strutting in the snow. One particularly striking underwater shot features a small spadefish with a large whale shark looming behind it, titled "A very pressured spadefish."