Air-guitar playing Kangaroo named funniest wildlife photo of 2023

Some animals really know how to rock out, as shown by this year's winner of The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards!

Photographer Jason Moore secured the top prize for his snapshot titled "Air Guitar Roo" which shows a young female Western Grey Kangaroo seemingly strumming an invisible guitar with closed eyes. 

The picture was taken in the suburbs of Perth, Australia, in a field teeming with kangaroos hopping around clusters of flowers.

Reflecting on the experience, Jason shared, "I had been out with my camera photographing some waterfowl at a nearby lake. I had been up at sunrise to take advantage of the 'golden hour' light, but it turned out to be a disappointing morning on the water."

Contrary to their occasional tough image, Jason asserted that kangaroos are generally quite placid and "even a bit mundane most of the time."

"I took approximately 40 or 50 shots of the kangaroos, featuring various subjects such as mothers, joeys, and action shots of them bouncing through the yellow field," Moore shared.

"Yet, when I witnessed this kangaroo striking the air guitar pose, it instantly brought a smile to my face, and I recognized that I had captured something truly exceptional."

Initiated by and for photographers, the awards select winners from among thousands of submissions each year.

This year's winner was selected from a pool of 5,300 entries, submitted by 1,842 participants hailing from 85 different countries.

Check out some of the other contenders: