"Stuck Squirrel"

"Stuck Squirrel" by Milko Marchetti was chosen as the winner of Nikon's Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, from more than 9,000 entries, the highest number received in the competition's 10-year history, the organizers said in a statement.

Marchetti's photo shows the moment a red squirrel is entering its hide in the trunk of a tree, with its legs at right angles to the trunk.

"I have taken many, many photographs of squirrels, in many situations over the years in Italy, but this one struck me as really funny and such a strange position, because it is that exact moment when the squirrel is detaching its back legs from the trunk to enter its hide," Marchetti said in the statement.

"Whenever I show this image at the nature seminars at my local photography club, the audience always explode with raucous laughter, so I had to enter it!"

Stefan Maier, senior general manager of marketing at Nikon Europe, said he was thrilled to announce Marchetti's win, adding that his image "brilliantly captures the playful and unpredictable moments that make nature so enchanting."