Top 10 Funniest Animals

The animal kingdom features creatures of all shapes, colors, and sizes, many of which are fantastical in nature and wondrous in their appearance. While they are so pervasive that they may be considered commonplace, especially among domesticated varieties, they are still exotic and interesting enough to surprise us on occasion.

Surprise is, after all, one of the primal basics of humor, so it only reasonably follows that among all the animals, some stand out as especially funnier than others. Here are some notable examples, in no particular order.

1. Bombardier Beetle

Generally, bugs are considered more revolting and disgusting than amusing or humorous. Some, though, provide singularly spectacular examples of quirky traits or odd behaviors. For instance, the bombardier beetle should be taken into consideration. As a defense mechanism, it activates specialized abdominal glands that forcibly spray a noxious chemical compound in a pulsing stream towards its attacker. The chemicals it combines are hydrogen-peroxide and hydroquinone which, when combined from their two abdominal reservoirs, undergo a severe exothermic reaction that raises their temperature to near the boiling point of water. In other words, these beetles defend themselves by firing a boiling liquid from their butt. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

2. Blue-Footed Booby

What's in a name? Countless people and other entities have had to suffer through life with misnomers that provoke laughter. Animals are usually pretty safe, although the ever-scintillating titmouse comes to mind. But perhaps the funniest of all is the Blue-Footed Booby, which lands on this list solely by virtue of its rather snicker-worthy title.

3. Coyote

The coyote is a very common animal throughout North America with an extensive range and canine looks. In the winter, they do not truly hibernate, but they do need a den to keep warm in. The problem is that coyotes are not great diggers, so what solution do they have? Well, they simply invade the dens of other animals, such as rabbits, and eat their entire family and steal their den. Isn't that hilarious?

4. Praying Mantis

The humor behind the mantis is simple and twofold: Firstly, its name makes it an easy target for religious-themed animal jokes. Secondly, and perhaps more primarily, it has a unique element in its mating ritual: During copulation, the female bites the male's head off.

5. Giraffe

Along with their lanky, goofy-lookin' body, giraffes hold one other distinction that deserves mention. Since they give birth while standing up, this means the newborn must fall several feet to the ground in an awkward heap of placental sac and spindly limbs.

6. Dung Beetle

Perhaps better relegated to the realm of junior-high humor, this beast lives life purely for the purpose of poop. In fact, it is their primary food. Among the many different species of crap-consuming bugs, they exhibit all sorts of fecal-related behavior. They live in mounds of manure, they bury dookie wherever they find it, they roll it into balls then fight each other to the death over the balls of excrement, or even use their mouthparts to simply suck the juices from the poop balls. How adorable.

7. Clown Fish

Clowns, definitively, are entertaining. They crack jokes, utilize slap-stick comedy, fit into tiny cars, wear outrageous clothing, and appear at children's birthday parties. The clown fish, in contract, is not funny at all. It is just a fish. But since it is a clown that is not funny, it is then funny. This is an excellent example of irony at work.

8. Penguin

They are birds, yet cannot fly. This is also true of an ostrich, which runs at high speeds instead. But penguins, rather than run gracefully, waddle oddly. They also wear tuxedoes and appear in movies.

9. Chameleon

This reptile possesses the remarkable ability to changes its skin coloration to match its surroundings or the surface it is currently upon. However, can it do plaid? Perhaps this phenomenon opens a world of intriguing possibilities, surely to include shocking moments of embarrassment through sudden discovery.
10. Human

And what might be the funniest of them all, human kind! No other species boasts legitimate stand-up comedians yet, and cows do not make very effective late-night talk show hosts. Although animals can be funny, they usually do so unintentionally or just in observation of them, whereas people hold the singular capacity to be funny on purpose, to intentionally bring on the laughs. For this, they are the true champions of amusement, and the most reliable source of entertainment available.