Get Off!!!!
Written by Thursday, 17 September 2009 00:00
"The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity too great for the eye of man." William Blake
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Get Off!!! Animals, whether wild or tame, do not get into attack mode light heartedly. Attack means fight and in a fight one risks, at best, injuries. With very few notable exceptions (when defending young, for instance) animals will do their best to avoid fighting. One strategy they use to deter their perceived, or real, opponent is to show them precisely what they will be dealing with should they insist on challenging or threatening them. Size and defencive weapons are the deterrents of choice, used by a number of animals. Teeth fall in the latter category. An animal will bare its teeth to allow the opponent to get a glimpse of their strength. This is a standard warning signal that most of us are familiar with since dogs usually do this. Faced with exposed teeth, the opponent can chose whether they will continue challenging or whether it is wiser, under the circumstances, to withdraw. We were visiting Attica Zoological park and decided to shoot the teeth of some of the animals, just to show what can befall their opponents in a battle. With the exception of the pygmy hippo (Hexaprotodon liberiensis), who got suddenly irritated and started moving frantically in its enclosure with its mouth open in a clearly threatening way (its partner immediately made itself scarce and remained under the water being almost invisible) all the other animals are yawning in the photos. Even so, the point is pretty clear. It is worth noting that Bianca, the white tiger shown in the fifth photo, was actually a juvenile (with a distinctively kittenish behaviour) when the photo was taken. Now look at her mouth again! Photos by Marina Parha and George J. Reclos Shooting Data: 1. Camera: Nikon D3x 2. Camera: Nikon D3x 3. Camera: Nikon D3x 4. Camera: Nikon D3x 5. Camera: Nikon D300 6. Camera: Nikon D300 |
These photographs have been taken at Attica Zoological Park. They are the property of MCH Portal and cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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