Bachelor Impalas
by Dawn Currie
Title
Bachelor Impalas
Artist
Dawn Currie
Medium
Photograph - Digital
Description
Photographic artwork by Dawn Currie. Two bachelor impalas squaring off against each other. Captured early in the morning at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, FL.
Awards and PSA International Exhibitions:
- 2015 PSA International Exhibition
- 2016 F2 Sociedad Fotografica
- 2016 Three Country Grand Circuit, Montenegro
Features on Fine Art America and Pixels.com:
- Comment for Comment
- F A A - Pixels All Stars
- Images That Excite You
- Pure Nature Photography
- USA Photographers
- 10 Plus Favorites
Impala's social organization allows them to adapt to prevailing environmental conditions. When food is plentiful, the males become territorial. Bachelor males are allowed to remain in male territories if they ignore the females.
An individual male will work their way up through the hierarchy of the bachelor group until he becomes the dominant male. He then leaves the group and challenges a territorial male through horn duels, in which the males approach one another with slow, deliberate steps. At a signal, such as swiveling the eyeballs to show the whites or slightly nodding the head, they rush forward and clash horns, attempting to throw one another off balance. Although fighting can be fatal, males are protected by exceptionally thick skin over vulnerable areas. It is not the length of horn that gives a male the advantage but his condition and weight. When a territorial male begins to lose weight from his frantic activity, he is defeated and must return to the bachelor group to recuperate.
There are times, however, when this territorial system is not maintained. In drier years the animals have to travel further to obtain food, and many smaller herds of females form. They move in and out of the territories so often that the males are very quickly exhausted. When this happens, territories are abandoned, and large, mixed tranquil herds of females and males form. When feed conditions improve, impalas revert to the territorial system.
Uploaded
May 10th, 2017
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Viewed 708 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/23/2024 at 8:37 PM
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Comments (26)
Kay Brewer
It's so fun to find an animal scene where you can practically see them as teen boys doing their "boy" thing, fighting or mock-fighting. This is an exciting find and capture, Dawn! l/f
Mary Ann Weger
Wow! It takes great reflexes and a steady hand to capture this fabulous action photo, Dawn! What a colorful and vivid photograph! Congratulations on your FEATURE and your BEST PIXELS AWARD from the Fine Art America Group: FAA - Pixels All Stars
Mary Ann Weger
Congratulations! You have won the BEST PIXELS AWARD from the Fine Art America Group: FAA – PIXELS ALL STARS – for the image you submitted to the group’s Discussion Club: ““New Work Uploaded Within Last 60 Days” You are also invited to archive your Best Pixels Award for permanent storage and for viewing on the Discussions Page—topic name: “Open--award Winners And Contest Winners From Our Pixels All Stars Group.” Simply copy your image’s URL and paste it into the Discussion Page theme as noted above, or go to https://fineartamerica.com/groups/f-a-a--pixels-all-stars.html?showmessage=true&messageid=3550306