Early Morning Prowl

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Early Morning Prowl
Photo Information
Copyright: James Parker (Jamesp) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1214 W: 0 N: 4502] (13166)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2001-09
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Canon EOS 1vHS, Canon EF 300mm f2.8 USM IS, Fuji Provia 100
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): CeltickRanger's favorite African animal photos [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-05-12 8:16
Viewed: 535
Points: 48
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Hello everyone! Today I bring you another scanned slide. I rather like this one - taken in early morning light by the Lake in the Ngorongoro Crater (we were first into the Park - our guide arranged for us to give the Warden a lift down to the gate). The hyena is looking for an unwary flamingo.

I realise that the face is in shadow - but that I was trying to achieve was more of a 'mood' shot here - the sense of hyena (if that makes any sense to anyone)! Looks like he had had a night on the tiles judging by the state of his coat!

The Spotted Hyena, or Laughing Hyena, (Crocuta crocuta) is a mammal of the order Carnivora. They are moderately large, terrestrial carnivores native to sub-Saharan Africa, save for the Congo basin.

They are best known for their croaking, birdlike bark that resembles the sound of hysterical human laughter. Though often labeled incorrectly as a scavenger, the spotted hyena is actually a powerful hunter, the majority of its nourishment being derived from live prey. Spotted hyenas are the most common predator in sub-saharan Africa, living in grassland savannas in Africa.

It ranges in body length from 95 to 150 centimeters (3.1-5 feet), and stands from 75 to 90 centimeters (2.5-3 feet) at the shoulder. In East Africa, the normal weight range for the male (who is usually more lightly built than the female) is 36 to 55 kilograms (80-121 pounds); whereas, the females normally weigh from 48 to 55 kilograms (105-121 pounds). They tend to grow larger in Southern Africa, with females often reaching 70 kilograms (154 pounds), with a maximum reported size of 90 kilograms (200 pounds).

The fur's background colour is a cream to light brown, with irregular dark spots that fade with age. The muzzle is black. They have long, heavily muscled necks, lined with a coarse mane of reversed fur.

The forequarters are more heavily built than the hindquarters, giving the hyena a distinctively sloping bear-like gait. Hyenas are built for endurance, possessing a very large heart which allows them to trot at 10 km/h (6 mph) without tiring. During chases, hyenas have been clocked at running speeds of up to 50 km/h (30 mph) for over 3 km. They are good swimmers, capable of controlling their buoyancy and walking at the bottom of pools whilst holding their breath.

Hyenas have extremely strong jaws in relation to their body size. In 2005, Dr. Brady Barr of the National Geographic measured the bite forces of many different animals, including spotted hyenas for the documentary Dangerous Encounters: Bite Force. A one year old cub had a bite measured at 273 kilograms (603 pounds) of force, leading to the postulation that a full grown adult could bite at over 453 kilograms (1,000 pounds). This mandibular power, combined with its large pyramid shaped molars allows it to easily crush bone, even those of elephants. An experiment conducted in 1955 showed that the spotted hyena easily outclassed the much larger brown bear in bone crushing ability. It is often asserted in television and print that hyenas have the most powerful bite for their overall body mass when compared to other animals, although there is no scientific basis for this claim.

In the wild, the spotted hyena has an average lifespan of 12 years. It can be extended to 25 in captivity.
lawbert, boreocypriensis, jaycee, gerbilratz, Gert-Paassen, pekkavalo1, CeltickRanger, inked, PaulH, eng55, eqshannon, haraprasan, albert, hester, JoshLewis has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To eqshannon: FreeJamesp 1 05-13 22:49
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello James
I like this capture a lot as well...The mood is certainly there with the wonderful glow of early morning light..The low pov is just the job..I guess if I had to be critical then I would have got the Hyena to wade out a few inches further so you could have captured his whole reflection..I bet you willed him to do that as well!!
A fantastic Capture James and many thanks for sharing this one.
Paul

Nice shot! The posture of the hyena on the prowl surely creates a sort of sinister mood in the picture, which I like. Also the light shiny bg creates a sense of barren lands, which is also quite captivating.

But I feel the hyena is a bit too centrally placed, I would have chosen a compsoition with a little more cropping of the bg on the left. Also may be it would have been even more beautiful if there were slightly more details visible on the face, which I do not think would have lifted off the mood.

Anyways, great shot.

  • Great 
  • pvs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1133 W: 259 N: 2406] (10803)
  • [2008-05-12 9:26]

Hi James,

I like this early morning capture,the light is marvelous,indeed as you already mention yourselves the detail of the head is lost in the shadow,anyway a pleasing image to look at,thank,

Paul

Hello James,
Splendid shot of this hyaena ready to attack to flamingos with lovely pose of him. All are perfect! TFS.
Cheers,

Bayram

  • Great 
  • cako Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 322 W: 0 N: 268] (1573)
  • [2008-05-12 9:56]

Hi James
this is a wonderfull image
very well done.

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1683 W: 8 N: 4104] (13155)
  • [2008-05-12 10:03]

Hi James,

Your scanning of slides is really successful! Judging from his posture there is no doubt this hyena is on the prowl. From the look of his coat he must have had a hard night too. Excellent shot - you even managed a reflection.

Jane

Hi James, this is an excellent slide, the original must have been quite impressive a shot, you have captured excellent details and colouration, excellent reflection as well.. Not my favourite animal, but you have shown it well. regards h

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1682 W: 20 N: 4764] (15468)
  • [2008-05-12 10:59]

Hi James,
Wonderful shot of this Hyena looking out to ambush flamingoes. Very neat and sharp image. The early morning light gives a fantastic effect and your low POV makes the image striking too. The blue water and the reflection of the predator looks stunning. Very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

nice capture, TFS Ori

Hello james,

Nicely captured in the frame.
Great shot and just the good moment.
Well done.

Gert

Hi James,

Excellent capture with great composition, nice POV, sharp details, very good lighting and natural bright colours.

TFS

Pekka

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1549 W: 242 N: 5074] (17833)
  • [2008-05-12 15:14]

Superb shot!!!!
The warm light is excellent!
I love the reflection too.
Excellent composition.
Brilliant sharpness.
Very, very well done!

Joe

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1261 W: 103 N: 4294] (19299)
  • [2008-05-12 19:38]

Hello James, you've captured a great scene here, the composition is very good and the atmosphere in it is fantastic, well done, thanks!

Mario

  • Great 
  • inked Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 125 W: 0 N: 213] (634)
  • [2008-05-12 23:07]

hi James,
another fantastic shot. i think you managed to capture that 'mood' shot you were after really well. the shadow definately adds to the mystery. incredible mirror reflection, nice pastel colors. awesome, tfs
Gethin

Hello James,
For a scanned slide it's a great photo with excellent sharp details. Beautiful light. I'm sure that this original slide on a wide screen is very impressive.
Regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • PaulH Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 976 W: 17 N: 2581] (9338)
  • [2008-05-13 1:17]

Hi James,
great choice to share form your archives, this Hyena really does look dishevelled! Really like the bluish/pinkish hue to the background and the overall atmosphere generated by the early morning light.
tfs
Paul

  • Great 
  • eng55 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 332 W: 3 N: 368] (1087)
  • [2008-05-13 1:46]

Hi James,
Excellent capture.POV,clear details,use of bird and reflections on water are wonderful.
Thanks for posting.

hello James

superb image of this hyena with a fine POV and DOF,
great contrast between the water's and sky's cold colour tone
and the hyena's warm colours tones, TFS

Asbed

I would absolutely love to see a slide show presentation. Now that wold be worth the price of admission unless it were a class you were teaching and then maybe I would have to sign on as monitoring the class....very nice James.
Bob

Hi James,
A nice capture of this beautiful spotted Hyena. Excellent composition and sharp details. Usually these are scavengers but rarely attack animals who are smaller from its size. Also human kids. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Hello James,
Nice photo with warm colours and well rendered atmosphere
Well done
Albert

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1494 W: 18 N: 2984] (10704)
  • [2008-05-14 12:58]

Hi James

What a scene, this shot has real atmosphere. I love the light and also the pose of the hyena. The warm fur tones look wonderful against the cool blues.

TFS

Karan

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2714 W: 67 N: 9354] (29168)
  • [2008-05-16 22:04]

Hello James

A great capture of a predator in hunt mode.
The reflections upon the water are very good.
The POV is amazing.I think you achieved the desired effect,as the mood created is effective.
The lighting is well managed.
TFS

Rob

Wow, this is wonderful!! Also very nice reflection too, and what a wonderful description! Thank you for sharing this very nice photo! Cheers Josh Lewis.

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