|
Reticulated Giraffes, Samburu National Reserve, Kenya: Young bull giraffes living in bachelor herds will spend hours each day engaging in sparring contests to establish their social hierarchy and preparing to compete with older bulls for access to females (the practice rarely results in injury). However, when the mature males leave these herds, ritualized “necking” ceases and fights for dominance are less frequent but more brutal. “While driving across stunning landscape, we came across five pairs of young giraffes ‘necking’ for dominance. Necks were swinging in high arcs, delivering thundering blows to their opponents. Although the image may look simple, it was extraordinarily challenging to frame the shot and click the shutter as they moved erratically”. (Photo by Piper Mackay/Nature’s Best Photography Awards 2017)
|
