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Attack?????


Attack?????
Photo Information
Copyright: Odette Van Nieuwholtz (OdetteVN) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 59 W: 0 N: 127] (386)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-11-18
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Canon EOS 350D, 75-300mm
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/400 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Wild cats portraits [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-11-20 11:23
Viewed: 7373
Favorites: 2 [view]
Points: 48
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Caracal Caracal

The Caracal, also called Persian lynx or African lynx (Caracal caracal, sometimes Felis caracal), is a fiercely territorial medium-sized cat. Caracals are labeled as small cats, but are the heaviest of all small cats, as well as the fastest. Males typically weigh about 13-18 kg, while females are smaller. Recent DNA research has shown that the Caracal is not a close relative of lynxes at all, but is instead related to the Serval. The Caracal is 65 cm in length (about 2 ft), plus 30 cm tail (about 1 foot). It has longer legs and a slimmer appearance than a lynx. The colour of the fur is variable: it may be wine-red, grey or sand-coloured. Melanistic (black) caracals also occur. Young caracals bear reddish spots on the underside; adults do not have markings except for black spots above the eyes. The most conspicuous feature of the caracal are its long, tufted black ears, which also explain the origin of its name – karakulak, Turkish for "black ear". Their ears are controlled by 20 different muscles to help them find their prey. The tufts of fur help pinpoint their prey.
Caracals are distributed over Africa and West Asia. Their habitat is dry steppes and semi-deserts, but also include woodlands, savanna, and scrub forest. They are solitary, or paired, territorial cats. A caracal may survive without drinking for a long period—the water demand is satisified with the body fluids of the prey. It hunts at night (but in colder seasons also in the daytime) for rodents and hares; rarely it may even attack a gazelle, a small antelope or a young ostrich. They are picky eaters, and discard the internal organs of the mammals they catch, partially pluck the fur off of hyraxes and larger kills, and avoid eating hair by shearing meat neatly from the skin. But they will eat the feathers of small birds and are tolerant of rotten meat. They are most well-known for their skill with hunting birds; a caracal is able to snatch a bird in flight, sometimes more than one at a time. Caracals can jump and climb exceptionally well, which enables them to catch hyraxes better than probably any other carnivore. Their life expectancy in the wild is 12 years, or 17 years in captivity. Since they are also surprisingly easy to tame, they have been used as hunting cats in Iran and India.
Because they are so easily tamed, caracals are sometimes kept as pets (especially in the United States), and are said to adapt easily to living with humans. They are often viewed as vermin by farmers in Africa because they frequently climb over fences to eat chickens and other poultry.
Caracals are almost impossible to see in the wild, not because there are very few of them, but because they hide extremely well. Game drives in countries such as Kenya and Botswana widely encounter other animals, but a sighting of a caracal is extremely rare.

I hope you like it!!!
marmottelolo, Janice, marhowie, dew77, wkshelton, blakitan, greenpinkorange, coasties, SelenE, scottevers7, SunToucher, PDP, aido, loot has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

bonjour odette
la tete manque un peu d'acuité,mais j'adore l'expression de ce gentil minet.
bravo.
laurent

  • Great 
  • viv Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 292 W: 3 N: 653] (3317)
  • [2006-11-20 12:14]

Hi Odette,
What a portrait, great shot, is this taken in a closed environment?
Anyhow great shot.
TFS
Vivian

  • Great 
  • pvs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1127 W: 254 N: 3161] (14464)
  • [2006-11-20 12:33]

Hi Odette,

A colorfull compo,well captured wit nice colors and detail,well done and TFS

Paul

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1515 W: 18 N: 3165] (11638)
  • [2006-11-20 13:52]

LOL what a great expression. Lovely colours and the details on the tongue are amazing. I wouldn't want to get too close to him

TFS

Karan

  • Great 
  • wuta Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 855 W: 2 N: 617] (2142)
  • [2006-11-20 14:37]

Hello Odette , A Great portret from the lynx , beauty eyes colours details compositie bg very good ,tfs ,Greetings Teunie .

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3277 W: 148 N: 6163] (18832)
  • [2006-11-20 14:57]

Hi Odette, what a catch! Love the expression and I can hear her hissing from here!
The image is a little unsharp, but I imagine it was shot from afar or through a glass window, TFS
Janice

Fun shot Odette.. Loads of character in this one. The color, light, and POV with direct eye contact, makes it great :) Nicely done.
Have a Great Week.

Hi Odette,
yes - I love it - a wonderful moment, I love this face, very well done, thanks
Sabine - wishnugaruda

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4432 W: 248 N: 4028] (13270)
  • [2006-11-20 15:50]

Hello Odette,
Amazing portrait.POV,colors,expression on face,blurred BG,framing and composition are excellent.
TFS...:-)

Hello Odette,

Just a great photo, perefct colors, Bg, POV DOF Perfect details, very crisp, Nicly composed and capture photo,

TFS Kyle

Hello Odette,
Wow! What´s a great capture with the lovely colours.
Greetings,
Vanilla

Hi Odette

Wow... nasty teeth. Good shot! The eye colour and shape is fantastic. Well done! TFS

  • Great 
  • deud Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 438 W: 11 N: 534] (2540)
  • [2006-11-21 3:35]

beautiful portrait. nice pose. great colors. tfs

Hi Odette,
WOW! what a great pose you have captured on this Caracal. Perfect eye contact and what nice big teeth. The colors and detail look excellent.
Nice frame filling composition. Looks great!
Scott

OW.. fierce one. Great shot at a good moment! Wow, someone must have agitated it. Colors and details are good. Composition is nice too
Steph

Hi Odette,
What a beautiful photo. Such great expression captured. The colors and the DOF are spot on. The focus is a little soft around the eyes, but perfect on the mounth. A very stunning image.
TFS,
Niek

  •      
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2006-11-22 18:29]

Hello Odette, I love the pose and the composition. The exposure and everything is just right, all it needs as I know you know is a touch of USM :-)

Very good!

The composition and exposure is spot on. This is a very good portrait of this (my favorite) cat. You did really well. I have to agree with Paul again... :) I did a WS so that you can see the difference. Let me know what you think.

Hi Odette,
Superb close up shot.
Great DoF, great sharpness, excellent details, and very neat.
Colors are nice. Well framed.

Ben Lakitan

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2006-11-23 15:20]

Hi Odette,
This is excellent, you've really captured this well and have captured something of the Caracal, rather than just a portrait shot. Great POV, almost at eye-level and the portrait format is perfect for this shot. Great exposure and colours and informative notes. I think the detail is a little soft and so I like Gerhard's workshop, it does the image justice. I don't like the other workshop, too much contrast and the colours are too strong. It's a beautiful shot, great work.
Regards,
Adrian

Great image Odette, power impact. I agree with some of the comments on the softness and have done a workshop (that I prefer to that done by the meister Gerhardt). See what you think. Cheers, Rob

  • Great 
  • loot Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5524 W: 722 N: 4163] (11276)
  • [2007-01-27 16:30]
  • [2]

Hi Odette

You are so fortunate to be able to see this beautiful feline at the Boskoppie Reserve. I have been visiting game parks and venues very regularly for the last 17 years and I only saw this animal once in the Kruger Park and it was only a flash and about 10 seconds later there was no trace of it anymore.

This is such a lovely composition and POV with the animal looking back at you while obviously telling you to back off or face the consequences. Great shot. The stunning colours, amazing details, brilliant BG, and perfect exposure all adds up to a pleasing result for the eye.

Very well done and TFS.
Regards
Loot

Hello Odette.

Excellent image, nice composition and colors.
Fantastic.

Regards.
Jose Luis.

SUPER SHOT

great face, TFS Ori

Wow!!!!!! There is just one word for it!

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