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Shut Up and Dance! September 20, 2025 f/5.6 1/125 second |
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I could hear the antlers clashing in
the clear space underneath the branches of a few pine trees, but
through all the brush,
I could just barely catch glimpses of the combatants. Then the sparring stopped,
leaving silence, and question marks about what was next. One of
the foes began
strolling through the heavy forest coming in my direction. My
camera pack was already on the ground, in the bushes, about
eight feet in front of me, while behind me was the thick bark
covered tree trunk of a Douglas fir. I noticed that a moose trail
approached to my my right and passed within an arm's length of
that tree trunk. That seemed dangerously close, and I soon
realized that was exactly where the agitated animal was coming.
This tree, however, was the only solid cover within 30 feet so I
decided to stay put and hide behind the protection of its broad
trunk. In the event that the massive creature turned on me, I hoped I could
manuever my smaller body back and forth around the tree trunk faster than he could. But then,
the other bull appeared further down the trail, following his rival by a mere 30 or 40
feet. Nope! That was too much! While I was hiding behind the tree from the first bull the second one could charge me. The first moose was already dangerously close, but with adrenaline pumping through my veins, I grabbed my camera bag and evaporated as quickly as I could. Less than a hundred yards away the forest opened up to a pond with flat grassy areas around its edges. I reached the pond and circled towards the north side. It did seem that the bulls were headed this way, so I would just watch and wait. After I reached a safe distance with a good escape route, there was a long pause followed by absolutely nothing. Then the first moose appeared and moved towards the pond, sipping up its vital water. Although his right antler was a sufficient sparring weapon, the left antler seemed mutated, no bigger than my open hand. The second bull (pictured above) soon followed, working his way out of the forest and to the edge of the small lake. The water was important, but the dispute that had started in the forest had not yet been settled. Now round two of a very curious match was about to continue. One bull had already lost the full right side of his rack, while his opponent never did have much on the other side. They faced each other, and after some maneuvering and feeling around, the right antler of one locked up with the left antler of the other. I watched in disbelief as the full strength of a bull moose was leveraged through his head and neck into that lopsided antler, so much so that the bull in the above photo was able to drive the other bull powerfully backwards three times during the contest. But in this process of natural selection, was he really the stronger, more fit animal, or did he win only because he was smarter? He deliberately made an effort to stay on dry ground, while his opponent seemed content to fight from the water and slippery mud of the pond. So now we see that even in the animal world, superior intelligence can get you promoted above your rivals. Note: If you are reading this on your cell phone you can probably double tap this box and it will fill your screen from side to side, which will make it easier to read. You can double tap again to zoom back out. The same is true of any of my photos. |