Something's Missing

[Bibhav Behera]

This was shot in outskirts of Gir National Park. The guy probably lost one of his antlers in a fight.

Canon 450D, 300mm f/4L IS USM
SS 1/40
f/5.6
ISO 400

Full Frame Image shot Handheld. Comments and Critiques welcome.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Poor thing. It will be disadvantaged during rut.

Composition wise I am fine. Wish you had better light. What time of the day did you click this? Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

The already enacted Drama of the Jungle captured so vividly.Most likely during fight with Another Stag.It also happens when the Horns get entangled in a Forked( V) Tree. Look at those Beautiful Eyes with an element of sadness.


Reminds me a famous Tagore Song..."Mukhakhani Karo Malina Bidhur.......".As if it is telling us ( English Translation may be):


"Show me (some) expression of sadness and compassion in your Face....".

Thanks for sharing.SaktiWild

[Bibhav Behera]

Hi Sabyasachi,
This was taken at 6:12 PM

[Bhargava Srivari]

Can't help but feel sad for this guy. Well done.

tfs

[Roopak Gangadharan]

Nice image Bhibav like the composition.

I had seen chital stags with one horn twice and presumed that it is a case of the stag shedding its antlers. A gap of few hours to few days between the shedding of one and the other is common. This seems to be the case here also if you see the antler seem to have been cut of neatly and exactly at the base as it happens while shedding.

TFS
Roopak

[Bibhav Behera]

Roopak,
You might be right on this one. Reason being, I did see quite a few other stags with new velvet antlers just budding. So, it is likely that it was being shed.

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

"In herds of stags,as also in large mixed herds,all stages of Antler development was observed, some stags having polled heads(having just shed their Antlers),some being in early stages of regeneration with the swollen tint-tips covered with velvet,some in the penultimate stage with the Antlers fully developed but still covered with velvet,and some in hard horn........" M.Krishnan
(Who has done extensive study ,inter alia,on Chital)

Bhai Bibhav,
If you have seen this with your own eyes,then I agree with Bhai Roopak's view as may be the nearest possible reason.I had seen the front view of the image of Basement of the Non-existent Antler a number of times.

Thanks Roopak, Bhargava,Bibhav and Shri Sabyasachi and others .SaktiWild

[Bibhav Behera]

This attached photo of another stag from the same herd shows the antlers in a different stage of development.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I checked the images again, and now agree that the stage may have shed an antler. It is really nice to hear a different perspective that challenges our point of view and makes us think. That is how learning happens.

I feel very happy to read a quote from the noted naturalist M. Krishnan. I have grown up reading M. Krishnan's columns in the Statesman. Those used to be filled with tremendous insights. He was the one who had first stated about a throbbing sensation and had thought that elephants perhaps communicate in frequencies that are inaudible to us. Much later, with infrasound equipment, it has been proved that elephants communicate over long distances using infrasound frequencies.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Shri Sabyasachi,
You may kindly consider relocating this page in 'NATURAL HISTORY' column with an appropriate Title,at your discretion.
Kind regards,
SaktiWild