Ready to rip
by Miroslava Jurcik
Title
Ready to rip
Artist
Miroslava Jurcik
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Tiger from Dubbo Zoo smells his food and he is ready to rip into the bag to get his meat ! Tigers have excellent smell, but it does not contribute to their hunting or survival skills. In terms of communication, smell is used to convey 1) territory ownership and 2) readiness and availability to mate (on the part of the female). Tigers use their personal scents to mark their territory, spraying the local flora with their scent-rich urine. There are occasions on which these otherwise solitary animals make contact with one another. When this happens, they will be sure to smell one another by way of introduction. During this interaction, a very interesting physical process takes place to enable the tiger to process the odour of the other. The tiger will smell its peer while wrinkling its nose and letting its tongue hang out. This facial expression is called flehmen. It allows for the scent to enter the mouth and be drawn into the Jacobson’s organ, which resembles a pouch behind the front incisors. This organ has two tiny openings which then steer the air being inhaled to sensitive nerve structures within. These nerves transmit the odour messages to the brain. This chemical process is a fascinating one. The flehmen grimace has become a trademark of these wild cats, and can make tigers appear as if they are snarling.
Uploaded
October 28th, 2014
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