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PIC OF THE MONTH Crocodilian images which reveal fascinating stories told from a visual perspective. |
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1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 JAN 04 | FEB 04 | MAR 04 | APR 04 | MAY 04 | JUN 04 JUL 04 | AUG 04 | SEP 04 | OCT 04 | NOV 04 | DEC 04 Days of Thunder  In April and May each year, American alligator males advertise for females. Their principal method of impressing potential mates is to bellow. The alligator lifts its head and arches its tail, everts musk glands under the chin and cloaca, and produces perhaps the most characteristic of crocodilian signals. The bellow involves a lot of low-frequency sound, much of it below our threshold of hearing. This is called "infrasound" and it travels long distances through the water. The intensity of vibrations that the alligator produces is so great, it literally causes shallow water over its back to "dance" for a brief moment. This is illustrated nicely in Glenn's picture, where you can also see waves of pressure pulsing outwards across the water's surface. If you are a female alligator, there is no greater aphrodesiac. For humans, the very ground beneath your feet rumbles like a jet taking off. You can appreciate its appeal. Would you like to enter your best photograph as a potential Pic of the Month? Send it to me and I'll include the best here each month. Each year I run a competition where the best photograph each year is awarded an Ilfochrome print. The only criteria for submitting a photograph is this: it must capture the attention. |
