20th Photo on Flickr Explore

The 20 on Explore
The 20 on Explore

Woke up to find I have the 20th entry into Flickr explore

1. Eye of the tiger!!, 2. The woodpecker and the squirrel, 3. Indian Pitta, 4. Red-crested Pochard – male, 5. Barn Swallow, 6. Common picturewing – Rhyothemis variegata, 7. Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, 8. Cleared for landing!!,

9. I know that smell!!, 10. Damsels in love 😉, 11. Yellow on yellow! One-spot Grass Yellow Butterfly (Eurema andersonii), 12. Magenta dragonfly – Aurora themis(?), 13. Striped Tiger (Danaus genutia) II, 14. Striped Tiger (Danaus genutia), 15. Common Leopard (Phalanta phalantha), 16. Blue grass dartlet damselfly,

17. Ummm… This size will fit her!, 18. Green on green – Merops orientalis, 19. Cuddle party!, 20. Tigress with cubs at Pench National Park

Do I know that smell?!?

I know that smell!! Explored.
Tiger in Flehmen pose

Tigers to identify his territory, the male marks trees by spraying of urine and anal gland secretions, as well as marking trails with scat. Males show what is called called the Flehmen response. In the Flehmen response, animals draw back their lips in a manner that makes them appear to be “grimacing”. The action, which is adopted when examining scents left by other animals either of the same species or of prey, helps expose the vomeronasal organ and draws scent molecules back toward it. This behavior allows animals to detect scents, for example from urine, of other members of their species or clues to the presence of prey. Flehming allows the animals to determine several factors, including the presence or absence of estrus, the physiological state of the animal, and how long ago the animal passed by. Read more in the embedded book Amur Tiger

Getting on to Flickr Explore

Explored #1 on 7th Oct 2009
#1 on Explore

Yesterday I got a pleasant surprise when a flickr contact told me that my picture of Crimson Marsh Glider had made it to #1 position on Flickr Explore for 7th Oct 2009. Some friends asked how or what I did because it is well known that making it to explore is based on a complex secret algorithm and it is not just the quality of your photograph that counts. Read what did I do!