[jegr]

It's not that hard, I do it without CIF, but a good viewfinder magnifier helps a lot

[savoche]

Hippopotamuses, umm, hippopotami? Damn, where's @WPRESTO when you need him?

[WPRESTO]

Hippos? Did someone mention my name in connection with hippos??

[paulh]

Hippos? Did someone mention my name in connection with hippos??

That photo & caption actually made me LOL ! Great shots guys.

[dadipentak]

Hippopotamuses

Fun shot--I tried at first to figure out what kind of ducks those were.
Maybe I should try to get in the habit of reading text first (but life's more fun this way. ;~)

[savoche]

To avoid confusing @dadipentak: Those in the front are ducks, the ones in the back are not

Not sure why those ducks are called Egyptian geese since ducks they are. And they are more common south of Egypt than they are in Egypt, really.

[wayne james]

but do they taste good?

[savoche]

but do they taste good?

The big ones or the small ones?

[WPRESTO]

To avoid confusing @dadipentak: Those in the front are ducks, the ones in the back are not

Not sure why those ducks are called Egyptian geese since ducks they are. And they are more common south of Egypt than they are in Egypt, really.

Here's an EGYPTIAN GOOSE, and FYI: They are so called because of the dark eye ring, reminiscent of the black ring ancient Egyptians routinely painted around each eye. Not sure about "goose" versus "duck." I'll see if I can find something.

[WPRESTO]

Here's another hippo showing off its lovely teeth. I had a fantasy thought that this fellow was trying his luck as a filter feeder, like a whale swimming through krill, seeing what he could scoop off the surface of the hippo pool. Maybe some of those Egyptian geese??

[savoche]

Here's an EGYPTIAN GOOSE, and FYI: They are so called because of the dark eye ring, reminiscent of the black ring ancient Egyptians routinely painted around each eye. Not sure about "goose" versus "duck." I'll see if I can find something.

I would think it's simply that they look as much like geese as they do ducks - and even more goosy in flight. But I'm no ornithologist.

But yes, the "Egyptian make-up" is what I have been told is the reason for the first part of their name. (A guide we had in Zambia claimed, while pointing them out to us, it was also because they were to be found only in Egypt )

Here's another hippo showing off its lovely teeth. I had a fantasy thought that this fellow was trying his luck as a filter feeder, like a whale swimming through krill, seeing what he could scoop off the surface of the hippo pool. Maybe some of those Egyptian geese??

[WPRESTO]

I would think it's simply that they look as much like geese as they do ducks - and even more goosy in flight. But I'm no ornithologist.

But yes, the "Egyptian make-up" is what I have been told is the reason for the first part of their name. (A guide we had in Zambia claimed, while pointing them out to us, it was also because they were to be found only in Egypt )

Some "common knowledge" about animals is inscrutable in its logic and untraceable as to origin. I am always amused/exasperated by some of what is said about the features of purebred dogs, using tails as rudders or ears to "scoop up" odors. As a scientist I reflexively wonder: suppose we pit a tailless dog against a Labrador with a "rudder tail;" would the former be less able to control its direction when swimming? Suppose we use a clothespin to clip the ears of four bloodhounds above their heads then pit them against four hounds with their ears down; would the latter actually track faster or more accurately?
I suspect that most if not all of the common names applied to African wildlife have been coined by Europeans, and only rarely are based on what local people originally called the animals (exception: something like "honey guide?"). It's likely, therefore, that the people who devised "Egyptian goose" were familiar with the classic eye make-up of the pharaohs, so that explanation of the name seems reasonable to me.

[savoche]

Some "common knowledge" about animals is inscrutable in its logic and untraceable as to origin. I am always amused/exasperated by some of what is said about the features of purebred dogs, using tails as rudders or ears to "scoop up" odors. As a scientist I reflexively wonder: suppose we pit a tailless dog against a Labrador with a "rudder tail;" would the former be less able to control its direction when swimming? Suppose we use a clothespin to clip the ears of four bloodhounds above their heads then pit them against four hounds with their ears down; would the latter actually track faster or more accurately?
I suspect that most if not all of the common names applied to African wildlife have been coined by Europeans, and only rarely are based on what local people originally called the animals (exception: something like "honey guide?"). It's likely, therefore, that the people who devised "Egyptian goose" were familiar with the classic eye make-up of the pharaohs, so that explanation of the name seems reasonable to me.

Ah, yes, lots of "common knowledge" being spread around (although the guide I mentioned above did say that as a joke, waiting to see if we got it...). When going on more budget safaris earlier I was told all sorts of "truths" - the cheetah being a dog being one!

This is no dog, though.

[WPRESTO]

Ah, yes, lots of "common knowledge" being spread around (although the guide I mentioned above did say that as a joke, waiting to see if we got it...). When going on more budget safaris earlier I was told all sorts of "truths" - the cheetah being a dog being one!

This is no dog, though.

Lovely B&W savoche. Your PP work is consistently excellent.

[WPRESTO]

Here's the slender, speedy cat.