OMG, look at her butt ...

Let's face it, the classic stare-down-the lens animal portrait is so overdone. There are many neglected aspects of photographic safaris, not least of which is the magnificent aesthetic potential of African bottoms.




We did not spend our safari scaring animals away and just watching their retreating rear ends in the dust. I just developed an appreciation for the derrière, with its shapeliness and range of decoration.

The zebra has a natural advantage, with such clear markings (Crawshay's zebra lacks the brownish shadow stripes of other sub-species) and both individuality and repetition.



Impala, a common feature of the grassy plains as well as a leopard's lunch stash, also have a distinctive stripy backside and fantastically wiggly tail.



Waterbuck deserve a much better picture than this one, as their target-shaped markings form a fine feature of their nether regions. Those that I met tended to be a little camera shy however.


Another one that deserves a better picture - the baboon, whose arching tail easily distinguishes their silhouette from that of the vervet monkey.



The giraffe bottoms we encountered exiting our view, such as this lone male that we nearly ran into as we rounded a corner on a dusty road. He just side stepped around the jeep and continued on his way.




It's not all about the markings of course. The slope, too, is delightfully odd.


The hyaena probably takes the cake on this one though as all of its power is located up front, the hindquarters appearing as somewhat of an afterthought.


But back to the markings, with the beautifully patchwork African wild dog.


And no gallery would be complete without a slinking rear end covered in rosettes:



The end.


(This 4 year old is a connoisseur of the topic, being the owner of this dress and having recently watched the movie 'Sing')

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