Bullfighting is a magnificent, exciting spectacle, like a pagan dance, so religious and at the same time aggressive, filled with beauty and grace, but cruel and bloody. Thousands of people freeze in anticipation of the amazing action and their hearts begin to beat in the same rhythm - after all, the culmination of this performance is death.
Here two rivals appear in the arena - a man and a bull. Another second, and a dangerous duel should begin between a beautiful, powerful, brave and proud animal, symbolizing primitive instincts, life difficulties, adversity and everything dark that is in life, and a bullfighter dressed in a magnificent snow-white “suit of light” that reflects the rays of the sun.
All spectators watch with bated breath a dangerous mortal duel of two symbolic forces - darkness and light, where a man skillfully dodges the blows of a bull with the help of a bright red muleta (a piece of fabric attached to a stick), which provokes the bull and hides the silhouette of the matador, and the inevitable culmination will be the victory of the magnificent bullfighter and the death of the bull.
Bullfight spectators are convinced that it is the red color that drives the bull into an uncontrollable rage and nothing can convince them of this - such are the traditions. But every bullfighter knows that bulls are colorblind by nature and do not distinguish colors, and the red muleta is just a tribute to tradition and a way to capture the attention of the stands excited by this magnificent spectacle.
The mammalian eye consists of two types of photoreceptors - cones, which allow us to distinguish colors, and rods, which allow us to see the size and shape of objects. In humans and primates, the number of cones in the retina of the eye is very large, which allows them to distinguish colors. But the colors in the life of ungulates of great importance do not have, and Mother Nature deprived the eyes of these animals, as an unnecessary element for them, of the number of cones that allow them to distinguish colors.
Why does a bull in a bullfight still rush at a red muleta? The thing is that for bullfighting they raise special bulls of the El Toro Bravo breed (translated as “the brave bull”), which are especially aggressive, angry, agile, but not particularly intelligent, stupid and therefore predictable in a duel with a bullfighter, which very important.
And now comes the climax - in the arena, a dexterous matador leads the last deadly game with an angry bull using a red muleta, which, with its movement, drives the bull into an indescribable rage. The viewer freezes, watching every movement of the scarlet muleta, which is visible even in the last rows of the amphitheater. The flickering of red matter and the fury of the animal lead the viewer into indescribable delight - they long for the climax of the action, the viewer is waiting for the blood that is about to spill!
The red color of the material on the mulet is just a clever trick that brings the crowd of spectators into such ecstasy, making the spectacle bright and memorable. And the bull doesn’t care at all what color the muleta is - blue, red, yellow or white - he still doesn’t distinguish colors, and is only annoyed by the frantic movement of matter and the insane howl of the stands intoxicated by the bloody spectacle.
You've probably seen how in cartoons they wave a red rag in front of a bull? At which the bull begins to get angry, dig the ground with his hoof, and in the end, putting his horns forward, rushes towards this very rag. Or watched on TV (and those lucky enough to watch it live) Spanish bullfighting. When the same thing actually happens. Then everything looks even more impressive. A fearless bullfighter waves a stick with a red cloak draped over it in front of a bull. But when he runs towards the rag, the bullfighter will have time to dodge at the last moment. And yet, why do bulls dislike red so much?
In fact, bulls do not care at all what color rag is waved in front of them.. All bulls are colorblind. But what then makes the bulls so furious? The answer is simple: the movement of the muleta fabric (this is the stick with the red cloak). In the movement of the rags are bulls, perhaps. They see some kind of danger and threat. They are irritated by any movement at all - they perceive both a person and a rag as potential enemies. Therefore, if you suddenly find yourself close to a bull, it is better to stop and freeze so as not to become a victim of his furious attack.
Interesting fact: A spectacular bullfight will not end in success with every bull. A special breed of bulls is raised for her. It is called “el toro bravo,” which translates to “the brave one.” Bulls of this breed grow up to be aggressive, fast, and angry, but they are far from brilliant in intelligence. Every step they take is easy to predict, which is an important part of the performance. It is possible that the bullfight with a bull of a different breed ended badly or did not take place at all.
Why then is red used?
The red color of the canvas is a cunning trick that has managed to deceive many people. It adds great spectacle to the performance. Agree, everything would not look so bright and exciting if the rag were white, green or yellow color . On the other hand, red color attracts the attention of the audience more strongly, priming them in advance to the danger of bloodshed. So the audience worries more about the bullfighter and rejoices and is more surprised when he Once again was able to defeat a ferocious bull.
Now you know that the bull is not irritated by the color red in any way, but only gets angry from the persistent movement of the stick in the hands of a master of his craft. I hope the article was informative and interesting, and you now have one less inexplicable mystery!
When in a conversation someone wants to emphasize a strong form of a person’s dislike for something, they often say that “it irritates him like the red color of an ox.”
Everyone is accustomed to the fact that the color red, to put it mildly, does not put bulls in a good mood, but the animals themselves would be greatly surprised by this integral trait of their character.
And if someone doesn’t believe in this, then let them read this article.
For a bull, aggression is not just a mood or just one of many character traits. For any bull with the slightest bit of self-respect, aggression is something of a life credo.
Already at the age of two years, young bulls tend to show spontaneous outbursts of rage. It would seem that there is no point in showing rage for such a powerful animal as a bull, which feeds by nibbling grass, but this is so, and we will now understand the reasons for this behavior.
Why does everyone think that bulls are aggressive towards the color red, maybe on the contrary - they strive for it?
The reason for bull's aggressiveness lies in the bull's genes, which he inherited from his ancestors. And the ancestors of these cattle clearly did not belong to the number of insignificant animals, being not just anyone, but ancient wild tours. This animal was significantly larger in size than modern cows and bulls and weighed about a ton, and was also armed with powerful horns and practically impenetrable skin. Turs once abundantly inhabited forest-steppes and forests throughout Europe, North Africa and in Asia Minor.
Huge size and aggressive behavior allowed the tours to keep predators at a considerable distance from their herds, and besides, it was useful during mating tournaments, reinforcing the morale of the fighters.
In general, it must be said that aggressive behavior is much more often demonstrated by herbivores than by predators, especially if they are large ungulates. IN modern world It is generally accepted that the most dangerous among forest inhabitants are predators, but this is not true.
Predators show aggression mostly towards those who are part of their diet. And they are indifferent to everyone else who is not part of it, including humans, and prefer to stay away from everything that is not interesting to them. The most that, for example, a person can cause in, for example, a wolf is fear or irritation, which in most cases ends in the flight of the animal.
But herbivores are a completely different matter: having a large number of enemies and living in large herds, they are accustomed to fighting off daily large number wanting to feast on their flesh and therefore were forced to give a tough rebuff. The ancient hunters knew this well, who considered the most dangerous inhabitants forests, not wolves or lynxes or even bears, but huge ferocious aurochs and no less ferocious wild boars and moose. But, unfortunately, aggressiveness, which so helped aurochs in “contacts” with other animals, turned out to be useless in “communication” with humans.
Thanks to hunting and deforestation, as well as thanks to ideas about animals as soulless and dangerous creatures that should be exterminated in order to protect the life of the “crown of creation,” the aurochs were completely exterminated by the seventeenth century. And in Africa and Asia Minor it was exterminated even earlier. However, despite the disappearance of this beautiful animal, the soul of its ancient wild relative still lives in every modern domestic bull.
The fighting nature of the bull has long been used by people so that applicants for the title of alpha male could flaunt their courage. Hunting large ungulates became synonymous with courage, even if it was done from cover and with a rifle with a telescopic sight.
Apparently, the creators of the bullfight began to reason in approximately the same way, who, however, did not hide in the bushes, offering those who wanted to tickle their nerves to meet the bull face to face, although not without weapons, but armed with a sword, with which the bullfighter must kill bull To do this, the bullfighter first teases the animal with a piece of bright red material called a “capote,” awakening aggression in it.
At the same time, the bull is trying so hard to pierce the hood with his horns that a strong impression is created that it is the red color that irritates him. However, this opinion was questioned, and hoods of other colors were used as an experiment. There was no change in reaction on the part of the bull, and the bulls continued to desperately rush on the hood. Then, if the matter is not at all in the color of matter, then what is the matter?
As scientists have found out, bulls have dichromatic vision. Their eyes have only two types of light-sensitive proteins. For comparison, a person has three types of them. And surprisingly, it is the third type of protein, which bulls lack, that is closest to the red end of the spectrum. For this reason, bulls will be able to distinguish green color from of blue color, but they can’t distinguish red from green.
Therefore, any fabric can irritate a bull bright color. And it is for this reason that shepherds and shepherds prefer to wear professional activity clothes in black and gray, nondescript tones. However, it is not the color of the material that causes the real rage of the bull, but the fact that it sways.
However, the bull will also be irritated by any rapid movement of a person, object or animal.
So, the real danger will be exposed not so much to the one who stands next to the bull, dressed in all red, as to the one who begins to rush around in a panic in front of this animal that does not like vanity. In this case, the bull will really be tempted to “ride” the rusher on his horns, which is what they try to do during another traditional Spanish sport involving bulls - encierro - when people run along the fenced streets of the city, trying to escape from specially bulls released into such an improvised corral.
To irritate an animal, it would be enough to simply run in front of it, then the bull would rush at the aggressor without any rags. It would seem that the matador would not even have to constrain himself in his movements, holding a cowl that was completely useless in combat terms, but in this case, the mortality rate among matadors would be much higher, since the bull would not aim at the red rag that irritates him, but directly at the matador . And in such a confrontation, even a man armed with a sword has extremely doubtful chances of winning. This is why the capote was “invented”, so that the bull would fight not with a person, but with a piece of matter.
It should be noted that if you look at the bullfight carefully, you will notice that the matador, actively waving his hood, himself moves very smoothly.
His movements are more like dance steps from some old minuet than the movements of a fighter. How the matadors came to the conclusion that exactly such movements should be made during a fight with a bull is now unlikely to be established, but it is thanks to them that a contrast is created between the smoothly moving matador and the rapidly oscillating matter, which in the vast majority of cases becomes the object of the bull’s rage . Well, if it doesn’t, if the bull is too smart to understand who exactly is his true enemy or if the matador moves too sharply, then... you understand.
Sixty-three matadors died in Spain over two centuries. Although it's not that much. For comparison, about a hundred thousand times more bulls die in bullfights, over thirty thousand individuals a year.
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Today there are many most different breeds bulls, among which there are no “bad” ones, since each variety is bred for a specific purpose, winning in comparison with the others in some parameters and inferior in other characteristics. Regardless of the direction of breeding, these animals are of great agricultural importance to humans.
All about the bull
A bull is a large horned animal, a representative of the bovid subfamily of artiodactyls. Representatives of the species differ from other subfamilies in size and massive build.
A bull is taller than a cow because of its live weight adult 60–70% larger, the head is coarser, and the neck is thicker. The shoulders of bulls are more rounded, the chest is wider. Young bulls reach sexual maturity on average at 7 months of life.
Primitive bull
The ancestor of domestic cows was the wild bull, in particular, it became extinct in wildlife subspecies - aurochs (also a primitive bull). Wild and the first domesticated aurochs were used only for meat, but with the growing dependence of people on agriculture, they began to be used mainly as labor: for many centuries, aurochs were the main draft animals and remain so in many third world countries to this day.
Domestic bull
Domestic bull - domesticated subspecies wild bull, which is bred for meat and leather. Males of the species are called bulls, castrated males are called oxen.
The inseminating bull (or breeding bull, also a stud male) is the main value in livestock breeding, as it is used in breeding to produce purebred offspring through natural mating or through artificial insemination. Incorrectly selected breeding males (with low potential, high differentiation of traits) can significantly reduce the productive qualities of the offspring, even when using outstanding mothers.
Domestic bull
Bull breeds
The entire variety of bull breeds, depending on the economic orientation, is conventionally divided into 3 branches:
- Dairy breeds. Individuals of this direction are bred for the production of dairy products. Their thin build makes them unprofitable for beef production, but they are good-natured and even-tempered.
- Meat breeds are large in size. Unlike dairy breeds, the physiological processes of meat varieties are aimed at increasing muscle tissue under conditions of the most optimal consumption. Such cows only have enough milk to feed their calves.
- Combined, that is, universal breeds are characterized by the fact that they combine the qualities of both directions.
Note! Beef today is highly valued in dietary nutrition, and therefore the breeding of beef bulls is of particular importance. Their meat is low in fat and cholesterol, making it healthy.
There are more than 1,000 purebred bull breeds in the world, as well as about 30 hybrid forms. This diversity is explained by the wide distribution of cattle and their special significance V agriculture. In addition to the usual traditional breeds, there are quite exotic and rare varieties that are not so easy to see on an ordinary farm.
Takin
Takin (lat. Budorcas taxicolor) - butane bull, very rare view, which looks like a large goat. The height of the animal at the withers is about 100 cm, the length of the body is 120-150 cm, and the body weight reaches 300 kg. U takin' big mouth and eyes, but small ears. It is covered with a thick golden skin that darkens towards the underbelly. The horns of males and females resemble those of a buffalo.
Black bull
Aberdeen Angus bull (English: Aberdeen Angus) is a breed that originates from Scotland. Distinctive features of Black Angus bulls are polled and black in color. Their Aberdeen dogs are passed on to their descendants even when crossed with individuals of other breeds.
These small cows rarely reach 120 cm at the withers. Their skin is loose and thin. The bones of animals are thin and make up 15-18% of the carcass weight.
Black bull
Zebu
Zebu (lat. Bos taurus indicus) is an unusual subspecies of wild bull with a pronounced hump. This muscle-fat formation serves as a kind of “warehouse” for nutrients and plays a role in important role in the life activity of the animal body.
The weight of adult zebu reaches 300-350 kg. Satisfactory meat qualities, as well as high milk fat content and endurance, make humpback bulls one of the most valuable forms of cattle in areas with hot climates.
Muskox
The musk ox, or musk ox (lat. Ovibos moschatus) is a large stocky mammal with big head And short neck. Musk oxen are covered with unusually thick hair and have rounded horns with a massive base on the forehead.
On average, the height at the withers of an adult musk ox is 135 cm, weight varies from 260 to 650 kg.
Bull Gaur
Gaur (lat. Bos gaurus), or Indian bison - largest representative a kind of real bulls that were bred in India.
The body length of an adult gaur reaches an average of 3 m, height - 2 m. This bull from India weighs from 600 to 1500 kg. The gaur's horns are curved upward and resemble crescents in shape, the color of the coat is brown, approaching black.
The domesticated form of the gaur bull is gayal.
Watussi bull
Watussi (English: Ankole-Watusi) is an African bull with a very exotic appearance. Characteristic feature species are horns huge size(up to 1.8 m wide), which serve as a kind of air conditioner for the animal. They are permeated blood vessels and regulate body temperature in extreme heat.
Watussi are considered sacred bulls among African tribes, and only members of the nobility and the wives of chiefs can own them. These bulls are raised primarily for meat.
For your information! The weight of adult bulls reaches 600-730 kg.
Tibetan bull
Tibetan bull, also yak (lat. Bos mutus) or sarlyk - artiodactyl mammal originally from the Tibetan mountains. This species is difficult to confuse with another because of its memorable appearance. This is a massive, long-haired animal with a sloping back and long, upward-curved horns. The height of an adult at the withers reaches 2 m, weight - 1000 kg. Distinctive feature Yaks have rather short legs with a long body.
American bull
Bison (lat. Bison bison), or American bison- a large, massive animal with thick brown fur. The head is massive, broad-browed. The ends of the horns are wrapped inward.
The back of the American bull's body is not as developed as the front. The height of an adult individual is 2 m, length - 3 m.
Since ancient times, bulls have occupied an important place in human life, however, despite such close “neighborhood”, there are many so-called “false” myths about these animals, and some features of their content are incomprehensible to many.
Why do bulls react to the color red?
It is believed that during a bullfight, the bull attacks the matador's red cape because the color red irritates him. This is nothing more than a myth, since bulls and cows do not distinguish colors well. Moreover, they do not perceive the color red at all. The animal is irritated by something else - movement.
Bulls are very short-sighted, so the flickering of matter is perceived by them as a threat, but the red color for bullfighting was not chosen by chance. It is designed to calm, not irritate, not the bull, but the audience. The blood of an animal is not so noticeable on red fabric, and therefore its killing is perceived more calmly.
Are bulls able to distinguish colors?
Color blindness (also color blindness) is a hereditary feature of vision in humans and primates, which is expressed in the inability to distinguish all or some colors, but most often color blind people are people who are unable to see the color red. In this regard, it is difficult to give a definite answer to the question of whether bulls are color blind.
The fact is that bulls and cows have only two color receptors in their eyes, and not three, like in humans, and in general, most animals distinguish only the spectrum of colors that is important for their life. For them, this is a feature of vision, while for people, limited color recognition is a disease. While people distinguish shades of red, blue and yellow, as well as their various combinations, large cattle most sensitive to yellowish-green and blue-violet colors. And although bulls cannot distinguish between red tones, this does not make them color blind.
Bull and red
Why does a bull need a nose ring?
On a farm, bulls are usually kept with a nose ring. The reason is simple - these are large, strong animals that are difficult to control, but there are points on the animal’s body with increased pain sensitivity. These are ears, eyes and nose. That is why quite often the partition between the animal’s nostrils is used to attach a ring, with the help of which the obstinate animal is kept “in check” without much difficulty.
Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptians revered bulls as sacred animals. In particular, the Egyptian bull Apis (or Hapis), dedicated to the gods Osiris and Ptah, from ancient Egyptian mythology even had its own temple in Memphis.
Initially, Apis was considered the embodiment of part of the soul of Ptah, the patron saint of the city of Memphis, and acted as a symbol of the power of the pharaoh. It was believed that Apis existed in the body of an ordinary bull living at the temple, and with his death acquired a new incarnation.
When the previous incarnation of Apis died, the priests of Ptah began searching for a new “vessel” for the soul of their god. Once a new animal was found, it was fattened for a month, after which it was taken to the temple.
Breeding and keeping yaks at home
Domestic yaks are bred primarily for meat and wool, since the average annual milk yield of this breed is insignificant - about 500 liters per year, no more, but the milk is very fatty. The meat is coarse and is mainly used in the manufacture of sausages and canned food. In addition, about 3 kg of wool can be obtained per year from one adult individual.
Keeping and breeding yaks does not present any difficulties. Even domesticated cattle prefer to get food on their own, climbing high into the mountains. You can feed them with black bread, turnips, carrots and oats. The main thing is not to overdo it, since these products are a treat for yaks, and not daily food. Salt and bone meal are added to the feeders as a mineral supplement.
The yak pen is a simple fence made of metal structures, the height of which does not exceed 2.5 m. A small canopy is built inside the pen, under which the animals can shelter from the rain.
Important! Yaks are rather unsociable animals. This trait is especially noticeable during the rutting period, so it is recommended not to disturb them during this time.
Yaks can be crossed with domestic cows, and the resulting hybrids, khainaki, are convenient not only as draft animals, they are distinguished by good fertility and produce up to 3.5 tons of milk per year.
When choosing a bull for your estate, experts recommend paying attention to the following characteristics animal:
Important! In order not to spend a lot of time caring for animals at home, it is recommended to purchase young animals at the end of April so that they can be immediately put out for grazing.
The business of raising calves for meat can bring significant profits if you know not only the numerical parameters: milk productivity, meat yield, etc., but also some features of the nature of the breed and its content. It is equally important to pay attention to appearance animals upon purchase. And then the farmer will not go broke!
It is believed that bulls react aggressively to scarlet shades. Actually this is not true. Along with all other representatives, they suffer from color blindness. Then why don't bulls like the color red if they don't actually distinguish it?
Destruction of the myth
In 2007, Discovery Channel's Mythbusters tested a live bull in three separate experiments. Their goal was to find out why bulls don’t like the color red and whether this is actually true. The essence of the first experiment was as follows: three stationary flags of red, blue and white. The animal attacked all three, regardless of shade. Next were three mannequins, and again the indiscriminate bull left no one unattended. Finally, the time has come for living people. There were three people in the arena, the one in red stood motionless, the other two cowboys moved in a circle. The bull began to chase the moving daredevils, but ignored the motionless “red” one.
Why don't bulls like
Spanish matadors began using a small red cape in bullfighting in the early 17th century. Since then, people have probably decided that it is this shade that turns a peaceful animal into a real beast. The fact is that scarlet shades can disguise blood, and sometimes there is a lot of it on the battlefield. Why don't bulls like red? Does he scare them, irritate them? Will they react so violently to blue or, for example, green? In fact, this is not a matter of psychology or physiology; animals don’t care: they only react to movements when they feel that something might threaten them.
Color doesn't matter
The color is what viewers pay more attention to than the bull. Firstly, richly embroidered costumes and red capes are considered an important part of the culture and tradition of bullfighting. Just as sports teams always wear the same colors, scarlet capes are seen as part of the bullfighting uniform, not because bulls don't like red. The reasons are also practical. Bullfighting is one of the most popular and controversial customs in Spain. Often this exciting action ends with the death of the bull, and the red color, although not much, masks the already cruel performance.
The bull attacks the one who moves
Question "Why do bulls react to the color red?" is not entirely correct, since they do not distinguish this color, and also green, at all. Movement makes them angry. Moreover, the bulls participating in bullfighting come from a very aggressive breed (El Toro Bravo). They are selected in such a way that any sudden movements can infuriate them and force them to attack. Even if the cape is a calm sky blue color, the bull will still attack if it is waved in front of his nose. Therefore, if a matador is dressed in red and stands still, and another matador is dressed in any other color (even white) and begins to move, the bull will attack the one in white (the one who is moving).
"Like a bull on a red rag"
Many people still believe that as soon as a bull sees something red, his eyes will immediately begin to fill with blood, he will begin to breathe heavily and scratch the ground with his hoof, and then, worst of all, a powerful beast will rush headlong towards the one who is killing him. annoys. There is even a saying: about someone who quickly becomes angry, they say that he reacts like a bull to a red rag. However, this is nothing more than a misunderstanding.
It doesn’t matter what color the rag is: if you move it and the bull notices it, then at first he will simply be wary, but if you start waving it in all directions, then expect trouble. This is a common defensive reaction. The animal perceives movement as a threat, and has no choice but to defend itself. By the way, if you wave a white cloth, the effect can be even more noticeable, since this color is brighter than red and the bull will see it faster.
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