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Nikon D700
AF-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G


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A tense conversation

A tense conversation
Misty, on the left, is actually sending ME the body language message (I too suddenly "looked" at her with the Big Black Eye), but Peanut, on the right, assumes Misty's declaration of offense (and warning not to come closer) is aimed at her.

Peanut is actually frozen in place (I could have snapped the shutter for literally minutes and all the shots would have been identical). That lack of movement, along with leaning away and averting her eyes is how Peanut (or any llama not looking for trouble) responds to an irritated herdmate that isn't actively demanding a specific response.

Physical confrontations are much more dramatic, but this subtle kind of "problem solving" is vastly more common among herd prey animals, whose continued survival as a group benefits from not hurting each other.

Camelids (including llamas) have the additional option of escalating a confrontation to a spitting spree before getting physical; other herd animals do not.

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