Why does a bull react to a red rag? Why don't bulls like red? Causes of aggression

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 this large cattle They clearly did not belong to the number of insignificant animals, being not just anyone, but ancient wild aurochs. 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.

Their enormous size and aggressive behavior allowed the aurochs 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 were accustomed to daily fighting off large numbers of people who wanted 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 the color green from of blue color, but they can’t distinguish red from green.

Therefore, any brightly colored fabric can irritate a bull. 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 indeed be tempted to “ride” the rusher on its 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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Instructions

The well-established and widespread opinion about the irritating effect of red objects on a bull is taken as an axiom. True, we are talking about a statement expressed outside scientific circles. Researchers of vision characteristics confidently declare that animals for the most part are deprived of the excellent, from a human point of view, ability to see the world in bright colors.

And although there is also no unity in the scientific world, the presence of points of intersection of views allows us to talk about poor color vision, and some representatives of the squirrel family. But what about the relatives of the ancient aurochs - domesticated bulls and? It turns out that the color scheme of the bullish world consists of a part of the red spectrum of low intensity and, in descending order of perception, gray, green and blue shades, or rather, reminders of them. The structure of the eye of cattle, as the subfamily of bovines is called in animal husbandry, indicates the presence in the back of the retina of two types of nerve cells-photoreceptors: rods, responsible for black-and-white twilight vision, and cones, providing daytime color perception of images.

So what makes the two-horned giant angry, teased in the first two thirds of the bullfight by a large double-sided cloak (pink-yellow or pink-blue), called “capote”, and in the final third - by a small muleta cloak made of bright red flannel. Not a color at all, but an obsessive waving. The presence of a “blind spot” in the visual field in the area of ​​the nose, a good reaction to movement and poor vision of distant details irritate an animal that already has a bad character.

One of the secrets that always irritates Toro is the smell. The red muleta retains traces of blood left after previous fights, invisible to bullfight spectators. A sensitive sense of smell warns the animal of danger, makes it look for the enemy, become ferocious and attack the irritant, which is the bullfighter or other participants in the fight - picadors, banderilleros, horses... Fortunately for two-legged opponents, the poor eyesight of the bull most often makes these attacks fruitless. But this doesn't always happen.

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. Their every step is easy to predict, which is a lot important part representation. 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 was white, green or yellow. 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 is once again able to defeat the 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!

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.



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’s difficulties, adversities and all that is dark in life, and a bullfighter, dressed in a magnificent snow-white “suit” reflecting the rays of the sun Sveta".

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 are 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.