The bright red color irritates the bulls. Is it true that the bull does not like the color red. Why do you need a ring in the nose of a bull

When in conversation someone wishes to emphasize a vivid form of a person's dislike for something, it is often said that "it annoys him like the red color of a bull."

Everyone is accustomed to the fact that the red color, to put it mildly, does not set the bulls in a benevolent mood, but the animals themselves would be very surprised by this integral feature of their character.

And if someone does not believe in this, then let him read this article.

Aggression is not just a mood for the bull or just one of many character traits. For any self-respecting bull, aggression is something of a life credo.

As early as two years of age, young bulls tend to show spontaneous outbursts of rage. It would seem that for such a powerful animal as a bull that eats by nibbling grass, there is no point in showing rage, but this is so, and we will now understand the reasons for such behavior.

Why does everyone think that bulls are aggressive towards red, maybe vice versa - they strive for it?

The reason for bullish aggressiveness lies in the genes of the bull, which he inherited from his ancestors. And the ancestors of this cattle clearly did not belong to the number of insignificant animals, being not just anyone, but ancient wild aurochs. This animal was much larger than the current cows and bulls and weighed about a ton, being also armed with mighty horns and an almost impenetrable skin. Once the tours abundantly inhabited the forest-steppes and forests throughout Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor.

The huge 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 fighting spirit of the fighters.

In general, it must be said that aggressive behavior is much more often demonstrated by herbivores than predators, especially if they are large ungulates. In the modern world, it is generally accepted that predators are the most dangerous among the inhabitants of the forest, but this is not true.

Predators show aggression mostly towards those who are part of their diet. And to everyone else who is not included in it, including a person, they are indifferent, and, as from everything that is not interesting to them, they prefer to stay away. The most that can cause, for example, a person 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 used to fighting off a large number of people who want to feast on their flesh every day and therefore were forced to give a tough rebuff. This was well known to the ancient hunters, who considered the most dangerous inhabitants of the forest, not wolves and not lynxes, and not even bears, but namely huge ferocious aurochs and no less ferocious wild boars and elks. But, unfortunately, the aggressiveness, which helped the aurochs so much in “contacts” with other animals, turned out to be useless in “communication” with humans.

Thanks to hunting and deforestation, as well as thanks to the idea of ​​\u200b\u200banimals as soulless and dangerous creatures that should be exterminated in order to protect the life of the "crown of creation", the tours 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 can flaunt their courage. Hunting large ungulates has become synonymous with courage, even when done from cover and with a scoped rifle.

Apparently, the creators of bullfighting began to reason in the same way, who, however, did not hide in the bushes, offering those who wish to tickle their nerves to meet the bull face to face, though not without weapons, but armed with a sword, which the bullfighter must kill bull. To do this, the bullfighter first teases the animal with a piece of bright red matter, which is called "capote", awakening aggression in it.

At the same time, the bull is trying so hard to pierce the capote with his horns that a strong impression is created that it is the red color that irritates him. However, this opinion was questioned, and capotes of other colors were used as an experiment. There was no change in reaction from the bull, and the bulls were still desperately rushing 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 as many as three types of these. And surprisingly, it is the third type of protein, which is absent in bulls, that is closest to the red end of the spectrum. For this reason, bulls will be able to distinguish green from blue, but they cannot distinguish red from green.

Therefore, any fabric of a bright color can annoy the bull. And it is for this reason that shepherds and shepherds prefer to wear black and gray, nondescript tones during the performance of their professional activities. However, the real rage in the bull is not the color of matter, but the fact that it sways.

However, in the same way, the bull will be annoyed by any rapid movement of a person, object or animal.

So the real danger will be not so much the one who stands next to the bull, dressed up in all red, but the one who begins to rush about in a panic in front of this animal that does not like fuss. In this case, the bull will really be tempted to “ride” the hurried man on his horns, which they are trying to do, during another fun traditional for Spain with the participation of bulls - encierro - when people run along the fenced streets of the city trying to escape from specially released into such an impromptu corral of bulls.

To irritate the animal, it would be enough just to run in front of him, then the bull would rush at the aggressor without any rags. It would seem that the matador would not even have to hamper his movements, holding the cowl, which is completely useless in combat terms, but in this case, the mortality among the matadors would be much higher, since the bull would aim not at the red rag that irritates him, but directly at the matador . And in such a confrontation, even a man armed with a sword, the chances of winning are extremely doubtful. That is why 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 swinging the capote 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 precisely such movements should be made during a fight with a bull can hardly be established now, but it is thanks to them that a contrast is created between the smoothly moving matador and the rapidly oscillating matter, which in the overwhelming majority of cases becomes the object of the bull's fury. . Well, if it doesn’t, if the bull is too smart to understand exactly who his true enemy is, or if the matador moves too abruptly, then ... you understand.

In two centuries, sixty-three matadors have died in Spain. Although it's not that much. For comparison, about a hundred thousand times more bulls die in a bullfight, over thirty thousand individuals a year.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

You have probably seen how in cartoons they wave a red rag in front of a bull? To which the bull begins to get angry, dig the ground with his hoof, and in the end, putting his horns forward, rushes to this very rag. Or watched on TV, (and who was lucky and live), the Spanish bullfight. When all the same things actually happen. Then everything looks even more impressive. A fearless bullfighter is waving a stick with a red cloak thrown over it in front of a bull. But when he runs to the rag, the bullfighter will have time to dodge at the last moment. And yet, why do bulls dislike red so much?

In fact, the bulls absolutely do not care what color the rag is waved in front of them.. All bulls are colorblind. But what then drives the bulls into such a frenzy? The answer is simple: the movement of the muleta fabric (this is the stick with the red cloak). In the movement of the rag bulls, perhaps. They see some kind of danger and threat. They are annoyed by any movement in general - they perceive both a person and a rag as potential enemies. Therefore, if you suddenly find yourself next to a bull, it is better to stop and freeze so as not to become a victim of his furious attack.

Interesting fact: Spectacular presentation of bullfighting will not end with success with every bull. A special breed of bulls is grown for her. It is called "el toro bravo", which translates as "brave". Bulls of this breed grow up aggressive, fast, angry, but far from sparkling with intelligence. Each of their steps is easy to predict, which is an important part of the presentation. It is possible that with a bull of a different breed, the bullfight ended in tears or did not take place at all.

What is red used for then?

The red color of the canvas is a cunning trick that managed to deceive a lot of people. It adds a lot of spectacle to the show. Agree, everything would not look so bright and exciting if the rag was white, green or yellow.. On the other hand, the red color attracts the attention of the audience more strongly, setting them up in advance for the danger of bloodshed. So the audience is more worried about the bullfighter and is more rejoicing and surprised when he was once again able to defeat the ferocious bull.

Now you know that the bull is not irritated in any way by the red color, and he is furious only from the persistent movement of the stick in the hands of the master of his craft. I hope the article was informative and interesting, and you have one less inexplicable riddle!

Why does red color irritate bulls? and got the best answer

Answer from Melamori Blimm[guru]
There are two types of photoreceptors in the retina. Under a microscope, they look like rods and cones, that's what they are called. The sticks are responsible for the black and white image and for determining the shape of the object.
Cones are responsible for color vision. They are of three types. For the perception of green, red and blue colors.
In humans and primates in general, there are relatively many cones. Therefore, we perfectly distinguish colors. The bull, on the other hand, has very few cones, almost only rods.
Why? And he doesn't really need them. Colors in the life of ungulates mean little. What's the difference, green grass or gray? What is, that and bursts! And he recognizes predators by size.
In life, the fatal meeting of a bull with red traditionally happens at a bullfight. It is from here that the expression "like a bull to a red rag" came from.
The last act of bullfighting. A small cloth appears in the hands of the matador, stretched over a wooden stick. This is a "muleta". And it's completely red.
With her help, the matador plays the last game with the bull. And here comes the moment of truth!
Does the bull see the color of the muleta?
NO!
It only reacts to movement.
But the audience sees the red color! And for them, it symbolizes blood. The blood that will be spilled at the end of the performance.
In addition, the red color is very noticeable. It is clearly visible from afar, even from the last rows of the amphitheater.
Output. Does the bull react to red? Not! He doesn't care!
Like this.

Answer from LYUDMILA FILATOVA[guru]
Yes, indeed the bulls are color blind and they do not see the red color, watch bullfights and you will see for yourself what infuriates the bulls.

Answer from Sunny[expert]
He excites (secretly :))

Answer from $Ainura$[newbie]
Doltonic bulls (the red color has nothing to do with it), it’s just that the bullfighter’s movements annoy him.

Answer from xxa[guru]
but he doesn’t irritate them, they are color blind in general

Answer from Olga Svechnikova[guru]
Bulls are colorblind, they don't care what color the rag is

Answer from Andrey Shulyatiev[guru]
I would like to add that green is the only color that ruminants can distinguish.

Answer from Cougar Bates[active]
Annoying wave reflected in red + the size of the object + the instinct to preserve the species. Nothing personal to the Bulls. Beings that are intelligent, but not refined, can react very violently and be extremely aggressive.

Answer from Max[guru]
The bull is up to the lantern what color the rag has. The very fact of this rag inflames him. And it's red for added effect.

It is believed that bulls react aggressively to scarlet shades. Actually it is not. Along with all other representatives, they suffer from color blindness. Then why don't bulls like red if they can't really see it?

Myth busting

In 2007, MythBusters on the Discovery Channel tested a live bull in three separate experiments. Their goal was to find out why the bulls do not like the color red and whether it really is. The essence of the first experiment was as follows: three stationary flags of red, blue and white were installed in the arena. The animal attacked all three, regardless of the shade. Three dummies were next, and again the illegible 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 pursue the moving daredevils, and ignored the motionless "red".

Why bulls don't like

Spanish matadors began using a small red cape in bullfighting in the early 17th century. Since then, probably, people have decided that it is this shade that turns a peaceful animal into a real beast. The fact is that scarlet shades are able to disguise blood, and sometimes there is a lot of it on the battlefield. Why don't bulls like red? Does he scare them? Will they react so violently to blue or, for example, green? In fact, this is not a matter of psychology or physiology, animals do not care: they only react to movements when they feel that something can threaten them.

Color doesn't matter

The color is what the audience pays 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 strong, masks an already cruel performance.

The bull attacks the one who moves

The question "Why do bulls react to red?" is not entirely correct, since this color, and also green, they do not distinguish at all. They are angered by the movements. Moreover, the bulls involved in the bullfight come from a very aggressive breed (El Toro Bravo). They are selected in such a way that any sudden movements can piss them off and force them to rush to the 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. So if a matador is dressed in red and stands still, and another matador is dressed in any other color (even white) and starts 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 bleed, he will begin to breathe heavily and scratch the ground with his hoof, and then, worst of all, a powerful beast will rush headlong at the one who is his annoys. There is even a saying: about someone who quickly becomes enraged, 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 just be wary, but if you start waving it in all directions, then expect trouble. This is a common defensive reaction. The animal perceives the movement as a threat, and it 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.

Everyone knows the expression "to look like bulls at a red rag." Until recently, people believed that they use such colors in bullfights because they cause fury in artiodactyls. Why does the bull only react to red and not to any other? In fact, their eyes do not perceive the spectrum of shades available to the human lens. Bulls don't realize they're seeing red.

A little background on the bull character

Once artiodactyls looked different:

• Some weighed up to 1 ton.
• The horns were bigger.
• The skin is strong and impenetrable.

Such qualities are indispensable in the wild, helping to protect themselves from predators. Modern bulls have inherited these properties, herbivores have become more irritable. The need to fight for food develops a sense of competition and confrontation.

Why does bullfighting react to red? Zoologists were able to identify a misunderstanding, cattle do not distinguish between the color spectrum. Why do matadors use a red cape? Most of them have a pink rag with which they make the bulls react. This is a traditional costume that has nothing to do with the psychological characteristics of the tours. Sports competitions involving artiodactyls have been held for several hundred years, during this period a misleading association of red and bulls has spread among people.

Horned ones are teased at bullfights, they try to anger them, for this they pierce spikes with sharp tips into their backs, animals bleed, protect their lives. Red color for an angry bull does not matter.

Use of aggression for fighting purposes

The aggressive nature of the quadrupeds was often used by youths to play with danger. Hunting them requires courage, dexterity, psychological stability. Bullfight lovers do not hide in the bushes, they fight with bulls face to face, they hone their skills as a bullfighter. Once locked in the ring with a horned one, a person is in danger, he will have to participate in a battle that can result in serious injury or death.

If bulls can't distinguish colors, what is this bullfighting rag for? A matador hides behind it, distracts the animal, waving a rag, standing still, the bull attacks. The animal does not distinguish what is in front of it, in a fit of rage they attack everything that moves. If you stand still, do not move, the bull will not attack. This is due to the fact that at the level of genes, he reacts to trees, understanding what will happen if he hits the trunk with his head from a running start.

A moving target is perceived as an object of aggression, which itself runs up and hurts the animal. After a wave of the red rag, the horned one attacks, the bullfighter stands motionless. You can understand this if you carefully observe his actions at the bullfight. People enjoy a fascinating spectacle, a brave hero alone fights against a powerful, dangerous animal and defeats it.

Reasons for indifference to red objects

There are no such reasons, in the eyes of artiodactyls there are visual receptors:

1. Sticks.
2. cones.

The rods react to movement, the cones help to distinguish the color spectrum. In people's eyes, such elements are enough for a full perception. Bulls have fewer receptors, they are able to distinguish only dark and light. Tours react not to red, but to movement. Scientists conducted an experiment, a girl in a red dress approached the bull, fed him grass from her hands. This was not followed by an aggressive reaction, the horned one was indifferent to her outfit. There are cases when an aggressive animal chose a victim in white clothes among many people standing nearby, dressed in red, was ignored.

In the eyes of artiodactyls there are 2 categories of photosensitive proteins, bright tissue causes irritation, visual receptors distinguish it poorly. Anger and aggression provokes the movement of matter or people. If a person begins to rush about, run away, wave his arms before his eyes, an aggressive animal will have a target, he distinguishes an object for attack. In this case, he will not slip past and hit. A bullfighter in a bullfight without a cloak cannot distract the bull. You have to stand still, if he moves, the evil animal will not miss, knock him to the ground.

The attention of a male can be attracted by any moving object, a cow or a person. The reaction to the stimulus depends on his mood, the understanding that there is no danger comes later. Before that, the evil animal does not understand who is wrong, it acts. Shepherds wear gray or black clothes before tours, but it doesn't make sense. Aggression will appear after sudden movements, which the animal regards as an attempt to attack him.