Seeing faces
There’s a strange faculty which humans and other animals have. It’s the ability to see faces in things where there aren’t faces. It’s called pareidolia, and we experience it all the time. We see faces in analogue clocks, which is why they are always set at ten to two, so the upturned hands look as if they are smiling at us. We see faces in clouds. We see them in arrangements of windows and doors. We see faces everywhere. It’s been vital to our survival. To know that we are being watched by other humans or by animals has been such a vital survival mechanism that we get false-positives. We see faces that aren’t there.
Just look at my house with its pink lipstick and a saucy wink:
Seeing faces has been such a vital survival mechanism that it evolved early and other animals have it. The birds which would prey on these Elephant Hawk-Moth caterpillars have it. That’s why they are fooled by the false eyes on these caterpillars. The ‘eyes’ make the caterpillars look larger and more fierce than they actually are.
What are we to make of these Griffon Vultures, then?
This one has lowered its head and neck to reveal two bare shoulder patches of pink flesh. They are ‘eyes’. The head and neck has become a nose, the shoulder feathers are ears and it’s a monster with a huge, fierce head.
Whatever it does, it still looks intimidating to me.