Unexpected Animal Interactions with Wildlife Photographers: 17 Stunning Photos

As most any anthropologist will tell you, it's impossible to observe a subject during fieldwork without influencing their behavior, at least subtly.

We were reminded of this liberal arts axiom — what Wikipedia calls the "Observer-expectancy effect" — thanks to an absolutely delightful thread that surfaced earlier this week on Twitter.

Anchored around animals interrupting wildlife photographers (both politely and, well, rudely), the heartwarming photochain effectively flipped the traditional script, turning the photographers into the photographee.

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Just call it, oh, camera adorbscura (feel free to steal that one, you're welcome).

From foxes and cheetahs to meerkats and seals, the image set revealed a more intimate and playful connection between the curious critters and their would-be documentarians.

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Curated by @Polychromantium, a Denver-based writer and poet, the gallery caught fire previously with members of the wildlife community and was shared on Twitter where it quickly tallied more than 127,000+ shares and was anointed with the platform's official editorial badge of virality, a peg on the its coveted Moments vertical.

For your scrolling pleasure, the best of the bunch are collected below!

"Well, you see, in low light conditions, I always opt for Night Portrait mode. The results really speak for themselves."

This is the face of a man actualizing his cuddle goals IRL.

[Extreme Legolas voice] "The Uruks turn Northeast. They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!"

"When you said fisheye lens, I was expecting, you know, actual fisheyes ... [SIGHS HEAVILY] "

10 seconds later, they ate him (J/K! (We think!)).

Put a bird selfie on it.

"You're not fooling anyone. I know you're in there."

Hat mode: Activated

"He's right behind me isn't he?"

"Do you keep any food in here?"

Because patience is a fur-tue: "I'll wait here as long as I need to get the shot."

"This is gonna SLAY on Instagram with the right filter."

"Look, it’s the Jets trying to coach themselves." 😂 😂 😂

To see more, bounce on over to Twitter!