Smith is posed in the 'rampant' fashioned so loved by heraldic artists. Lions have a tendency to take up this position on shields, as do Kentish horses. However it's a really awkward pose to keep up.
The only animal I've ever seen which makes anything like this pose naturally in the wild is, of all things, the humble black-tailed prairie dog. It's a territorial display known as the jump-yip, and it's exactly what it sounds like. I've seen them in the Prairie Dog Town in Lubbock, Texas, and its fascinating to see one dog jump-yip and set off a chain reaction of other jump-yippers through the rest of the colony.
