How Do Tigers Protect Themselves? Animals Beach

Tigers are the most epic predators in the animal kingdom, and their scientific name is Panthera tigris. The total species of tigers that live all around the world are:

• Bengal tiger
• Siberian Tiger.
• Sumatran Tiger.
• Caspian Tiger.
• Javan Tiger.
• Indochinese Tiger.
• Malayan Tiger.
• Bali Tiger.
• South China Tiger.

So, now comes our main topic “how do tigers protect themselves?” Let’s find out. 

Surviving tigers is not a difficult task because their most natural predators are humans. Besides this, the tigers quarrel with one another on any territorial dispute. In some cases, the quarrel ends in one’s death. A tiger’s territory can be about 60 to 100 square kilometres. 

They are the largest specie of all the big cats. Their large size also saves them from predators. However, bears are also big predators of tigers. 

Tiger is the biggest hunter on the land, but some meat-eater animals, such as bush elephants, forest elephants, and water buffalos, can attack them. So, they use various strategies to protect themselves.

How Do Tigers Protect Themselves?

The size of the tiger is big among all the big cats, which is very helpful for them in defending. They have the best survival skills help them a lot to protect themselves. However, they implement these skills when they feel threatened for their cubs (Children).

We know that the number of predators of tigers is very few. But they have strategies for their protection. Here we discuss six weapons of the tiger’s protection.

Big Size and Strength

The male and female tigers have different sizes and strengths. Females are slightly smaller than males. Males size 12 feet and weigh about 660 pounds, while females size 9 feet and weigh around about 220-660 pounds. However, tigers, bears, and grizzlies are on the list of the biggest carnivores. 

The force of the tiger bite is 1050 PSI, and if their prey trap in the jaws, then animals can’t get out of it. In fact, they have the power to kill prey that is twice bigger than their size. 

Tiger’s hind legs are also very powerful, which helps them to jump 10 m (33 feet) high. They can run at the speed of 49 to 65 kn/h. 

Therefore, most animals fear tigers and do not challenge them. They are very powerful animals, and that causes them to be above all the animals in the food chain.

Teeth Like Knife Blades

Tigers are the most magnificent species in the world. However, humans do not appreciate their beauty and hunt them regularly. Therefore, only 4,000 tigers remain worldwide. 

Almost all others big cats have more teeth than tigers. But the tiger’s teeth are the largest among big cats. A total of 30 teeth are in the tiger’s mouth. These big teeth are called carnassial. The length of the tiger’s teeth is 2.5 to 3 inches. 

They use their back teeth to rip the meat of the prey like knife blades. The name of the tiger’s back teeth is carnassial. Incisor teeth are located at the front of the mouth, and tigers use them to cut their daily food. There are 12 incisors, six on the top of the mouth and six on the bottom. 

They use their front incisors to raise the meat and feathers from their assailant. Their sharp teeth can intrude deep into their prey’s bodies. A large gap exists between the carnassial of their teeth, which also makes them capable of gripping their enemies tightly. 

Paws and Claws

The size of the tiger’s paws depends on their size. The size of the paws of the large male tiger is 16 cm (6.3 inches), the medium male size is 14 cm (5.5 inches), and the female paw size is almost 10-12 cm. Tiger paw swipe force is approximately 7,000 to 33,000 lbs. 

The claws of tigers are the strongest in the world. They always use them to follow their prey, attack, and hold it down. They can handicap any small animal in only one attack using their sharp, long claws. The absolute force of the tiger claws is 10,000 PSI. 

A particular claw which is the dewclaw is present in tigers. Every paw has four claws, and one of them is a dewclaw. The dewclaw exists in the back of the foot, so it does not touch the ground when they walk.  

Camouflaging

It is also called secret coloration. Tigers use this for their protection in dangerous conditions. Fur is a special skin that protects them from warmth and danger. 

The tiger has two different furs that they use for warmth and protection: guard hair and underfur. The main function of guarding hair is ensuring protection. They use the underfur for warmth purposes. Tigers mixed with their atmosphere due to their orange and black coloration.    

False eyes

On the backside of the tiger’s ears, white markings are present. From some angles, they do not look anything special, but from a special angle, they look like the eyes. They are called false eyes. 

These spots are very helpful for tigers when predators attack them from the back. If a predator attack the tiger from the back, these eyes make the tiger watchful for them. The predators attack the cause of these false eyes carefully. 

The tigers also use them for angry communication with other animals. The tigers can turn the other side of their ears when they are in danger so that the predators see false eyes.

Swimming and Climbing

Tigers use different ways of swimming. A common way of travelling that uses tigers is swimming. Most of the tigers use swimming way of travelling because, in water, only a few predators exist.

The tigers are the best swimmers because the webs exist between their paws which meet with their body mass and help them in swimming. They can swim 4 miles per hour. However, they can swim 18 miles in a day.

All the big cats like to climb on the trees. Tigers are magnificent climbers who can climb up the tree by taking prey of their size. So, if they feel threatened, they can climb up the trees. 

So, when they are in danger on the land, then they can manage the situation through water sources. Tigers also can climb trees which means they have another option for their survival in case of terrestrial attack. 

Smartness

Tigers are smart creatures and use their brain to ensure their survival. Their learning speed is fast and they adopt behaviors just by analyzing them.

An example of their smartwork is that they don’t chase their prey. Instead of it, they hide and wait for it to come near. After it, they just suddenly appear and grab it. Just fascinating because this also prevent tigers from possible injuries that can cause due to battle with prey.

How Do Tigers Protect Their Young?

The tiger’s mother adopts many procedures for the security of their cubs from predators. 

Creates Dens

When the mother is pregnant, she prepares a den in the wilderness. This includes dense grasses, hollows in trees, or hollows in large trees. 

Their cubs’ condition is not better enough in the first two months, so the tigress cannot leave them alone. The tiger’s jaws are very powerful, but it is interesting that they move their cubs by their mouth, neck, or scruff when needed.   

Maintaining a Balance

Most tiger cub deaths are caused by their mother’s absence. The tigress plays different tasks in the day, such as hunting, defending their territory, and securing their cubs, so they need to balance the time for all the work. They reduce the time from hunting and territory security, and she manages the time for their cubs.

Mother Fight

All the mothers do very much love their offspring. Like this, the tiger’s mother is severely protective in the case of their cubs. After getting their cubs, the tiger’s mother is more protective of their territory. A tigress fights with predators to its death to save the cubs. 

Sometimes, the tigress lost their lives while defending their cubs from the hunter. Most often, the poachers who carry rifles and guns attack tigers instead of natural predators.

Collaboration

They are territorial animals, and collaborating with one another is not a piece of cake for them, but they do. When it comes to the survival of their children, they (female tigers) collaborate, and this way, they ensure the safety of their children from one side.

This is because they are revengeful creatures and can harm each other due to any normal issue. So, collaborating also shows that they care for their children.

Conclusion:

Tigers are the world’s apex predators and come on the list of largest carnivore animals. However, there are only a few predators of tigers because most of the animals do not challenge them because of their excellent abilities for hunting.

However, humans are the big predators of tigers, and we can put bears in the second number. So, you know this particular query.