It’s always nice when our favorite felines greet us at the door when we come home from work, purring away like crazy. It means your kitty is pleased to see you (and quite possibly wants to be fed). Since our domestic cats get so many traits from their larger wild ancestors, it would make sense for a big cat, such as a tiger, to be able to purr as well, right? Wrong! Tigers actually can not purr (no big cats can). Want to learn why that is and the sounds tigers make in place of a purr? Then keep reading because we’re going to give you the lowdown on how large wild cats communicate!
Why Tigers Can’t Purr As we said, tigers and other large wild cats are incapable of purring (though smaller wild cats, such as cougars, lynxes, and bobcats, can). Why is that? Turns out it’s all because of a piece of cartilage. Your kitty is capable of purring because it has a series of very delicate bones called hyoid bones that go from the back end of the tongue to the cat’s skull base. When your pet purrs, it’s making its larynx vibrate, which in turn causes these hyoid bones to begin resonating. Thus, purring. However, tigers and other large felines have a piece of tough but elastic cartilage that goes from the hyoid bones up to their skulls. This cartilage gets in the way of purring (but it does enable big cats to let out a loud, terrifying roar—something small cats are incapable of doing). Image Credit: Gerhard G., Pixabay What Is the Tiger Equivalent of Purring? So, if tigers can’t make a purring noise, do they have a sound they make that’s equivalent? They do! Tigers (and Snow Leopards, Clouded Leopards, and Jaguars) make a noise known as chuffing or prusten, which is their version of a purr. To make this sound, the tiger will blow air through its nostrils with its mouth shut; the result is a sort of light snort. Chuffing is also often accompanied by the tiger bobbing its head. Tigers will use this noise as a way to say hello, for comfort between mother and cub, to indicate they are pleased, or during courting. Chuffing is also used to help social bonds in a group grow stronger. Image Credit: Pixabay How Else Do Tigers Communicate Vocally? Tigers may not be able to purr, but they have plenty of ways to vocalize and communicate with each other. As we said before, the piece of cartilage in the throat enables tigers to roar. However, this roar actually sounds similar to an incredibly loud growl (one that can be heard from almost two miles away!). A tiger’s roar has also been known to paralyze animals (and even humans) that hear it. It can be fairly scary! Roaring is used to communicate warnings to others in the tiger’s territory or as a way to get the attention of possible mates. Then, there’s actual growling, as well as hissing. You’ve probably heard your cat make these sounds before, so you know hissing and growling means kitty isn’t happy. The same goes for tigers! Growling indicates that a tiger is feeling threatened or territorial; if growling doesn’t work to get the cat’s message across to another to back off, then it will begin hissing instead. Interestingly, some experts theorize that cats’ hissing is something learned from snakes as a defense mechanism. What happens if hissing doesn’t work to get an intruder to retreat? Then you can expect the tiger to attack. Image Credit: PiqselsA
Final Thoughts A tiger may not be capable of producing a purr due to the cartilage going from the hyoid bones to the skull, but it’s certainly capable of producing many other noises to communicate how it feels! Instead of a purring noise, the tiger equivalent is a chuff, which can indicate a number of things, including that the tiger is pleased. And whether it’s a paralyzing roar, growl, or hiss, tigers are able to communicate vocally in numerous other ways, with these vocalizations ranging in meaning from a simple greeting to another tiger to a warning to back away and quickly.
See also: Can a Panther and Jaguar Purr? Is it Common?
“Sources”
NCBI Youtube Science Daily Litter Robot
Featured Image Credit: Piqsels
It’s always nice when our favorite felines greet us at the door when we come home from work, purring away like crazy. It means your kitty is pleased to see you (and quite possibly wants to be fed). Since our domestic cats get so many traits from their larger wild ancestors, it would make sense for a big cat, such as a tiger, to be able to purr as well, right?
Wrong! Tigers actually can not purr (no big cats can). Want to learn why that is and the sounds tigers make in place of a purr? Then keep reading because we’re going to give you the lowdown on how large wild cats communicate!
Why Tigers Can’t Purr
As we said, tigers and other large wild cats are incapable of purring (though smaller wild cats, such as cougars, lynxes, and bobcats, can). Why is that? Turns out it’s all because of a piece of cartilage.
Your kitty is capable of purring because it has a series of very delicate bones called hyoid bones that go from the back end of the tongue to the cat’s skull base. When your pet purrs, it’s making its larynx vibrate, which in turn causes these hyoid bones to begin resonating. Thus, purring.
However, tigers and other large felines have a piece of tough but elastic cartilage that goes from the hyoid bones up to their skulls. This cartilage gets in the way of purring (but it does enable big cats to let out a loud, terrifying roar—something small cats are incapable of doing).
What Is the Tiger Equivalent of Purring?
So, if tigers can’t make a purring noise, do they have a sound they make that’s equivalent? They do! Tigers (and Snow Leopards, Clouded Leopards, and Jaguars) make a noise known as chuffing or prusten, which is their version of a purr. To make this sound, the tiger will blow air through its nostrils with its mouth shut; the result is a sort of light snort. Chuffing is also often accompanied by the tiger bobbing its head.
Tigers will use this noise as a way to say hello, for comfort between mother and cub, to indicate they are pleased, or during courting. Chuffing is also used to help social bonds in a group grow stronger.
How Else Do Tigers Communicate Vocally?
Tigers may not be able to purr, but they have plenty of ways to vocalize and communicate with each other. As we said before, the piece of cartilage in the throat enables tigers to roar. However, this roar actually sounds similar to an incredibly loud growl (one that can be heard from almost two miles away!). A tiger’s roar has also been known to paralyze animals (and even humans) that hear it. It can be fairly scary! Roaring is used to communicate warnings to others in the tiger’s territory or as a way to get the attention of possible mates.
Then, there’s actual growling, as well as hissing. You’ve probably heard your cat make these sounds before, so you know hissing and growling means kitty isn’t happy. The same goes for tigers! Growling indicates that a tiger is feeling threatened or territorial; if growling doesn’t work to get the cat’s message across to another to back off, then it will begin hissing instead. Interestingly, some experts theorize that cats’ hissing is something learned from snakes as a defense mechanism. What happens if hissing doesn’t work to get an intruder to retreat? Then you can expect the tiger to attack.
Final Thoughts
A tiger may not be capable of producing a purr due to the cartilage going from the hyoid bones to the skull, but it’s certainly capable of producing many other noises to communicate how it feels! Instead of a purring noise, the tiger equivalent is a chuff, which can indicate a number of things, including that the tiger is pleased.
And whether it’s a paralyzing roar, growl, or hiss, tigers are able to communicate vocally in numerous other ways, with these vocalizations ranging in meaning from a simple greeting to another tiger to a warning to back away and quickly.
- See also: Can a Panther and Jaguar Purr? Is it Common?
“Sources”
NCBI Youtube Science Daily Litter Robot
Featured Image Credit: Piqsels
“Sources”
NCBI Youtube Science Daily Litter Robot
- NCBI
- Youtube
- Science Daily
- Litter Robot
