If you’ve ever played around with house cats, you know they make a variety of sounds, including meowing and purring. But, have you ever wondered that tigers can purr? What about roaring? You’ve never heard a house cat roar, but chances are you’ve heard a tiger roar at a zoo or in a movie.
Here, we learn about all the different sounds tigers make, and why they make them. We’ll find out if tigers purr, and why. Then, we’ll find out why tigers are one of the most endangered creatures on Earth and what you can do to help them.
Read on to find out if tigers purr like cats!
Tiger roar 101
© Gerckens-Photo-Hamburg/Shutterstock.com
Tigers make five different sounds: pant, cub, click, growl and roar. Each sound serves a different purpose – let’s take a closer look at each sound.
Souffle
A chuffle is the sound a tiger makes when it snores with its mouth closed. It sounds a bit like a person suddenly blowing air from their mouth, causing their lips to vibrate. Puffing is a purely social sound and does not indicate aggression. In fact, it’s commonly used as a greeting, whether between potential mates, mother and cub, or between two tigers who recognize each other.
cub voice
When understanding whether a tiger purrs like a cat, it’s important to understand that tiger cubs make their own unique sounds. The cub’s cry sounds like a high-pitched, drawn-out purr. You might mistake them for birdsong or even the creak of a screen door slowly closing. Cubs mostly call their mother, or their little mate.
click rant
A click is almost always a warning sound. Tigers make this sound by forcing air through their vocal cords, through their throats; it’s essentially a miniature version of a growl. The click is made by opening the mouth (this is also used to showcase the tiger’s two-inch canine teeth). Tigers click to tell other tigers that they are getting too close, or that the piece of meat between them belongs to the roaring tiger.
roar
If you hear a tiger roar, you’ve likely seen both claws and teeth. A growl is a very aggressive sound. It works as both a warning and a scare tactic. Tigers may growl at each other when fighting, when encountering a threat (such as a human), or when facing an unknown enemy (such as when falling into a trap). Roaring is the next level of roaring, not something you want to hear when exploring tiger country.
Roar
Few sounds can match the roar of a tiger. Only the lion’s roar is more shocking. To figure out if a tiger purrs like a cat, it’s important to know that cats don’t roar, while tigers can. The roar of tigers can be heard for miles around; they are so loud. They establish dominance by roaring, warning intruders and letting every creature around them know who is really boss.
What about grunts?
So, can a tiger purr like a cat? Cats purr by vibrating their larynx. Without delving into too much technical anatomy, cats can purr because their hyoid bone doesn’t have inflexible cartilage. This allows them to use these bones to vibrate the larynx, which produces the grunting sound.
Tigers (as well as jaguars, lions, and leopards) do not have a free hyoid bone like the smaller cats. Their hyoid bones are supported by tough cartilage. This cartilage enables them to roar, but also prevents them from purring. So, no: tigers can’t purr like cats. However, their roars can be heard miles away.
Tigers on the verge of extinction?
Tigers have lost 95% of their habitat and range in the last century. Today, there are fewer than 5,000 tigers in the wild. Three of the nine subspecies of tigers (Caspian, Bali and Javan) are extinct. Several subspecies (such as the Malayan tiger and the South China tiger) are also endangered. Worldwide, the greatest threats to tigers are habitat loss and fragmentation, loss of prey species, and poaching to meet the demand for illegal tiger parts.
Tiger Conservation: What You Can Do
Some tiger populations have actually stabilized thanks to intensive conservation efforts and the concerted efforts of governments and conservation organizations. This is especially true of the Bengal tiger. However, all tigers are still listed as endangered. One of the easiest things you can do to protect tigers is to learn more about the illegal wildlife trade and how demand for tiger parts such as teeth, bones and fur contributes to the overall decline of the species.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
