We are wired to look for patterns.
I have a photo I took of a tiger at a local big cat rescue. He is sitting in a tank of water facing away from me. Each of his ears has a white circle almost perfectly centered. The first thought is that maybe they are there so that prey or a rival sneaking up behind will think they are eyes - but, other than humans how many predators do tigers really have to worry about. Another theory is that it helps cubs be able to follow their mother in tall grass. But since the males also have these flashes that second theory could be argued. Humans jump to eyes because of pattern seeking.
I have also read that they may signal aggression when the cat turns its ears forward - it's tiger warning for back off. So there are some theories but unless a tiger tells us I don't suppose we will ever know with certainty.
It was interesting to research though.
I have a photo I took of a tiger at a local big cat rescue. He is sitting in a tank of water facing away from me. Each of his ears has a white circle almost perfectly centered. The first thought is that maybe they are there so that prey or a rival sneaking up behind will think they are eyes - but, other than humans how many predators do tigers really have to worry about. Another theory is that it helps cubs be able to follow their mother in tall grass. But since the males also have these flashes that second theory could be argued. Humans jump to eyes because of pattern seeking.
I have also read that they may signal aggression when the cat turns its ears forward - it's tiger warning for back off. So there are some theories but unless a tiger tells us I don't suppose we will ever know with certainty.
It was interesting to research though.
I'm your huckleberry.
