Many people wonder why the tiger has stripes and what they are for. The skin of these big cats has always attracted attention. Interestingly, its appearance allows it to function better in its natural environment.
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Their colors are different from those of other big cats
Observing the phenotype of a tiger, it happens that its colors and pigmentation are different from other animals such as the lion or the puma. We must not forget that nature provides adaptive aspects to all animals.
For example, there is the camouflage strategy. The animals have a color and appearance that confuses them with their surroundings. The result is that they are hidden and cannot be distinguished with the naked eye due to their appearance.
However, tigers are a deep orange color. They happen to attract a lot of attention. For humans, a tiger instead of hiding is easier to see. So what happens to these large cats?
Humans have a different vision than other animals
This is the key! Homo sapiens has trichromatic vision. His visual organ has light receptors that capture the primary colors: blue, green and red. Some apes also have that way of seeing.
In contrast, other animals can only see two colors: blue and green. This makes them see things differently, as is the case with the stripes and skin of a tiger. Therefore, they fail to see these predators.
Precisely, these felines have adapted not to be seen by their prey. Their stripes on the skin are confused with the vegetation, giving them a perfect camouflage. A way to hide and stalk.
As we can see, the colors and stripes of these felines have a reason for being. Do not forget that it is a large predator, which cannot easily hide, needing to camouflage with its appearance.
Deer, for example, cannot see orange or reddish colors. For this reason, when a tiger is close to him, he sees it as a greenish color, which is often confused with the grasslands and nearby vegetation.
a jungle predator
These felines move in an environment of trees, being necessary that they know how to camouflage themselves in that environment. In turn, we must not forget that they are the largest felines on the planet, since they exceed lions in wingspan.
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Did you imagine that these big cats could not be easily seen by other animals? We realize that nature holds many surprises and secrets.
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