How intelligent are the tigers?

How intelligent are the tigers? Of the big cats studied, the tiger has the largest brain relative to skull length. You see, its brain is around 16% larger than the African lion's relative to skull size, also the tiger has a bigger cranial volume - thus, the striped big cat has physically larger brain cavities, which, across carnivores, tends to go with better problem-solving; furthermore, its brain is large for a cat, though some carnivores, such as sea lions, have brains about the size of a chimpanzee's.

How intelligent are the tigers?: a necessary intelligence for hunting

Such intelligence occurs especially when the tiger adopts strategies when hunting. Indeed, it does not chase its prey in a disorderly manner; on the contrary, it waits for the right moment to attack, a period during which it can remain motionless for quite a long time, or even go back and forth between bushes while lying in wait, silent... In the process, its vertical black stripes make it quite invisible to unsuspecting prey. Those stripes break up the tiger's outline among grass and shadow, which is also why a tiger puzzle gives up its animal so slowly, one run of orange fur and black stripes at a time.

An incredible ability to adapt

The tiger's intelligence comes alongside superior adaptability - hence, this magnificent beast never misses an opportunity to analyze the best method to kill its prey, no matter how big or dangerous it is (buffaloes, wild boars, even bears, and crocodiles!), much as lions stalk their prey before they charge. Let's not forget: because it leads a solitary life unlike its cousin lion, the tiger always needs to do better to survive on its own, and subsequently acquires far more skills without the support of a group.

For example a tiger having been introduced into Africa was seen hunting an antelope (a blesbok). At first, the stalking failed, as the antelope in question took its position, listening only to its courage, and its horns ready to disembowel the predator. Except that the predator was seen to stop and then walk for a while - apparently looking for the right moment to shoot the blesbok; one is almost tempted to say that it was meticulously studying plan B after plan A had failed, or simply deceiving its prey before going on the attack. In the end, after a time of exhaustive reflection, the tiger killed the antelope and earned himself a free meal.

The tiger has a phenomenal memory

This is why it is often said that the tiger is easier to tame than the lion. In fact, it has been established that some individuals in captivity display friendly behavior not only towards their keepers but towards strangers as well! This is not a joke: these same tigers have been seen greeting any human by snorting and emitting their famous prusten, a non-threatening vocalization intended to say hello or show good intentions... A tigress greets and reassures her cubs with the same soft sound, and it is that gentle side of the animal that a plush tiger toy keeps.

And this is how the tiger's supreme intelligence is shown - a quality that undoubtedly makes it, along with its great size and omnipotence, the most feared predator in the jungle.