Agile, powerful, with strong teeth and an incredible instinct. Overall, tigers possess all the qualities to become the most fearsome predators of the jungle. The only exception is their fur: orange with black stripes, which almost completely contrasts with the green of the deep forest.
But why did nature give tigers such fur? Wouldn’t that make their hunting process more difficult?
The tiger’s fur is too bright considering the environment they exist in.
This question has puzzled scientists for a long time. Their fur is too bright, not suitable for a stalking predator’s habits. However, recently, we have found an answer. The simple reason is that we cannot apply human color perception to the natural world.
Humans are different from animals – that is certain
The colors and patterns of animal species serve various purposes. For example, to help them stand out to mates, or even to warn predators that they are toxic (like snakes, frogs, etc.). But for ambush predators like tigers and lions, the ability to “blend in” with their prey will determine their success or failure in hunting. So, among all possible colors, why do tigers have orange fur?
For humans, orange is a color used for attention-grabbing purposes, such as traffic signs, safety vests, etc. This is because, to our eyes, orange stands out in most environments, making it easily detectable. Scientifically, humans have trichromatic color vision, consisting of three primary colors: red, green, and blue, along with their combinations. This ability is somewhat similar to that of some primates.
However, most land mammals like dogs, cats, horses, and deer have dichromatic vision. This means their retinas only contain cone cells for two colors: blue and green. These animals are often prey for tigers. With dichromatic vision, they cannot distinguish between shades of red and green, and therefore do not see the predator with orange fur.
Normal human eyes have three types of cone cells, allowing us to perceive three primary colors: red, green, and blue, along with combinations of these three colors.
But take deer, for example; their eyes can only detect light waves in green and blue. They are also red-green colorblind, similar to some cases in humans. In other words, for deer, the tiger’s orange-red fur would appear green, which helps tigers almost completely blend into their surroundings.
This finding comes from a recent study by the University of Bristol, led by Dr. John Fennell. They used computer models to test the perception abilities of various animals in the wild by using images corresponding to each species’ habitat and simulating what they see.
The color of tigers as seen by humans (right) and deer (left).
“With the tiger’s fur, it appears orange to creatures with three cone cells. For those that can only perceive two colors, it becomes the perfect and extremely effective color for ambushing in the forest.”
Dr. Fennell tested this theory on several people by placing a red object between two backgrounds – one being a forest backdrop and the other two semi-arid environments. He then monitored how long observers could identify the object under conditions simulating two-color and three-color perception.
The results showed that when simulating three colors, observers easily found the object. In the two-color group, it was significantly more challenging.
But why don’t tigers choose green fur for easier camouflage?
The simple reason is that they cannot. Dr. Fennell stated that animals do not have the ability to produce green fur, as it requires significant changes in their biochemical mechanisms.
Currently, there is only one species of animal with green fur, which is the sloth. However, that green is not naturally occurring; they must find ways to let algae grow on them for better camouflage.
This leads to another question: why haven’t prey species like deer evolved to possess three-color vision?
Some previous studies indicated that during wartime, color-blind individuals could detect camouflaged enemies. However, in laboratory experiments, this theory did not hold true. Individuals with trichromatic vision were still able to recognize camouflage much better. Therefore, regarding this point, Fennell mentioned that it remains an unsolved mystery.
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