Do Tigers Purr Like Cats and Roar Like Lions? Tiger Sounds Explained

Written by Brandi Allred
Published: October 7, 2022
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If you’ve ever been around a house cat, you know that they make a wide variety of sounds, including meowing and purring. But, have you ever wondered, do tigers purr? What about roaring? You’ve never heard a house cat roar, but chances are good you’ve heard a tiger roar, either at the zoo or in a movie. 

Here, we’ll learn about all the different noises tigers make, and why they make them. We’ll find out whether or not tigers can purr, and why. Then, we’ll discover why tigers are some of the most endangered creatures on the planet, and what you can do to help them. 

Read on to find out if tigers purr like cats!

Tiger Noises 101

Tigers don’t purr like house cats, but they do make five other sounds.

©Gerckens-Photo-Hamburg/Shutterstock.com

Tigers make five distinct noises: chuffing, cub sounds, click-growls, snarls, and roars. Each sound has a different purpose — let’s learn more about each. 

Chuffle

A chuffle is the sound a tiger makes when they snort through their noses, mouth closed. It sounds a little bit like when a human blows air from their mouth in one burst, allowing their lips to vibrate. Chuffling is a purely social sound, it does not indicate aggression. In fact, it’s generally used by way of greeting, whether between potential mates, mothers to their cubs, or two tigers who recognize each other.

Cub sounds

When learning whether or not tigers purr like cats, it’s important to understand that tiger cubs make their own unique noises. Cub vocalizations sound like high-pitched, drawn-out whines. You might mistake them for the sound of a bird call, or even a screen door slowly creaking to a close. Cubs mostly call to their mothers, or to their litter mates.

Click-growl

A click-growl is almost always a warning sound. Tigers make this sound by forcing air through their vocal cords, past their larynx; it’s essentially the miniature version of a roar. Click-growls are made with an open mouth (which also serves to display the tiger’s two-inch-long canines). Tigers click-growl to tell other tigers that they’re too close, or that the piece of meat between them belongs to the growling tiger.

Snarl

If you hear a tiger snarl, chances are you are about to see both claws and teeth. A snarl is a very aggressive sound; it serves both as a warning, and as a scare tactic. Tigers may snarl at one another when fighting, at threats (like humans), or in the face of an unknown enemy (such as when they are caught in a trap). A snarl is one step down from a roar, and not something you want to hear when exploring tiger country.

Roar

Few sounds parallel the full-throated roar of a tiger; only the lion has a more impressive roar. To find out if tigers purr like cats, it’s important to know that cats cannot roar, while tigers can. Tiger roars can be heard for miles around; they’re that loud. They roar to establish dominance, warn off intruders, and let every creature around them know who the boss really is.

What About Purring?

So, can tigers purr like cats? Cats purr by vibrating their larynxes. Without getting into too much technical anatomy, cats can purr because their hyoid bones are free from inflexible cartilage. This allows them to use these bones to vibrate the larynx, producing a purr.

Tigers (as well as jaguars, lions, and leopards) do not have free hyoid bones, like the smaller cats. Their hyoids are backed by tough cartilage. This cartilage is what gives them the ability to roar, but it also prevents them from purring. So, no: tigers cannot purr like cats. But, they can roar loud enough to be heard miles away. 

Are Tigers in Danger of Extinction?

Tigers have lost 95% of their habitat and range in the last century. Today, fewer than 5,000 tigers exist in the wild. Three of the nine subspecies of tiger (the Caspian tiger, Bali tiger, and Javan tiger) have already gone extinct. Several more subspecies (like the Malayan tiger and South China tiger) are on the brink of extinction. Worldwide, the tigers’ biggest threats 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

Thanks to concentrated conservation efforts and the teamwork of governments and conservation groups, some populations of tigers have actually stabilized. This is particularly true for the Bengal tiger. However, all tigers are still listed as Endangered. One of the easiest things you can do to protect tigers is learn more about the illegal wildlife trade, and how demand for tiger parts (like teeth, bones, and furs) has led to the species’ overall decline.

Up Next…

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/dito:Aleksejs Loginovs


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About the Author

Brandi is a professional writer by day and a fiction writer by night. Her nonfiction work focuses on animals, nature, and conservation. She holds degrees in English and Anthropology, and spends her free time writing horror, scifi, and fantasy stories.

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Sources
  1. Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Available here: https://carnegiemnh.org/cat-chat-101-the-basics-of-domestic-and-wild-vocalizations/#:~:text=Roaring%20and%20Purring,but%20they%20can't%20roar
  2. Britannica, Available here: https://www.britannica.com/animal/tiger
  3. World Wildlife, Available here: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger
  4. Harihar, et al. (2018) 11/08/2018
  5. San Diego Zoo, Available here: https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/tiger