High-Speed Tiger Showdown Ensues As Two Massive Cats Clash for Territory

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One of the best places to see tigers roaming in the wild is in one of Central India’s national parks. This stunning video, coming from YouTube user Arvind Karthik, was filmed in Kabini, which is a part of the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. In the video, we can see two tigers challenge each other over their territory. Tigers are solitary animals and usually live alone unless mothers are raising cubs.

What Happens in the Video?

A tour group has stopped along a path in the national park to watch the wildlife. Before you see them, you can hear them. Listen closely at the beginning of the video for the loud roar. Next, a prey animal is spotted fleeing across the path. Closing in after the running animal comes two fully grown tigers. They stop in the forest across the path and start circling each other among the trees.

The moment is tense as it’s unknown if this will turn into a battle. However, a fight is averted as one tiger lies down on the ground, signaling its surrender. You can even see it try to back away as it’s lying down at one point. The other tiger paces back and forth near the tiger that’s lying down, establishing its dominance. Fortunately, for these tigers, the conflict seems to have been resolved without an all-out battle.

About the Kabini Forest Reserve

According to the video above, it was filmed in Kabini. This is a forested area that gets its name from the Kabini River. Located in Central India, it is within the famous Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. Central India is home to a diverse amount of wildlife and is an important area of conservation for Bengal tigers.

The best way to see tigers in India is to take a safari through one of the national parks. The tigers have grown accustomed to the jeeps filled with travelers and won’t shy away from them. In addition to spotting the majestic Bengal tigers other wildlife you can see in Central India may include leopards, wild cattle (guar) sloth bears, hyenas, spotted deer, wild boars, and antelope.

How Big is a Tiger’s Range?

A tiger’s range varies by several factors including the amount of prey and the season. When prey is dense, tigers have smaller ranges because they have less need to travel far to find their food. Tigers eat a variety of animals such as antelope, guar, deer, and wild pig. Tigers don’t eat daily, but usually one big meal per week. Though their home range varies, they can travel for miles to find food.

In India, where food is plentiful, tiger ranges can vary from two square miles up to 60 square miles. However, in Siberia, where tigers have to search long for their food, a tiger’s home range may be up to 480 square miles. A male tiger’s territory is larger than the female’s and it may overlap with a female territory. Often, female tigers claim a territory that is adjacent or even overlapping with their mother’s.

Do Tigers Live or Hunt Together?

Tigers are mostly solitary. Unlike lions, they don’t live and hunt together in groups. The only time you typically see tigers together is when they mate or when a mother is raising her cubs. Tiger cubs stay with their mothers for around two to three years, until they leave to find their own territories.

However, there have been a few instances when researchers have documented tigers taking down prey together. The tigers collaborated to bring down a large prey in a cooperative way, similar to a pride of lions. This is highly unusual behavior and hasn’t been seen very often by observers.

Tigers hunt by several methods. They may stalk their prey, ambush it, or chase it. They are also excellent swimmers and are able to dive into water to catch fish.

What Happens When Tigers Fight Each Other?

The most aggressive tiger fights are typically between two males battling it out for their territory. In the video above, the tigers worked things out without a fight. But sometimes, fights do happen. A young male may challenge an older male for his territory. Or, two young males may challenge each other on who will take over an older tiger’s territory.

Tigers place scents around their territory to mark it for other tigers. They will leave scents with feces and urine, and they also may scratch trees. A male tiger’s territory often includes the right to mate with the nearby female or females, which can further increase the aggression of the tigers. A tiger fight, when neither one backs down from the other, can turn deadly.