How often have you been asked about your experience of a tiger safari in India and your answer is a dejected one, with dashed hopes? You missed sighting the royal cat! You did hear alarm calls or you thought the tiger was lurking nearby, but didn’t get lucky at all. Dive deeper into the world of tigers and their fascinating habits, including their elusive Tiger sleeping habits, to enhance your safari adventures.
If the same question was asked to our guides and naturalists working in the park, you will be surprised to hear their answers too.
They will agree to your predicament. They might have witnessed tigers in the wild innumerable times. Yet, this supreme predator, the big boss of the jungle doesn’t show up frequently. Though, sighting tigers early morning and late evening are the mantras.
Are Tigers fond of sleeping?
Yes, tigers are fond of sleeping!
They can sleep up to 18-20 hours every single day.
They not necessarily have any specific spot for sleeping, but yes, they do love to catch their snoozes at cooler places. These can be shady areas amongst thickets, rocks, caves, tall grasses, dense trees, shallow water bodies and sometimes even the comfortable muddy/sandy game roads. They pretty much sleep anywhere in their territory, regardless of the disturbances, except from when they hear striking alarm calls of other intruders encroaching in.
Also Read: Interesting Facts About TigersÂ
Why do Tigers roll up?
Tigers prefer to sleep on their sides and love to roll from one side to the other, just like our house cats. The most endearing part is to find them sleeping with all four legs in the air with their backs for support. Their belly is the most vulnerable body part and when they show it, it’s a sign of complete relaxation and trust towards their environment and siblings.
Isn’t that so beautiful?
Also Read: Top Places to see Tigers in India
Why do tigers sleep for long hours?
The reason why tigers sleep for long hours is to conserve energy and rejuvenate.
- The energy is required to make kills, for stalking and sprinting, which mostly include failed attempts (8-10 usually!).
- If they catch a large prey, they also need to drag and hide it from other carnivores, which consumes a lot of their energy too.
- They also walk the length and breadth of their territories frequently, spray marking and warning others about their presence.
All these efforts deplete their energy and require a longer period of rest.
Why do tigers yawn?
Shown above is a male tiger cub yawning after his afternoon siesta this image is captured when we where on a tiger safari. Just like humans, tigers yawn to let in more oxygen signaling their brains to get alert. This keeps them awake and from not nodding off again.
On a conclusive note
Therefore, sleeping is an inherent habit that helps tigers to rejuvenate their lost energy and let them go about their day with ease. It also helps them carry their heavy body which weighs approximately 400-500 pounds.
So, next time when you realize that you haven’t had luck sighting the big cat because it might have been sleeping; then you exactly know that either you need to wait patiently, or if you are out of time in the park, you need to come back for another safari.
Visit our the Luxurious Lodges in Different location:
The Best Resort in Kanha National Park, Luxury Resort in Tadoba, Resort in Bandhavgarh National Park, Resort in Pench, Resorts in Satpura, and Panna to watch these fascinating sleeping or romping in the wild.
Get in touch with our trip curators at Pugdundee Safaris to book your next wildlife holiday.
Our trip curators are more than happy to assist you.Phone: +91-011-40132680 Â Email: [email protected]
Written by: Ashish Tirkhey, Manager, Tree House Hideaway, Bandhavgarh
Edited By: Natasha Sinha
