Survival Shield from Behind
In the natural world, many animals possess contrasting round spots that look like eyes on their bodies. Scientists call these "false eyes" or Ocelli.
From delicate butterflies to fish and even mammals like tigers, Ocelli play a vital role in survival strategies. Primarily to deceive, intimidate or deflect attacks from predators. It is an incredibly effective form of surprise or distraction camouflage.
Close-up of the white spot behind the tiger's ear, which scientists call a "false eye" (Photo: Getty).
In tigers, the pair of white spots behind the ears are a typical example of Ocelli. When the tiger lowers its head to rest, stalks prey, or even in moments of relaxation with its ears folded back, these two white spots are clearly visible.
From behind, they create a powerful visual illusion, misleading potential predators (such as another tiger, or opportunistic predators) into thinking they are being directly observed by a pair of large, alert eyes.
This element of surprise and feeling of being watched may be enough to cause an attacker from behind to back down, walk away, or at least hesitate, giving the tiger an opportunity to react.
In fact, this “fake eye” tactic is so effective that even humans have adopted it. People living near dense forests like the Sundarbans (India), where tigers live, have learned to wear masks with eyes on the back of their heads when entering the forest.
This is not an anecdote but a survival tip based on an understanding of the behavior of predators, which tend to avoid direct confrontation when they think they have been detected.
Residents living in the Sundarbans (India) are afraid of being attacked by Bengal tigers, so they wear masks on the back of their necks as a protective device, believing that it will help ward off fierce tigers every time they enter the forest (Photo: Getty).
Communication method
The function of these white spots is not limited to defense. They are also an important tool in intraspecific communication of tigers, especially in social interactions and mother-child relationships.
One of the most prominent roles is to help the cubs track their mothers. In the dense forest environment with dense vegetation and limited visibility, maintaining visual contact is paramount.
The high-contrast white spots on the darker fur of the ear flaps act as small “lighthouses”, helping the cubs to easily locate and follow their mother, especially in low light conditions such as dawn, dusk or when moving quickly through bushes.
The white spot behind the ear will help the tiger cub track its mother (Photo: Getty).
In addition, tiger ears are extremely flexible and play a key role in expressing emotions and intentions. Different positions of ears such as standing upright when curious, pressing the head back when aggressive or afraid, and turning slightly to listen are all important visual signals.
White spots enhance the clarity of these movements and positions.
When a tiger displays aggression by pressing its ears back, the pair of white spots become visible, further emphasizing the visual signal making the message stronger and more recognizable to other tigers, even from a certain distance.
This helps to avoid unnecessary conflicts or establish dominance effectively.
Crystallized from millions of years of evolution
The existence of the white spot behind the tiger's ear is not a random arrangement but the result of millions of years of natural selection.
Tigers with more visible “false eyes” are more effective in defending against predators and communicating with their own kind, and have a higher chance of surviving and reproducing. As a result, the gene for this trait is passed on and becomes more common in the population.
Interestingly, this pair of white spots works perfectly in tandem with the tiger's overall camouflage.
While the bright orange fur with black stripes that seems very prominent to the human eye possesses three color channels (trichromacy), it is a perfect cloak of invisibility to their main prey such as deer, elk, and wild boars.
Human eyes can process red, green and blue, so to us a tiger looks orange (right). But deer, elk and wild boar eyes can only process green and blue, making them colorblind (left) (Photo: Getty).
These species typically have only two color perception channels (dichromacy), causing the tiger's orange color to almost blend into the green of the leaves and darkness of the forest, turning them into veritable “ghosts.”
Thus, tigers have the ability to hide completely when hunting, and also have special signals that are activated when needed for defense or communication.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/tac-dung-dac-biet-cua-cham-trang-tren-tai-ho-con-nguoi-cung-phai-bat-chuoc-20250603225326228.htm
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