But in the way of hunting, big cats have their own "unique skills", which can be generally divided into four categories: shooting the head, locking the throat, biting the buttocks and biting the neck. Let's take a look at these "killing tricks" respectively.
The big cat kills: bite the ass
Biting ass is not "digging anus" After all, digging anus is the "stunt" of small and medium-sized carnivores such as hyenas, African wild dogs and jackals. They are either small in size or poor in jumping ability, so they choose an anus that is easy to approach and very weak in defense, while big cats disdain to use this relatively "despicable" means.
When hunting large prey, most big cats have a biting action on the tail of herbivores, which is very frequent.
This action is not fatal, but it occurs frequently, because large herbivores will run away after seeing the big cat, and the main offensive weapons of large herbivores are concentrated in the head (teeth and horns), so the big cat will try to avoid facing the prey when killing, forming a situation of running before and chasing after, so the tail is most likely to be touched by the big cat.
At the same time, the big cat lying on the tail of a large prey is not fatal, but it is clever, because its claws firmly grasp the subcutaneous of the prey and fix its body, which can not only consume the physical strength of the prey to the greatest extent, but also prevent the prey from kicking its hind legs indiscriminately, because after the body is pressed on it, the prey will be unstable and can't afford to fall to the ground, and then the big cat can make a real killing move.
This is especially effective for big cats, such as lions, who live in groups and prey on larger prey. Because lions are actually as poor in endurance as other big cats, catching up with prey and crouching on each other's tails quickly can reduce physical exertion and greatly shorten hunting time.
Shoot the head
"Head shot" is a rare and efficient hunting method among big cats, but although this method is efficient, it needs two conditions: high success rate of sneak attack and disparity in size. Jaguar, the largest cat in America, performs best in these two aspects.
Jaguar is the third largest cat in existence, second only to liger, with an average weight of 95 kg (the average weight of the larger subspecies), which is close to the size of Sumatra tiger, the smallest subspecies. In leopard's diet, medium-sized prey is the main prey, and the most common prey are Caiman, Xiqiao, porcupine, deer and capybara.
Among these common prey, Lu Ze in South America is the heaviest, but the average weight of Lu Ze in South America is only 150kg, and the average weight of other prey is also in the range of 20-60 kg. It is precisely because the prey is relatively small that it gives the leopard a chance to kill with one blow.
Secondly, it is a sneak attack. Jaguars are mainly distributed in lush rain forests. This environment makes their hair an excellent protective color. As long as leopards don't move, it is difficult for prey to find them.
Of course, in addition to the above two points, the bite force of puma is also a key factor. Their average bite force can reach 450 kg. With 3.5 cm long canine teeth, they can accurately find the position between their prey's ears and bite their prey with strong biting force, so even crocodiles will be killed with one blow.
Because of the great difference in hiding ability and body shape, "headshot" has almost become the unique skill of jaguar in big cats.
synanche
Locking the throat is the hunting method of all big cats. Among them, more than 70% lions kill their prey by locking their throats, about 50% tigers kill their prey by locking their throats, as well as leopards and snow leopards, with leopards being the least.
The reason why this kind of throat-locked hunting method appears so high is also very simple, because the throat is not only the aorta, but also the trachea. With one bite, the prey will die quickly, whether you cut the aorta or the trachea. Therefore, when lions trap large prey such as buffalo, there will always be lions who lock their throats regardless of danger, and the lions responsible for this fatal blow are usually experienced lionesses or lions (lions rarely participate in hunting).
However, big cats usually lock their prey's throat not from the front, but from the back. On the back, the big cat can consume the physical strength of its prey to the maximum extent. When the prey is exhausted, they will grab the prey's head with their claws, twist their bodies and send sharp teeth into the prey's throat.
After winning, the big cat will jump to one side first, wait for the prey to slowly lose its resistance, then go up and use the throat lock to make up the knife to ensure that the prey is completely dead, and then start eating.
Bite your neck
Actually, biting the neck is an upgraded version of attacking the back. This way of killing usually only appears in tigers and lions, among which lions account for a little less, because they prefer to lock their throats, and tigers bite their necks for about half.
The so-called neck biting means biting through the back neck of prey. This hunting method is also very effective. On the one hand, it can cut off the cervical vertebra of the prey, even if it is not counted, the canine teeth that go deep into the cervical vertebra can also cut off the spinal nerve of the prey.
To achieve this action, either you have a body advantage to crush the prey, or the prey is too big and the big cat jumps on its back. This action is limited to liger, because you need great strength and longer and sharper claws to control the prey.
Moreover, the spine is tough and hard, which poses a high challenge to the length and robustness of big cat teeth. Once the teeth are too thin, canine teeth are easily broken during occlusion and struggle. At the same time, the teeth are too short to effectively cut off the spinal cord nerve, and the hunting ability will be greatly reduced. Liger, as the largest cat in existence, has a large body and long canine teeth, which just meets the requirements of biting the neck.
abstract
The hunting methods of big cats vary from cat to cat, which is actually determined by their size, prey preference, canine tooth length, bite force and so on. Generally speaking, except for biting the ass, the other three hunting methods are very efficient, and for large herbivores, there is a certain progressive relationship between these hunting methods: biting the ass first, then jumping on the back, then biting the neck or locking the throat.