Dholes (Cuon alpinus)

[Shadow]

(02-08-2019, 04:32 AM)Shadow Wrote:

(02-08-2019, 04:13 AM)Wolverine Wrote: @Shadow , from the video is clearly visible that leopard afraid of dholes and run away on the tree. If we assume (Sterndale 1884) that tiger also afraid of big packs of dholes (theoreticaly) he will not gain nothing if he openly display his fear and run away. Tiger unlike spotted cat can't climb trees so if he start running will only provoke attack. So in interest of tiger is to display he doesn't worry of dholes even if he worry. And basicaly unlike spotted cat lions and tigers have developed sense of "dignity" , they seldom run away openly and normally move away slowly if fill threatened for some reason. Again I dont insist that tiger afraid of dholes (while for sure solitary dholes and small packs afraid of tigers, solitary dhole is basicaly almost helpless against big cat) , actually we dont know what is going on in his brain. I think its early to make any final conclusions about their interractions, basically I agree with Rishi that we have to wait another 10-20 years to see what the modern filming tecnhology will tell us.
I think in the fiture we have to discuss this topic only with arrival of some new information, new sources etc

Well one thing is wrong in your posting. Tigers can climb trees, quite easily. Coming down is then something not so smooth as it is for a leopard and of course moving on branches is more careful and clumsy. And I know, that you aren´t saying, that tigers would be afraid of dholes. 

I think then again, that if things escalate and there are some bites, even a tiger can feel fear. Any animal flee if situation is overwhelming and there opens up possibility to flee. If cornered, then of course fighting for life as long as possible. It is hard to know, what happens in the head of animals, but there is footage, where tiger flees gaurs in state, what can be called panic. I mean banging head to wooden wall first and then changing direction and running as fast as possible doesn´t look like to "controlled retreat" for me. IF there is situation, where feeling bites here and there and terrible noise all the time with movement everywhere, I have no trouble believing that tiger can be afraid and fleeing. In that way old stories are reasonable and nothing special or illogical, when thinking how animals are acting. 

Another thing is, if that has happened or will happen in future. Time will tell. I have said quite the same as Rishi all the time too, I think. Many things concerning about dholes and their reputation seem to have justification, but what comes to fierce fights with tigers, there we are in situation, which leaves room for speculation. Debating about that is kind of waste of time if something new doesn´t come up.

One thing, when tiger flees from elephants, rhinos or gaurs, they chase only for shorter time and it is relatively easy for a tiger to dodge them. Dhole would be only animal able to chase tiger with more agility and stamina. So if tiger ever would flee to a tree, it would most probably be only if confrontation with dholes goes to bad direction. This is speculation of course. But that would be a sight if some day it would happen :) Reply