Monkeys and tigers coexist in many parts of the world. The tiger is one of the biggest carnivores and an apex predator, which means it isn’t picky about what it eats.
Nevertheless, do tigers eat monkeys? Yes, the tiger would eat a monkey if it had the chance. Tigers are incredibly agile and can maul their prey in seconds.
However, their main weakness is their stamina. A tiger lacks stamina and always needs to attack its prey from a close distance.
Do Tigers Eat Monkeys?
Tigers eat monkeys. Nature has its own way of telling different stories. For mysterious reasons, it decided to put the tree-dwelling monkeys and the biggest hunter cats in the same place in the wild.
As a result, though tigers and monkeys are enemies of one another, they often seem to coexist in many places in the world. Monkeys are responsible for many failed hunts of the tiger. This is because the primates would warn the deer as soon as they see the tiger from up on tree branches.
Tigers are excellent with their speed, agility, and stripes. The stripes significantly help them a lot to blend into the tall grass. By doing so, they stalk their prey from a close distance. As their stamina is low, they get exhausted if they need to run for a longer period in order to catch their prey.
Hence, the clever cat decides to surprise the prey by attacking from a close distance without giving it a second to even think of running away. Tigers generally would go for bigger prey, such as deer, moose, wild cows, boars, buffalos, etc.
However, tigers don’t regularly hunt monkeys. Especially when food is scarce, the big cat doesn’t hesitate to hunt smaller prey such as snakes, birds, frogs, hares, fish, or even monkeys.
How Do Tigers Hunt Monkeys?
Unlike most other prey, monkeys are not likely to be found on the ground. These tree-dwellers spend most of their time on the branches above the base. However, they, too, need to get down eventually.
For example, they might need water or food. Or maybe they need to mate. The perfect chance for a tiger to attack the monkey is when it is on the ground. Though tigers are excellent climbers, they are not at their best hunting instincts high above the ground.
Hence, a clueless monkey roaming aimlessly on the surface is an absolute delight for the ferocious tiger.
The tiger would slowly get into the tall grass without making a noise. The monkey wouldn’t even know a thing about what will happen a few moments later. The hunter cat would tiptoe toward its prey at a steady speed and stop right where the monkey is the closest.
The clueless monkey would be roaming about. After some time, when the monkey is sure that the tiger is nowhere near and lets its guard down, this is the moment when the tiger jumps out of the grass.
Without wasting a fraction of a second, the big cat would go straight for the neck of the monkey. At this moment, the monkey would have no choice but to surrender to its fate.
Do big cats hunt monkeys?
Big cats that hunt monkeys are:
- Tigers
- Lions
- Leopards
- Cougars
Conclusion
Tigers eat monkeys. They are apex predators and are not picky about their food.
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