White spots or 'flashes' on the backs of tiger's ears;
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All subspecies of tiger have white spots or 'flashes' on the backs of their ears; the reasons for these remain mostly unknown.
It has been speculated that these markings are illusory 'eyes' to fool prey, or they may serve to discourage other predators who normally hunt and attack from behind.
Another theory is that young cubs use these to find and follow their mothers in tall grass. When a tigress drops into the stalking position, with ears flattened against her head, these spots are obscured so making it more difficult for the cubs to follow and ruin the kill. This suggestion is weakened by the fact that these spots appear on both males and females -- and males have nothing at all to do with the raising of cubs.
It is more likely that ear spots are a signal of aggression. A tiger under threat will rotate the ears in such a way that the spots can be seen from the front so providing a visual warning.
Canon 7D / 150-500mm Sigma / TV-1/320 / AV-7.1 / ISO-2000 /Shooting mode P / Evaluative metering / 247 focal length.
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