Can You Tell Tigers Apart?
Match the tigers based on their stripe patterns.
Did you know you can tell tigers apart by their stripes? Every tiger has a unique stripe pattern—a fact that enables zoologists to keep tabs on individuals using camera traps. These devices, which are essentially cameras connected to motion sensors, allow researchers to remotely observe animals in their natural habitat. When a warm-blooded animal walks in front of it, the camera snaps a photo.
We have a challenge for you. We’ve pulled together a few tiger photos that appear in Candid Creatures, by Roland Kays. Can you cut it as a researcher and match each tiger with its body double, based on stripe pattern?
Click on a tiger below to begin matching. There are four individual tigers; each one appears twice.
(While you can play this game on your phone, we recommend doing it on your computer for the best experience).
All photos, credit: WWF- India, Ruben Clements/Rimba, and Ullas Karanth/WCS. Courtesy of Candid Creatures: How Camera Traps Reveal the Mysteries of Nature, by Roland Kays (May 2016, Johns Hopkins University Press).
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About D Peterschmidt
@dpeterschmidtD Peterschmidt is a producer, host of the podcast Universe of Art, and composes music for Science Friday’s podcasts. Their D&D character is a clumsy bard named Chip Chap Chopman.