Do Lions and Tigers Purr?
There is actually some debate over this topic in the scientific community. Some biologists maintain that big cats such as lions and tigers cannot purr, because they have adapted special physical traits in order to be able to roar which preclude purring ability. Others believe that the big cats can and do purr, although they may not purr exactly like household cats. Study of big cats in a variety of environments appears to bear out the second theory, that they do in fact purr for many of the same reasons that smaller cats do. The exact mechanism of purring is not completely understood. It is believed that purring is accomplished with the use of the hyoid bone, a small flexible bone located in the neck. When the cat pushes air through its voicebox, it rattles the hyoid bone, creating the distinctive purr sound. Purring may also be caused by false vocal cords, located slightly behind the cat’s actual vocal cords. The debate over how cats purr has greatly complicated the issue of whether o
