Its razor-sharp sharp claws
can behead you with a single swipe.
It's armed with teeth that can
pierce your skin like a knife
through soft butter.
You’re face to face
with a hungry killing machine
that’s almost entirely made of muscle.
You understandably lost
control of your bladder,
and you’re about to realize
that’s one of the worst things
you could’ve done.
If this deadly predator corners you,
here are the other mistakes
you need to avoid
so you don't become its dinner.
Weighing 227 kg (500 lb)
and measuring almost 3 m (10 ft)
from the head to the tip of their tail,
tigers are the biggest cats out there.
They’re extraordinary hunters.
Once they set their eyes on you,
it’s game on.
In the Sundarbans,
a forest region of India and Bangladesh,
tigers kill up to 250 people every year.
They’ve pulled them from their homes
while they slept,
dragged them from boats
and even jumped to grab them out
of trees.
These felines can climb.
When a massive, angry tiger
angry tiger confronts you,
running to safety might be
your first instinct.
That's not going to help you here.
As soon as you start running,
you've practically sealed your fate.
While you’d reach a maximum speed
of 10 km/h (6 mph),
a tiger sprints at speeds of
65 km/h (40 mph).
Not even Usain Bolt
would win this race,
let alone you.
Injured animals might look helpless,
but that’s not the case for tigers.
A sick feline can be desperate for food,
and attacking slower,
more attainable prey like you
could be perfect.
In the early 1900s,
a Bengal tiger
that killed 436 people in rural regions
of India and Nepal
gained the title of
the Man-Eater of Champawat.
The police and military were called
on to take down the killer,
but it eluded them for seven years.
It took a bounty hunter with a shotgun
and more than 300 villagers
hitting drums and firing guns
into the air
to spook the animal into the open
to end the reign of terror.
This predator had developed a particular
taste for people for a reason.
It suffered from dental issues,
so eating animals with thick fur
or a heavy hide would have been painful.
Habitation loss forced it to come
into contact with thin-skinned,
slow-moving humans.
The animal made them its favorite meal.
They might be small,
fluffy and cute,
but these creatures are
the most dangerous thing
you could run into out in the wild.
If you've spotted tiger cubs,
you’re already in big trouble.
Their mom won’t hesitate to fiercely
protect her babies.
Standing so close,
you are considered a threat.
You’ll want to keep your eyes open
for a tiger’s offspring while in its territory
and stay as far away
from them as possible.
Facing a fierce animal having a bad day
can be pretty scary,
but no matter what you do,
don’t pee your pants.
Tigers are territorial
and they use their urine to mark their turf.
If you have an accident in their dominion,
they’ll take it as a sign of aggression
and perceive you as an unwanted invader
they need to get rid of.
Crouching to the ground
can make a tiger mistake you for
a deer or warthog,
two of its favorite meals.
Instead, you should make yourself appear
bigger by raising your arms in the air
while waving your hands
and making as much noise as possible.
You might look like an idiot to humans
while you do this,
but it could be enough to make a tiger
think twice about messing with you.
These aren't the only deadly
felines out there.
Every year, house cats,
just like the one you have on your lap,
are accountable for 66,000
emergency room visits in the U.S. alone.
If you want to survive Mr. Whiskers' wrath,
you'll need to keep watching.