Can you run from a tiger?

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It would be a very bad idea.

Tigers, like all big cats and most carnivores, are digitigrades, aka animals that stand, walk and run on their toes. While humans are plantigrades that walk with their feet soles on the ground.

As a result, when any human being is on the move, whether walking or running, he or she must lift the foot off the ground from heel to tip, and then put it to rest – this movement takes time and requires a lot of energy.

On the other hand, the tiger’s movements are a lot simpler, since it has to lift but its toes or digits. Consequently, our favorite big cat is a real fast runner that easily outruns any human. Sure enough, it runs at more than 65 km/h, while humans can only reach the maximum of 40 km/h.

Another thing: when you do find yourself face-to-face with a tiger, don’t try outrunning it, because running away from the striped cat (as in literally) will trigger its hunting instinct by chasing you, especially considering that tigers are curious by nature so they will start following you.

Which is why it’s always advisable never to try outrunning a large, dangerous mammal (big cats, wolves, bears, hippos, elephants…), because most of them are incredibly fast despite their enormous size.