Would you tell me what the difference is between 'the tiger' and 'tigers'?

Question

I am sure you should know linguistics or much grammar, so that you can answer this question.

I would appreciate it very much if you could reply it accurately.

The Little Prince

Original sentences:

In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."

...............

My question:

As we say, for instance, the tiger, the poor, or so on, would you tell me if I write the following, then is that correct grammatically and semantically?

***In addition, what is the difference between these?

The Boa constrictor.

Boa constrictors.*

Answer 1

You can use either:

boa constrictors swallow their prey whole

or

the boa constrictor swallows its prey whole

They mean the same thing. In this context, the word the is being used as described in NOAD, meaning #3:

used to make a generalized reference to something rather than identifying a particular instance : he taught himself to play the violin

which could also be expressed as:

he taught himself to play violin