Rangers do have one option to solo very efficiently with animals. Snare it, panic it and whack it from behind. Rangers can also split camps when outside (harmony) and since they have sow, at least outside they are pretty safe.
As for being tanks, rangers obviously are less armoured than other melee classes. If healing is not an issue, rangers are (arguably) even better at generating aggro than SKs or pallies. Flame lick and snare are very good aggro spells, both very cheap. And rangers are the best at aggro kiting, if tanking is too dangerous (and enough space is available).
Even better at almost anything a ranger can do is a bard though.
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