4. General information
The tiger (panthera tigris) is the largest cat
species in the whole world. The word tiger
comes from the greek word ”tigris”, which is
from a persian word that means arrow. The
oldest fossil remains of tigers are believed to be
about 2 million years old and they were found
in China. Tigers can speed up to 65 kph.
5. Caracteristics
Tiger's ground coloration of their fur varies between different types
of orange, depending on where they live. The pattern of stripes is
unique to each animal and is often used to identify individuals,
just as fingerprints on people. The stripe pattern is also on the skin
of the tiger. The ears are small, round and black and they have a
white spot in the middle. These spots are called ocelli and they
play a very important role in intraspecific communication.
Tigers can be found in many different sizes. For example, the Bengal
tiger males can weight up to 306 kg, while the Sumatran tiger
weights from 75 to 140 kg. Tiger females are smaller than the
males in each subspecies. In the large subspecies the males can
weight 1,7 times more than the females.
6. Colour variations
The white tiger is very rare in the wild, but widely
bred in zoos. Breeding of white tigers often leads to
inbreeding, such as crossed eyes and shorter life
than their orange counterparts.
Golden tabby is another colour variation. They have
light golden fur, almost white legs and light orange
stripes. Their fur is usually thicker, and both white
and golden tabby tigers are larger than their
orange relatives.
More information about the colour variations
7.
8. Hunting and diet
Tigers hunt larger and medium sized animals, such as sambar,
wild boar, water buffalo, moose, musk deer and malayan tapir.
But like many predators they also feed on smaller animals, like
monkeys, hares and fish. Some tigers also kill and eat human.
This is normal for old tigers, or those who are wounded and
incapable of catching any fast animals.
Tigers hunt at night, and usually they do it alone. They can
reach a speed up to 65 kph, but they cannot maintain that speed
during long distances. This is why they usually have to get very
close to the prey before they attack. Although tigers are such
strong animals, only one in twenty hunts ends in a successful
kill.
9. Distribution and habitat
In the past, tigers could be found in Asia, from the
Caucasus and the Caspian Sea to Siberia and the
Indonesian islands of Java, Bali and Sumatra.
Nowadays they can be found from India, West China
and Southeast Asia and the only large island inhabited
by tigers is Sumatra.
Tigers live in many types of forests, and compared to
the lion, the tiger prefers denser vegetation, for which
its camouflage colouring is ideally suited.
10.
11. Population estimate (in the wild)
Bangladesh 440
Bhutan 75
Cambodia 20
China 45
India 1,706
Indonesia 325
Laos 17
Malaysia 500
Myanmar 84
Nepal 155
Russia 360
Thailand 200
Vietnam 20
Total: 3,948
There are more tigers held privately as
pets than there are in the wild. It is
estimated that there are 12,000 tigers in
captivity only in the US.