Index | Where Do They Live? | Subspecies | Extinction | Links
Appearance
Tigers are the largest of the cat family. Most are orange with white accents and dark stripes. No two tigers have the same pattern of stripes. Some color variations include the white tiger (chocolate colored stripes), the all white tiger (no stripes), the black tiger (tawny stripes), and the all black tiger (no stripes). The most common of these color variations is the white tiger, which is a gene mutation of the Bengal tiger. White tigers are very rarely found in the wild. The other color variations are extremely rare. Tigers have retractable claws, like domestic cats. They sometimes use them to make scratches on trees, which serve as territorial markers. Tiger paw prints are called pug marks. A tiger's tail is about half as long as its body, about 3 to 4 feet. It's used for balance and communication. Tiger eyes have round pupils and yellow irises (with the exception of white tigers, which have blue eyes). A tiger's night vision is about 6 times better than our own.
Behavior
Tigers, unlike lions, live alone (except for a mothers with their cubs). A lone tiger can sneak up on prey easier than a group of tigers can. A tiger's territory depends on how much food is available. It will usually range from about 10 to 30 square miles, although a Siberian tiger will sometimes have a territory up to about 120 square miles. A male's territory often overlaps serveral female territories. Territory boundries are marked using scent and scratches on trees. A group of tigers, which is very rare, is called a streak. Wild tigers will eat pigs, deer, and cattle. They will make a kill, then gorge, eating as much as 40 pounds of meat at a time. A prepared diet of horse meat and vitamins is the daily meal of a tiger living in a zoo. It may eat up to 10 pounds at a time.
Biology
Tigers in the wild live for about 10 to 15 years, while tigers in zoos live to be between 16 and 20 years old. The length of a tiger's fur will vary depending on where it lives. Subspecies that live in the south have shorter hair while more norther subspecies (Siberian) will have longer fur, especially in winter. A tiger's forefeet will have 5 toes, while the hind feet will have only 4. All toes have retractable claws which 80 to 100 mm in length. Adult tigers will have 30 large teeth. Canine teeth can be between 2.5 to 3 inches long.
Cubs
On average, a female tiger will have 2 to 3 (the most being 5) cubs per litter. One will usually die at birth. Tiger cubs are born blind. Depending on the subspecies they will weigh 2 to 3 pounds at birth. For 6 to 8 weeks, the cubs will live on their mother's milk. Then, she will start taking them to her kills to feed. When they are about 18 months old, they will be able to begin making their own kills. Depending on if their mother has another litter, the young tigers will leave her side between 1 and a half to 3 years of age. Females usually stay closer to their mother's range than males.
Index | Where Do They Live? | Subspecies | Extinction | Links
