This beautiful creature is a Siberian Tiger. It is the largest living cat in the world. There are only three places left in the world, where Siberian Tigers live in the wild, the Amur-Ussuri region of Siberia, and in northern Korea and China. In all, there are 8 different kinds of Tigers. Of these 3 are extinct, and the remaining 5 are endangered. Some people believe that there are only 200 Siberian Tigers left, living in the wild. That means that they live in the forest and the other places where they were born, not in a zoo.

Siberian Tigers are very big cats. Most males are 9 to 12 ft. long and weigh between 400 and 650 lbs, while the females are a little smaller. During the winter, the Siberian Tiger must live in temperatures of -50 F and below. That is very cold.!! Therfore, they grow a longer, thicker coat than other tigers and have more fat on their sides and belly. This layer of fur and fat help keep the tiger warm. Tigers are capable of eating up to 60 lbs of meat at one time. After eating such a large meal, they will not again for several days.

Tigers usually live alone in what is called their "territory". When they are old enough, they choose a place that has plenty of food, usually about 10 to 30 square miles. Tigers mark their territory by spraying bushes and trees. They use a combination of urine and scent gland secretions. When another Tiger smells this scent, he knows he that he is in someone elses territory. Most Tigers are fiercely protective of their territories. Male Tiger's will usually share small sections of their territories with other female Tigers. The only time that adult Tigers live together is during the breeding season.

Baby Tigers are called cubs. They are born blind and weigh about 2 to 3 pounds. They live on milk for the first 2 months and then begin to eat the meat from the female Tigers kill. When the cubs are 18 months old, they begin to hunt for themselves. They will live with mothers until they are 2 to 3 years old.

Did you know that the night vision of Tigers is 6 times better than humans? They also have a well developed sense of smell, and hearing. Tigers are very good hunters, although they only catch their meals about 1 in 10 times. They are known as "ambush" hunters. They stalk their prey getting as close as possible and then charge the animal from behind and pounce! Siberian Tigers can overpower animals that are much bigger than themselves. They use their powerful front legs and huge paws to pull the prey down. After the animal is dead they drag it to a safe place and begin to eat. Tigers like to eat wild cattle, deer, and pigs.