Only half of the cubs survive.
As with other mammals, tiger cubs are born blind. Since they cannot see anything, they are completely dependent on their mother's scent. Thus, weakened cubs that cannot keep up with their mothers do not have excessive life expectancy. About half of tiger cubs do not survive into infancy after birth. They often die from starvation or hypothermia. As if that weren't enough, some of them are even eaten by male tigers. They do this so that the tigresses mate again. Not very tactful if you ask us!
Tigers are polygamous
Females reach sexual maturity at approximately 3-4 years, and males at 4-5 years. The female is receptive to conceiving cubs every 3-9 weeks, and estrus lasts three to six days. In tropical climates, females may enter estrus throughout the year, although mating appears to occur more frequently during the coolest months (November to April). In temperate regions, females mate only during the winter months. Copulation is short and often repeated over 5-6 days. In this case, a male and a female can have several partners during their lives.
They can breed with other big cats.
Tigers can breed with other big cats such as lions. The most famous example of this is the "liger", a cross between a male lion and a female tigress. It is the largest feline and can weigh up to 450 kilograms, which is twice as much as most lions and tigers. Another, rarer option is tigon. This is due to mating between a male tiger and a lioness. Such animals are found only in captivity, they are usually healthy. However, many people are also against breeding these hybrids. This can lead to long-term genetic diseases that can make animals infertile.
The tiger is the largest representative of the cat family. Tigers can be called the most recognizable large predators from the cat family. The black and red striped skin of these creatures has become their unique calling card. The reputation of tigers as ruthless predators, as well as their bright striped coloring, seems to warn against encountering this animal on its territory. Large and massive, tigers are capable of fighting any opponent. Their greatness and menacing appearance amaze everyone who has ever seen live tigers.
The tiger is considered one of the most formidable and majestic animals. He is known not only for his incredible strength, but also for his elegant appearance. This is a very dangerous beast that can kill anyone.
The first tigers appeared more than two million years ago. Historically, the main habitat of tigers is the Asian region, where there are all conditions for the life of such a powerful predator. There were legends about tigers that became terrible nightmares for many people. In its native habitat, the tiger is called the “king of the jungle” and is considered a symbol of courage and strength.
1.Currently there are 6 subspecies of tigers: Siberian or Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Chinese, Malayan, Sumatran.
2. Tigers are the largest representatives of the cat family. But different species differ from each other in size. The largest are Siberian tigers. Their body length can be 3.5 meters and their weight can be 300 kilograms. The smallest are Sumatran tigers, their length is up to 2 meters, and their weight is up to 100 - 120 kilograms.
3. Over the past 80 years, three subspecies of tigers have become extinct. The Balinese tiger was deliberately exterminated, since in the Balinese cultural tradition it was considered the embodiment of evil. The Javan tiger became extinct after coffee plantations in Java deprived it of its habitat. All Caspian tigers died due to human hunting.
4. There are only 3,500 tigers left in the wild on Earth. However, almost the same number of tigers are kept in captivity.
5. Now there are less than seven thousand tigers left in the world. Currently, all tiger species without exception are included in the Red Book, and hunting them is prohibited in all countries. The Amur tiger is in the most distressed situation.
6. Tigers are one of the few animals that can mate with other members of their family and even have viable offspring. The only exception is lions, mating with tigers rarely ends in success, but such a tandem has become very popular among zoo owners.
7. Tigers are magnificent creatures, now, unfortunately, endangered.
8. Despite the fact that tigers do not attack people without a direct threat to themselves or their offspring, there are cases when they became cannibals. It is believed that after tasting human blood once, a tiger will want to try it again. If a tiger attacks a person, it usually happens at night.
9. The most famous man-eating tiger killed about 430 people until he was finally tracked down by an experienced hunter who came to India from England specifically to catch him and tracked the predator for several years.
10.Tigers have a slightly unusual way of drinking water. They do not scoop it up with a “bucket”, but toss it with their tongue, then close their mouth.
11. Unlike domestic cats, tigers have round, rather than slit-shaped, pupils. This is due to the fact that domestic cats are naturally nocturnal animals, while tigers are crepuscular: they hunt at dawn and dusk.
12. Male tigers have a larger home range than females, so they can find each other in a common area to mate. Moreover, the territory of an adult female never intersects with the territory of other females, and males never meet each other.
13. Different subspecies of tigers have different colors: white, golden, black and even blue. There is unconfirmed evidence of the existence of blue tigers, the so-called Maltese.
14.In Indian nature reserves, workers wear masks on the back of their heads that imitate human faces. It is believed that this helps protect against tiger attacks, since the tiger attacks only from ambush and from behind. Once noticed, the tiger will most likely leave to look for another victim.
15. On average, an adult tiger should eat 7 - 9 kg of meat per day, 2.5 - 3 tons per year, which is twice as much as a lion needs.
16. Tigers mark their territory, they do it in different ways: they leave scratches on trees, urinate on bushes and trees, loosen the ground or snow.
17.Tigers don't climb trees. An exception to the rule are small tiger cubs under 2 years of age and weighing up to 60 kg.
18. Each tiger has white marks on the back of its ears that resemble eyes; they serve as a navigator for little tiger cubs to find their mother.
19.Many tigers are kept in captivity in China and the USA, their total number is close to the number of the wild population.
20. Tigers swim excellently, and they do this not only when absolutely necessary, but also just for fun. They are able to cross a deep river and swim several kilometers without any problems. Therefore, the opinion that you can hide from a tiger in water is erroneous.
21. Tigers living on continents are much larger in size and weight than their relatives living on islands and peninsulas. For example, an adult male Amur tiger reaches a length of 300 cm without a tail, while a male Asia Minor tiger reaches only 240 cm in length.
22.The tiger has five toes on its transferred paws, but only four on its hind paws. The length of a tiger's claws is 8 - 10 cm.
23. Tigers regularly mark their territory using their claws and urine, which becomes a good source of information for other individuals. Just by the smell of urine alone they are able to determine the age, social status and gender of the tiger. And claw marks on trees carry information about the size and strength of the individual.
24.Tiger saliva contains natural substances that act as an antiseptic on wounds, which promotes rapid healing and recovery. This is one of the reasons why tigers often lick themselves. There is an opinion that the expression “licking the wounds” came from here.
25.Tigers can become pregnant in just a few days throughout the entire year. Sometimes there are even fights between males. Mating is accompanied by very loud sounds and lasts throughout the whole day. This is due to the low probability of fertilization. Tigers are forced to repeat mating many times. Offspring are born in quantities of up to 4 individuals.
26.The domain of a male tiger sometimes reaches hundreds of kilometers, while a female needs only 20 km². To get around its territory, a tiger sometimes has to walk up to 40 km per day.
27. Tigers hunt bears and crocodiles.
28. Tigers adapt well to hunting conditions. For example, having met a crocodile, a tiger will not try to kill it in its favorite way - biting its neck, since it knows that the crocodile's neck is covered with a thick layer of strong skin. Instead, the tiger will try to blind the reptile by hitting it in the eyes with its paw, and then turn it over and grab its soft, vulnerable belly.
29. The tiger's jaw has the strongest muscles, which allows the tiger to easily bite through even the thick bones of its prey. Even a large bear often becomes such a predator’s lunch.
30. Tigers are solitary animals, only tigresses spend some time in a group with their cubs until they get stronger.
31. Even though tigers' eyes are not very dark-adapted, their night vision is 6 times better than that of humans.
32. In Chinese culture, tigers have royal status. And all because they have stripes on their foreheads, reminiscent of the “king” symbol in China.
33. The pregnancy of a tigress lasts 3 months; one litter usually contains 2–3 cubs, less often 4.
34. Most tigers have yellow eyes, but white tigers have blue eyes, due to the fact that the same gene is responsible for the color of the eyes and fur of tigers.
35. Tigers, although they are big cats, do not know how to purr. To show pleasure, they squint or close their eyes. It is worth noting that in this state tigers lose their vigilance. Therefore, they show affection in the most protected state.
36.Even though tigers are very similar to each other, the stripes on their fur are completely different. In nature, there are no two tigers that have the same stripes. It is generally accepted that the fur of all tigers is striped, but in fact not only the fur, but also the skin is divided into stripes. It has the same pattern as wool.
37. Tigers have very muscular and strong paws. They help predators jump 6 meters in length and 5 meters in height.
38. According to scientists, the memory of tigers is several hundred times better than that of dogs.
39. For the first week of life, tiger cubs are completely blind. About half of them do not survive to adulthood.
40. Tigers are able to imitate the voices of other animals to attract prey.
41. Due to similar habitat conditions, bears make up a significant part of the tiger's diet. Tigers can growl in a bear-like manner to lure prey into their claws.
42. The hunting grounds of male tigers are 4-5 times larger than those of females.
43.At one time tigers can eat up to 40 kg of fresh meat.
44.They use low-frequency sounds to intimidate their potential prey. Such sounds put the chosen victim into a trance state, which significantly reduces the risk of missing prey. The effect of such sounds is comparable to paralysis.
45. In addition to animal food, tigers eat plant food - berries and fruits.
46. Tigers are known to mark territory by urinating on trees, and their urine has a distinct smell of buttery popcorn.
47. When, after a hunt, several tigers claim one victim, the males will let the females and cubs go ahead, unlike lions, who do the opposite. Male tigers will not argue over food, but will simply wait their turn.
48. All tigers, except white ones, have yellow eyes. White representatives have blue eyes.
49. Tigers can live for several days without food. They are accustomed to systematic starvation, since only one out of ten hunts is successful. But then the meal of a feline representative can amount to 40 kilograms of meat.
50. Like other cats, the tiger's tongue is rough, it is covered with fleshy bristles, which can be used to comb the fur when licking.
photo from the Internet
You will never hear them growl.
Contrary to popular belief, a tiger rarely, if at all, roars. Striped animals growl only to communicate with each other over long distances. The chances that you will ever hear a tiger roar are very low. Even when tigers are feeding under threat, they produce very few decibels. Instead, they make a sound similar to that of a domestic cat. Because people only partially hear a tiger's roar, because the sound is often lower than the human ear can hear. The low-frequency roar travels past buildings, forests and mountains and can thus be heard by animals even if they are very far away. In addition, with their roar they create a certain immobility, reminiscent of temporary paralysis in their victims.
Tigers are territorial animals
Tigers tend to be solitary by nature, interacting briefly only for mating purposes. However, there have been a few rare cases of tigers cooperating on hunts, much like a pride of lions.
The size of the home range varies greatly depending on the area, time of year and quantity of prey. In areas with high concentrations of prey, tigers' territories tend to be smaller in size because even small surroundings can capture enough prey. In such conditions, tigers have territories ranging in size from 5 to 150 square meters. km. In Siberia, the concentration of prey is much lower, so male territories range from 800 to 1,200 square meters. km. Seasonality, in terms of prey migration, food availability and weather, can also influence prey populations and therefore the size of a tiger's home range.
Photo: Xinhua/Wang Zhaobo
Males have a larger territory than females. The territory of an adult male usually overlaps that of several females. The intensity of aggression among adult males increases when the density of males in a given area is high, as competition for resources and mating opportunities increases.
Tigers coexist with other predators such as leopards, Asian wild dogs, brown bears and wolves throughout much of their range. Typically, there is little interaction between species, especially since tigers are mainly active at night, while other animal species are active during the day.
