The white tiger is not an albino
White tigers are not a separate subspecies of tigers. They are simply tigers born with white fur. Unlike the white varieties found in other animal species, the white tiger is not an albino. It still carries some form of pigment that determines the color of its fur. Some individuals are known to retain an orange tint to their white fur.
Like other tiger species, the white tiger has black or dark brown stripes that run vertically along its body. The pattern is unique for each individual. Plus, they have blue eyes, not green or yellow eyes like Bengal tigers.
Attitude
For many centuries, the white tiger (photos of the animal are presented in this article) was a creature shrouded in an aura of mystery. Sometimes these animals inspired fear or became objects of worship. In the Middle Ages in China, their images were painted on the gates of Taoist temples. It was believed that the white tiger was an animal capable of protecting people from various evil spirits. He personified the guardian of a certain country of the dead, and also symbolized longevity. The Chinese firmly believed that demons should be terrified of such a formidable guard, so they often decorated the graves of their relatives with sculptures in the form of this animal.
At the end of the 80s. In the last century, archaeologists, digging up graves in Henan province, discovered a drawing of a tiger, whose age is about 6 thousand years. It was a shell talisman lying near the body. Today it is considered the most ancient amulet with the image of a white tiger.
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In Kyrgyzstan they said about this animal that it could solve almost any human problems and difficulties. To do this, the shamans, dancing a ritual dance and gradually falling into a trance, asked the tiger for help.
But in his homeland, India, one belief still exists. It says that the person who is lucky enough to see a white tiger with his own eyes will be granted complete happiness and enlightenment. It was from this country, where he is perceived as a superbeing, but completely material, and not mythical, that he spread throughout the world.
Dangerous opponent
The white tiger is a large predator with a powerful physique. Individuals can weigh up to 300 kg and reach more than 3 meters in length from head to tail. Female tigers are smaller: their length ranges from 2.1 to 2.6 meters and their weight is about 160 kg.
White tigers have powerful jaws, razor-sharp claws and huge fangs. They are one of the most versatile and adaptable predators in the Asian jungle, as they are not only incredibly fast and agile runners, but also very capable swimmers, allowing them to navigate natural boundaries such as rivers and wetlands.
Photo: Yuvraj Shivhare
Physical data
The two largest species are considered to be the Amur and Bengal tigers. The animal of each of these species has approximately the same parameters and weight. Experts on these wild cats say that the average weight of representatives of large predators is 270-350 kg.
The dimensions of the body, excluding the length of the tail, are 3 m, and the height at the withers is on average 1 m 10 cm. But many experts still argue that these breeds of tigers have differences in their parameters. The fact is that this species of mammal is sometimes called the panther-tiger, which is completely justified, since the word “tiger” is translated into Latin as “panthera tigris”. They are representatives of the panther genus.
It is worth considering each of these types in more detail. The area where it lives plays a big role in the life and habits of a tiger. It must be said right away that for many years there have been disputes regarding how larger the tiger is than its relative the lion. Experts say that on average, striped predators are still larger and physically stronger than lions, but the latter is a born hunter and a dexterous fighter. However, for a tiger, hunting is not only about getting food, but also about instinct. As a rule, he always wins a quick and undeniable victory. History knows of cases where a battle between these two representatives of the cat family did take place, but, fortunately, their habitats differ, and lions living in Africa do not often meet with their striped counterparts living in India and the Far East (Russia ).
Their homeland is the Asian subcontinent
Although white tigers are most often seen in Siberia, they have also been found in the northeastern part of India. They were also found in China, especially often in the southeastern region of the PRC. Because their coloring is influenced by a defective recessive gene passed on from their parents, they can potentially be seen anywhere.
They live in snowy tundra, tropical forests, mangrove swamps and humid jungles with dense vegetation and abundant sources of fresh water. Although the white tiger's habitat is historically large, the population density of these predators is very low.
The white tiger is a solitary animal
This lifestyle allows this large predator to more effectively sneak up on prey in dense jungles. Although the white tiger is not nocturnal, it does most of its hunting at dusk, as the darkness of the night helps it hunt more successfully.
Photo: David Lazaro
White tigers have incredible hearing and vision, which, along with their stealth, help them when hunting in the dark in the jungle. Each individual has a large range, marked with urine and claw marks on trees. It can reach 190-200 sq. km.
Although they are solitary animals, except during mating season, the territories of males may partially overlap those of some females, especially in areas with a large amount of prey.
These predators are at the top of the food chain
The white tiger's thick white fur allows them to live in habitats with low temperatures and acts as a natural defense. White fur also serves as camouflage, which allows the tiger to hide in snowy regions.
When it comes to hunting, white tigers are very aggressive. They primarily hunt large herbivores, including deer, wild boar, cattle and goats, which feed both in and on the outskirts of forests and jungles. The predator can eat up to 20 kg of fresh meat at a time. This will give him enough energy to not hunt for a few more days.
Population and species status
White tigers were first discovered around 1951, when a hunter removed a male tiger cub from a tiger den. This male was later used in crossing with ordinary tigresses to produce offspring with an unusual color. Such attempts were never successful. There was a time when white tiger populations increased markedly, but in 1959, hunters shot and killed the last white tiger living in the wild. Today, white tigers are kept exclusively in captivity in India, mainly. Their number is only about one hundred individuals, therefore, white tigers are listed in the Red Book.
Both white tiger parents must carry this recessive gene
White fur is a very rare genetic mutation. It occurs in the wild at a rate of 1 in 10,000 births. Mating different species of tigers in the wild prevents the inbreeding needed to produce white cubs. The few Bengal tigers that remain in the wild are becoming increasingly isolated, meaning white tigers are less likely to appear. Combined with a sharp decline in population numbers, this could mean that white tigers will disappear from the wild forever.
Photo: Flickr/JackFiallos
Inbreeding of white tigers in captivity results in high neonatal mortality, typically exceeding 80%. Many tigers must be inbred several times to create one perfect white tiger.
White tigers reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years
Males and females are attracted to each other by their roars and scents, and after mating they separate until the next mating season or forever. After a gestation period that lasts about three and a half months, the female gives birth to up to 5 blind cubs, each weighing about 1 kg. Cubs may have white or orange fur.
Tiger cubs feed on their mother's milk for six months. They start eating meat when they are about two months old. The cubs accompany their mother on the hunt, learning skills. At 1.5-2 years old they begin a solitary life.
Reproduction
Mating of tigers most often occurs in December-January. In this case, only one male follows the female. If a rival appears, a fight occurs between the males for the right to mate with the female.
A female tiger is capable of fertilization only a few days a year. If at this time the female is not fertilized, then estrus repeats after a short time.
Most often, a tigress gives birth to its first offspring at the age of 3-4 years, and a female can give birth once every 2-3 years. Gestation of the cubs lasts approximately 97-112 days. Tiger cubs are born in March-April. In one litter there are most often 2-4 tiger cubs, offspring with one tiger cub are less common, and even less often - 5-6 cubs. The weight of born tiger cubs is 1.3-1.5 kg. The cubs are born blind, but after 6-8 days they begin to see.
For the first six weeks, the cubs feed only on the milk of the tigress. Tiger cubs grow only near their mother; tigresses do not allow male tigers near their offspring, since the male can kill the cubs that are born.
After 8 weeks, the cubs become capable of following their mother and leaving the den. The new generation becomes capable of independent life only at the age of about 18 months, but, as a rule, they continue to remain with their mother until they reach 2-3 years, in some cases - up to 5 years.
After young tigers begin to live on their own, females remain in close proximity to matter. Males, in contrast, go longer distances in search of their own unoccupied territory.
Over the course of their entire lives, females give birth to about 10-20 tiger cubs, and half of them die at a much younger age. On average, the life expectancy of a tiger is 26 years.
Humans are the only hunters of white tigers
In their natural habitat, white tigers have no predators. However, over the last couple of centuries, their population in the wild has begun to decline due to trophy hunting or capture for the exotic pet trade. They have lost much of their historical range due to deforestation. As forests disappear, white tiger prey has also declined, making it increasingly difficult to maintain the population.
However, over the past 50 years there have been no recorded sightings of these elusive predators in the wild. Today, the white tiger can be found in only a few zoos and nature reserves around the world, and these large and beautiful felines are often the main attraction.
The king of beasts and the tiger - who is the strongest?
Many people are interested in this question. In fact, little is known about actual fights between lions and tigers. Therefore, there is no sufficient reason to claim that one of the predators is stronger than the other.
- A tiger and a lion can be compared by external features or lifestyle.
- In terms of weight, a tiger is 50-70 kg heavier than a lion.
- Both animals clench their jaws with equal force.
- Lions and tigers kill their prey in the same way. They bite the victim's neck with powerful fangs.
- If we compare the lifestyle, it is very different for two different predators.
So, the tiger hunts alone, he hunts in his own territory. They practically do not collide with each other; when males go hunting, they do not meet.
Lions live in prides or clans. Males have to fight to have the right to hunt. They often engage in fights for females during the mating season. Such battles can result in serious injury or death of the male.
Based on endurance, it is difficult to say who is in the lead. Both animals are excellent runners, and endurance is affected by age, habitat and health status.
It is difficult to decide unambiguously which animal is stronger.
Did you know?
- The white tiger's night vision is 6 times better than that of humans.
- The maximum speed of the white tiger is 97 km/h.
- The lifespan of a white tiger is slightly shorter than that of a regular Bengal tiger. In the wild they will live up to 12-15 years unless they are caught and killed. At the zoo, white tigers will live to be 20 years old.
- Over the past 100 years, only 12 individuals have been caught in the wild.
- White tiger cubs once sold for more than $50,000 each. Now that breeders have begun to produce many individuals, their value as exotic pets has plummeted.
