Tigers are representatives of the class of mammals; they are large predators from the cat family. The length of individual males is 3 m, and their weight exceeds 300 kg.
The tiger animal is protected by the state and cannot be hunted.
Tigers: description
Tigers are one of the largest predatory animals in the Felidae family. Moreover, almost all subspecies of this family are large and strong predators, which in terms of weight are second only to bears.
Appearance
Tigers are quite strong, hardy and massive wild cats. Despite this fact, depending on the subspecies, the weight of wild cats can vary, although slightly, as can the color of their coat. It should be noted that wild cats living on the mainland are always larger than their relatives living on the islands. The Amur tiger and the Bengal tiger are considered the largest animals of this family, although recently the Amur tiger has begun to give primacy in size to its Bengal counterpart. Adults, especially males, grow to almost 3 meters in length and can weigh almost 300 kilograms.
The height of the predator at the withers is more than a meter. The body of the predator is distinguished by its elongated shape, while it is flexible and muscular, although the front part of the body is much better developed than the back.
We can say that the tiger's tail is long, covered with hair just like its body. On the tail there are transverse stripes of black color so that they form rings, while the tip of the tail is always black. On each front paw of powerful limbs there are up to 5 fingers, while on the hind paws you can count 4 fingers. All paws are armed with tenacious and sharp retractable claws.
The head is large and has a rounded shape, as well as a protruding facial part and a convex frontal part. The skull is powerful, and the cheekbones are widely spaced, extending onto the maxillary bones of the nasal bones. We can say that this large animal has relatively small ears, with rounded ends. There are distinct sideburns on both sides of the head.
The vibrissae are quite elastic, arranged in 4 or 5 rows and are distinguished by their white color. Their thickness reaches one and a half millimeters, with a length of more than 150 mm. The pupils are round, and the iris of the eyes has a yellow tint. All adult individuals, regardless of species, have up to 3 dozen strong and sharp teeth in their mouths.
Interesting to know! The male leaves behind larger and more elongated tracks compared to females. In this case, the middle fingers protrude noticeably forward compared to the side ones. The mark left by the male is about 160 mm long and about 140 mm wide, and the female leaves a trail about 150 mm long and about 130 mm wide.
Predators living in warmer regions have a thin and very sparse coat of fur, although it is quite dense. Tigers that live in colder regions have long, fluffy fur. The basic color of the coat can vary from rusty-reddish to rusty-brown. As a rule, lighter tones, almost white, are observed in the abdomen, chest, and inner surfaces of the paws.
There is also a light tint on the ears, especially on the back side. On the entire body and on the neck there are stripes located in the transverse plane, and there are significantly more such stripes on the back of the body compared to the front. Below the level of the nostrils, in the vibrissae area, as well as the chin and lower jaw, white color dominates. On the forehead, in the area of the back of the head and the crown of the head, one can see a rather complex and variable pattern, which is formed due to the presence of black stripes.
The shape of the stripes, the width and distance between them depend on the type of animal included in this family. In any case, there are at least hundreds of such stripes on the predator’s body. If all the fur is removed from an animal, the striped pattern also appears on the skin of the predator, so the pattern will repeat itself if all the fur grows back.
Behavior and lifestyle
Regardless of the subspecies, all tigers are pronounced territorial predators that lead an isolated lifestyle, hunting in a certain territory. They can have an individual plot of up to one hundred square kilometers. This territory is always protected by the male from his relatives, and fiercely. Despite this, several females can live in the territory of a male without any problems.
Due to their massiveness, which does not allow them to pursue their prey for a long time, tigers hunt from ambush, making lightning-fast speed dashes. If it was not possible to catch prey at one time at a short distance, the tiger does not pursue it and prepares to catch the next prey.
Tigers hunt in two ways: they can quietly and unnoticed sneak up on their prey or wait in ambush. When the distance between the tiger and the animal is reduced to about 150 meters, then the predator makes its decisive push.
Interesting to know! Tigers are capable of jumping up to 5 meters high and at least 10 meters long.
Attacks on frightened animals are so fast that the victim has no chance of escape. No animal is capable of gaining such speed with lightning speed as to evade an attack, although even a tiger is capable of missing. Males can easily share their prey, but only with females.
How long do tigers live?
The largest Amur tigers can live in the wild for about 15 years, but in captivity - a little more, about 20 years. Bengal tigers live almost the same amount, although in an artificial environment they can live for about half a century. Indochinese, Sumatran and Chinese tigers live in their natural environment for up to 18 years. The Malayan tiger lives the longest in the wild, almost half a century, and in captivity it is 5 years longer. Of course, this is possible provided that proper conditions are created.
TIGER - INTERESTING FACTS
Facts 11-15
11. Just like on domestic cats, the markings are on the tiger's skin, so even a shaved tiger will be striped.
12. Unlike most other cats, tigers are very good swimmers. They enjoy bathing and often play in the water, especially when young. As adults, they often swim several kilometers to hunt, sometimes they simply swim across rivers.
13. Tigers are the largest of all cats, and they also come in a wide variety of sizes. The largest subspecies, the Siberian tiger, grows up to 3.5 meters in length and weighs more than 300 kg. The smallest subspecies, the Sumatra tiger, grows up to 2 meters and weighs about 100 kg.
14. Tigresses are capable of conceiving only for 4-5 days throughout the year. During this time they often mate. Their pregnancy lasts a little more than three months, and they usually give birth to 2-3 cubs.
15. During the first week of life, tigers are completely blind. About half of them do not survive to adulthood.
Types of tigers with photos and names
Scientists know of only nine subspecies that belong to the “Tiger” species, although humans have currently been able to preserve only six of them. The preserved species of "Tigers" include:
Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
Which has a lot of names - Ussuri tiger, North Chinese, Manchurian or Siberian. The Amur tiger mainly lives in the Amur region, within the Jewish Autonomous Okrug, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories. It is considered the largest subspecies, which has a fairly thick and fluffy coat, as well as very long hair. The color is predominantly dull, red, with a minimal number of black stripes.
Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Which belongs to the subspecies of tigers found in countries such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Bhutan. Bengal tigers are found almost everywhere in these countries, from jungles or mangroves to dry savannah. Males can gain weight up to 230 kilograms, and females - no more than 150 kilograms. It should be noted that tigers living in the northern regions of India and Nepal are more massive compared to those living in other parts of the Indian subcontinent.
Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)
Which is found in Cambodia and Myanmar, Southern China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. This subspecies has a darker coat color. Compared to the Bengal tiger, males of this species are slightly short of 200 kilograms, and females - up to 140 kilograms.
Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni)
Which represents the smallest subspecies, since its weight reaches no more than 130 kilograms, and females barely reach 100 kilograms. Their small size allows these predators to thrive in the jungles of Sumatra.
Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae)
The smallest of the existing subspecies. An adult male weighs approximately 100-130 kg, and the weight of females does not exceed 90 kg.
Chinese tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
Which is slightly larger in size compared to the Malayan tiger. The weight of adult males reaches almost 180 kilograms, with a body length of 2 and a half meters. This subspecies does not have much genetic diversity.
Subspecies such as the Bali tiger, Transcaucasian tiger and Javan tiger are considered extinct, while fossil subspecies include Panthera tigris acutidens, as well as the Trinil tiger.
Interesting fact! As a result of mating of the Amur and Bengal subspecies, a hybrid was born. It is also known about the “liger”, as a hybrid that appeared after the mating of a lion and a tigress, as well as about the “tiger lion”, when a tiger and a lioness were mated.
Facts 6-10
6. Male tigers “capture” larger territories than females, so their areas often overlap and tigers mate in this way. The territories of adult females never intersect at all, and the same situation is with the territories of adult males.
7. Tigers usually do not roar at other animals, however, they communicate with each other using roars. When a tiger is about to attack, it does not growl, but, as a rule, hisses or snorts.
8. When several tigers are catching one large prey, the males will almost always wait for the females and cubs to eat first, unlike lions who do the opposite. Tigers rarely argue or fight over prey, they simply wait their turn.
9. Each tiger's stripes are as unique as a person's fingerprint.
10. The markings on the tiger's forehead resemble the Chinese character for "king", giving the tiger cultural status as a royal animal.
Natural habitats
Not so long ago, tigers were widespread throughout the Asian continent.
What is characteristic of our time is that these predators are preserved only in 16 countries of the world:
- In Laos.
- In Bangladesh.
- In the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
- In Bhutan.
- In Cambodia.
- In the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
- In Russia.
- In the Republic of India.
- In the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- In the Republic of Indonesia.
- In China.
- In Malaysia.
- In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
- In Thailand.
- In the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.
As a rule, the natural habitats of tigers are the northern regions of the taiga, areas characterized as semi-deserts, as well as forest areas, dry savannas and humid tropics.
Important point! Most wild cats are afraid of water, so they try to avoid various bodies of water, regardless of their depth. Tigers are predators who swim well and enjoy swimming in it. This is how they escape from insects and heat.
In order to hunt effectively and reproduce, tigers prefer steep cliffs with numerous niches and hidden caves. They also feel great in reed and reed thickets located near water bodies.
Predator diet
Since all subspecies of tigers are carnivorous mammals, their diet consists exclusively of food items of animal origin. The only thing is that the diet of such animals depends on the characteristics of their habitat, as well as the availability of food supply. If we take the Bengal tiger's diet as an example, the main source of food is wild boars, Indian sambars, nilgais and axis. As for Sumatran tigers, their main prey are wild boars, tapirs and sambar deer. The diet of Amur tigers includes: musk deer, sika and red deer, including roe deer and wild boar.
The diet of tigers can include Indian buffaloes, as well as elk, pheasants, hares, monkeys, and in some cases fish. In hungry years, these predators eat frogs, various rodents and other small animals, including berries and the fruits of some wild plants. It is also known that adult individuals, if such an opportunity arises, can easily attack other predators, such as leopards, crocodiles, wolves, boa constrictors, including bears that live within a certain biotope.
Seasoned males, who are distinguished by their incredible size and strength, enter into a duel with bears. Despite this, such fights are always unpredictable, since bears are also quite powerful predators. According to some reports, tigers often attack Indian elephant cubs. Therefore, zoos are very attentive to the process of shaping the diet of tigers. Here it is important to adhere to the recommendations of specialists from the Euro-Asian Regional Association.
In any case, it is necessary to take into account the age of this animal, its weight, gender, as well as the season. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the tiger’s diet is varied, including chicken and beef. In addition, the diet should be diversified by including milk, eggs, fish, and other food items with sufficient protein capacity.
In order for a predator to be satisfied and not feel hungry, it must eat about 10 kg of meat per day. At the same time, the consumption rate may vary depending on age, which is associated with its size. As for other products, they are given to the predator in limited quantities to maintain the balance of useful components. When a tiger is in captivity, the diet should include vitamin supplements and healthy supplements containing useful minerals that can prevent the development of rickets in the animal.
TIGER IN ACTION! Tiger against bear, crocodile, elephant, wild boar...
Lifestyle of tigers in the wild
Life expectancy is 16 years. The den is made near natural water sources. Animals rest during the day and hunt at night. They walk, softly springing on their wide paws.
Tigers are excellent swimmers. Animals swim unnecessarily, having fun.
Molting occurs in spring and autumn; low temperature weather does not cause discomfort.
Animals rarely growl, only when they are angry. During the mating season, females roar in a low voice.
Predators mark the boundaries of their property with urine. They scratch the trunks and loosen the ground. They prefer to live alone. Tigresses are allowed to live next to males. They need space up to 20 km2. Land for tigers requires approximately 100 km2, with an abundance of game.
Tigers move around their territory, arrange roosts, and update their marks. They can travel a long distance in a day.
Tigers behave aggressively on their property, drive away other males, and engage in fights, which leads to injuries. Tigresses are more relaxed about strangers.
Reproduction and offspring
Tigers, regardless of subspecies, are considered polygamous mammals. Their mating season begins in December and can last a month or even more. Males, in order to determine the readiness of females for fertilization, are guided by the special smell of urine, which females use to mark their territory. Each year, the female has only a few days to mate with the male. If for some reason the female fails to become pregnant, then the next female estrus will only appear in a month.
Interesting to know! Despite the fact that the cubs are born quite developed, they are absolutely helpless and are entirely dependent on their mother, who feeds them with her milk.
Representatives of the female population are ready to reproduce at the age of 3 or 4 years, and they have offspring no more often than once every 2 or 3 years of life. The female carries her offspring for 3 months. Males, after they fertilize a female, begin to look for another female, so all concerns about the future offspring fall on the shoulders of the mother. Tiger cubs are born either in March or April. Their number may vary, but generally no more than 4 cubs are born. There are cases when one or 5 cubs are born.
The female protects her offspring as best she can, especially from alien males, since they are capable of destroying them. After 2 months, the juveniles try, albeit not for long, to leave their mother’s den. Only by the 2nd or 3rd year of their life are they capable of independent action: they leave their mother’s den to find and mark their territory.
Paws
They have five toes on the front pair of paws and four on the back pair of paws. The fingers have claws that retract if they are not used in any way. The length of the paws in males reaches 17-20 cm, and the width is 14-15 cm. In females, as a rule, the indicators differ by 2-3 cm in a smaller direction.
Natural enemies of tigers
Naturally, such predators, which are at the very top of the food pyramid, have practically no natural enemies. This is due to the fact that it is a strong and powerful predator, with which no other predator can match its strength. The number of tigers depends on the total number of different ungulates.
It is important to know! Tigers are not just strong, fast and powerful predators, but also smart and cunning, who are able to assess their capabilities. As a rule, this is due to vast experience and highly developed animal intuition.
Only brown bears can resist tigers, but only when the bear is dealing with a young, inexperienced animal, and also when the bear meets small tiger cubs. As a rule, tigers are stronger than bears because they are faster, with the same size and body weight.
Lifestyle
Their majestic size and strength allow tigers to be full-fledged rulers of the area in which they live.
They mark the place of their possession in various ways: tearing the bark of trees, loosening the ground, leaving marks with urine. They do not allow other males into their territory.
Tigers from the same “family” are very friendly – they rub against each other and sniff each other.
Population and species status
Amur tigers are listed in the Red Book and are considered the smallest subspecies. As for the Bengal tiger, its population is considered the largest in the world. Malaysia is home to one of the largest populations of the Indochinese tiger. This became possible thanks to the application of harsh measures against poachers.
Despite effective measures, the total number of individuals of this subspecies is under threat, which is associated with the concepts of ancient Chinese medicine, which uses all the organs of the tiger to heal humans. The Malaysian tiger ranks third among predators of this type. As for the Chinese tiger, this is a subspecies that is in danger of complete extinction. It can be assumed that under natural conditions this subspecies does not occur at all.
Facts 41-45
41. Tigers live for about 25 years, both in captivity and in the wild.
42. It has been established that, in general, cats have better memory than any other animal, including humans, their memory is several hundred times better than that of dogs, and tens of times better than that of primates. A tiger's short-term memory lasts about 30 times longer than a human's, and their memories are formed under a powerful influence on the brain's synapses, which suggests they don't forget things as easily as we do.
43. A tiger's brain weighs more than 300 grams. It is the largest brain of any carnivore except the polar bear, which may be comparable to that of a chimpanzee.
44. There are about 3,500 tigers left in the wild. Also, a large number of these cats live in captivity.
45. Tigers are solitary animals, and unite in groups only to attack large prey, or it may be a mother with cubs.
Man and tigers
Tigers attack humans much more often than other predatory representatives of the Feline family. Often a person is to blame himself, since he appears where the tiger feels like a master. In addition, this may be due to the lack of food supply where tigers live. This forces the predator to appear on human territory, next to his home.
As a rule, man-eating tigers represent solitary hunters. This is especially true for wounded or weakened animals that are looking for weak prey, which is a person. A young, healthy predator, which is able to obtain food for itself, practically does not attack humans, but in some cases it is capable of causing injury. Currently, given the catastrophic decline in tiger numbers, no one keeps records of tiger attacks on humans. Therefore, such figures can only be approximate.
Many countries practice extermination of tigers by humans. In many cases, this is associated with Chinese, both alternative and traditional medicine, which uses almost all parts of the body, as well as the tail, mustache, penis, to heal people, including from low sexual desire. This is also due to the fact that currently no research is being conducted (and therefore cannot be proven) in the area of doubtfulness of such a purpose for parts of the body of tigers. At the same time, it is prohibited to make any medicines from tigers’ body parts. Unauthorized killings of this animal are punishable by death.
Facts 26-30
26. Tigers are known to be able to imitate other animals; they do this in order to attract prey.
27. Bears form part of the diet of many tigers due to habitat overlap. Tigers sometimes imitate the sounds made by bears to lure unsuspecting bears into their webs.
28. A tiger's prey usually dies from strangulation or blood loss. They ambush animals by jumping on them and gnawing their necks. If the main artery is severed, the animal dies within seconds. Otherwise, the tiger does not release the caught prey, and then it quickly dies from suffocation.
29. Although tigers often kill with their 10cm fangs, they sometimes use their paws. The blow from a tiger's front paw is so strong that it can easily break a bear's skull or break its spine.
30. A tiger can bite through bone with its powerful jaws and teeth. They have ways of breaking the cervical vertebrae of animals simply by biting them.
