Tiger Animal Information

Tiger is the largest member of the cat family called Felidae. Its Latin name is, Panthera tigris. Tigers are believed to be originated in Asia and they belong to the same genus, Panthera, as the lion, leopard and jaguar. There are five different species of tigers that are still alive today. They are called, Siberian, Indochinese, South China, Bengal and Sumatran. Tigers are endangered species, owing to their declining population. Three species of tigers, which include, Bali, Javan and Caspian tigers, are now extinct. Tiger animal information will enable us to know about the entire life cycle of tiger and a few characteristics of them.

Description of Tigers: Tigers are mane less. They are tawny yellow in color with blackish transverse stripes and a white belly. They can grow up to 13 feet tall and weigh up to 700 pounds. They are strong hunters with sharp teeth, strong jaws and an agile body. The tail is 3 to 4 feet long. They often carry the Chinese mark of wang (meaning, king) on the forehead. They have stripes on their body. The stripes of a tiger are as unique as human finger prints. No two tigers have the same type of stripes. They have very strong eyesight, which is six times better than that of human beings.

Habitat: Tigers can survive any climate. They only need shade, water and food (prey). They can be found in the dark thorny woods of India, the hot rain forest of Malaya, and the cold, snowy, spruce forest of Manchuria. They prefer to remain in shadows and hardly go into the open country. They are also good swimmers. They readily cross rivers in search of prey.

Food: Tigers are the largest land mammals, whose diet entirely consists of meat. They defend a large area of their territory from other tigers of the same sex. They defend their territory for availability of food. Tigers primarily hunt wild boar, although they have a varied diet. Their diet ranges from deer and cattle to snakes and termites. A cattle-eating tiger would kill an ox, every five days. They hunt alone, mostly between dusk and dawn. They avoid attaching an elephant, a large buffalo or a bear, as they are beaten frequently in such battles.

Reproduction: The tiger is a solitary animal. Males and females come together only during mating. Females give birth to two or three cubs. The cubs stay with their mother until they are two or three years old. Cubs weigh about two pounds at birth.

Mortality: Tigers can live up to 20 years in the zoo, and about 15 years in the wild. Not all tigers in the wild can survive up to 15 years. Only half of the cubs survive till the age of two. Out of which, only 40% of these survivors live to reproduce. The risk still continues, even for territorial adults, to defend their territories.

Endangered species: Tigers are considered as endangered species by wild life experts. A few species of them are already extinct. Habitat destruction, diseases, water pollution and exploitation of natural resources are a few causes for endangerment of these species.