THE TIGER

BASIC FACTS

• The tiger is the largest member of the felid (cat) family.
• Their heads, bodies, tails and limbs have narrow black, brown or gray stripes.
• They sport long, thick reddish
• coats with white bellies and white and black tails.

DIET

• Tigers mainly eat ambar deer, wild pigs,
• Water buffalo and antelope
• Tigers are also known to hunt sloth bears, dogs, leopards,
• crocodiles and pythons as well as monkeys and hares
• Old and injured tigers have been known to attack humans &domestic cattle.

POPULATION

• In the early 1900s, there were around 100,000
• tigers throughout their range.
• Today, an estimated total of around
• 3,000-4,500 exist in the wild.

# of each tiger

• Bengal tiger: Less than 2,000
• Malayan tiger: 600-800
• Siberian tiger: Around 450
• Indochinese tiger: 750-1,300
• South Chinese tiger: Extinct in the wild

BEHAVIOR

• They are mostly nocturnal (more active at night)
• They are ambush predators that
• rely on the camouflage their stripes provide
• They are also very good swimmers and
• have been known to kill prey while swimming.

MORE BEHAVIOR

• Tigers essentially live solitary lives, except during
• mating season and when females bear young
• They are usually fiercely territorial and
• have and mark their large home ranges.

Reproduction

Cubs follow their mother out of the den at around 8 weeks and become independent at around 18 months of age. They leave their mothers at about 2 ½ years. Mothers guard their young from wandering males that may kill the cubs to make the female receptive to mating.

More facts

Height: 3/3 ½ feet at shoulders.
Length: Head and body length 4.6 - 9.2 feet (tail length 2-3 feet
Weight: The Siberian tiger is the largest subspecies and males weigh from around 400-675 lbs, while the Sumatran tiger, the smallest living subspecies, weighs in from around 220-310 lbs
Females of all tiger subspecies are smaller than males.
Lifespan 10-15 years