What do tigers look like? Tiger. All subspecies of the most beautiful cat. What tigers and in what states live
Both Western observers and native folklore have long claimed that tigers came in other colors and patterns than the usual orange with black stripes. For a long time, Western scientists treated these ideas with contempt. Everyone knew that reports of things like white tigers were just mythology.
Today, white tigers have been confirmed and now exist in many zoos, but their blue and black tiger relatives still sneered at skeptics. If blue tigers seem impossible to you, remember that "blue" coloration exists in many well-known animals, such as blue shorthorn cattle and a cat breed called Russian blues. Blue tigers have been recorded in the Fujian province of China.
Tiger with black pigment
Blue and black tigers
Blue tigers and black tigers are only of little interest in the field of cryptozoology because it seems most likely that they will simply be color phased due to a mutated gene, and not worthy of being declared a new subspecies or species. However, while we do not know exactly what we should continue to look for them. With the huge decline in the tiger population that has occurred, it is possible that all specimens have become extinct. But, if these colorations are due to a recessive gene that may still exist in the life of tigers, then new examples may arise again if the right breeds of tigers are matched.
Very dark tigers have been confirmed from skins and in zoos, but so far none of these animals have been confirmed to be completely black. Despite this, people sometimes claim that the existence of black tigers has been confirmed by science and lead to an animal that still had some orange stripes on its body.
area
Completely black tigers have been recorded in the wild in several places, namely India, Java and Myanmar (Burma). These animals are characterized as closely resembling black panthers (melanistic leopards), except that they are larger than leopards, and witnesses who see the animals at close range can make out black stripes on a solid black background, a background that is barely different in color black stripes, than itself (such a possibility exists in melanistic leopards as well, where the black spots can hardly be respected, at close range, as existing on a black background).
Some "black tigers" were, in fact, turned out to be just large melanistic leopards when killed, but most reports of black tigers have not resulted in specimens being delivered to scientists, so the issue is still in doubt.
There is also a Tiger Brown reported from Thailand. This animal is supposed to have black stripes on a brown background. A variety of brown tiger, this time a brown solid without any stripes, has been reported from India, especially in the Similipal Tiger Reserve. In Malaysia, there are reports of a tiger called the harimau jalor, which is reported to have a different stripe pattern overall, with the dominant directionality being horizontal rather than vertical.
Tigers recorded in Africa (where they do not officially exist in the wild) tend to have abnormal coloration or other strange features. This would seem to mean that, if they do exist, they have either signifigantly altered the African subspecies of the tiger, or they have some other species (such as the mutant striped leopard) which simply remind people of tigers and so earn this name in local folklore. One example is the De Montagne tiger reported from the highlands of Chad, Senegal and the Central African Republic. This beast is described as having reddish fur with black stripes rather than a tail. It sometimes has long teeth, which makes some researchers in the field of cryptozoology think it may indeed be a saber-toothed cat. Another possible African subspecies of the mngwa tiger, a gray lion-sized cat with fuzzy, brindle striping.
Reports of "tigers" with unusual colors or patterns also come from South America. However, as far as science knows, there has never been a wild tiger population there, so these reports tend to be classified as unconfirmed jaguar color violations (especially since jaguars are often locally called "tigers", something that often leads to translation errors) .
Tigers are the largest land predators, second only to polar and brown bears in weight. There are 9 subspecies of the tiger, of which only 6 have survived in the 21st century. The total population is 4000-6500 individuals. Tigers are listed in the Red Book of the IUCN and many countries of the world, and hunting for them is prohibited everywhere.
Description
The tiger is the largest and heaviest wild cat, but known subspecies vary markedly in size and weight.
Dimensions
The largest are the Bengal and Amur tigers. Males in length from 2.3 to 2.5 m, with a body weight of about 300 kg. The height at the withers reaches 1.15 m. Females are usually inferior to males in size.
Body
Tigers have a massive, elongated, muscular, flexible body. The tail is long, pubescent. The front paws are five-fingered, the hind legs are four-fingered, the claws are retractable. The head is rounded, the forehead is convex. The ears are small and rounded. Tanks are located on the sides of the head. White vibrissae are arranged in 4-5 rows. The animal has well developed fangs, up to 8 cm in length. Tigers have well-developed night vision and color vision.
Color
The wool is low, sparse, dense and low in the southern subspecies, high and fluffy in the northern ones. The coloration is from rusty red to rusty brown, the belly, chest and paws are light inside. Light markings are also visible on the ears. The body is covered with stripes painted in brown or black. The muzzle is below the nostrils, the vibrissa area, the chin are white, there are black spots around the mouth. The tail has a black tip and transverse stripes-rings. The shape and distance between the stripes are varied in subspecies, but their number is on average about 100. The arrangement of stripes in tigers is unique for each individual.
What does it eat
The diet of tigers mainly consists of ungulates: Bengal tigers prey on sambar, axis, wild boar and nilgai; Amur tigers prey on red and spotted deer, wild boars, roe deer and musk deer; Sumatran tigers - sambar, wild boars and black-backed tapirs. Among the prey of tigers there are also large herbivores, for example, Indian buffaloes, gaurs and elks. Monkey, pheasant, hare, reptiles and fish fall into their diet. Sometimes tigers also hunt domestic animals: dogs, cows, horses and donkeys. Vegetable food, nuts, grass and fruits can be enjoyed in the summer.
Complete nutrition for a tiger is 50-70 ungulates per year. At one time, the meal is 30-40 kg of meat. The lack of food is tolerated relatively easily by the tiger due to the presence of a subcutaneous layer of fat about 5 cm thick.
Where does it live?
The tiger is an Asian animal. Its historical range included the Russian Far East, Iran, Afghanistan, China, India and the countries of Southeast Asia.
To date, the tiger has been exterminated in most of these territories, large populations have survived only in India and Indochina and the Far East (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Iran, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan , Russia, Thailand).
Tigers live in a wide variety of landscapes: in tropical rainforests, mangrove swamps and bamboo thickets in the tropics, in dry savannahs, semi-deserts, bare rocky hills and taiga in the north. In the mountains they are found at altitudes up to 3000 m above sea level.
Common types
There are 9 subspecies of the tiger, of which three are now completely exterminated.
Known as Ussuri, Siberian, Manchu or North Chinese, distributed in the Amur region, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions of Russia. The population size reaches about 500 individuals.
The Amur tiger is a large subspecies. It is distinguished by thick, long and fluffy coat, light color and many stripes.
Nominative subspecies that lives in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar. The population is estimated at 3100-4500 animals, but it is still under threat due to poaching. The average weight of males is 205-227 kg, for females - 140-150 kg.
Distributed in Cambodia, Myanmar, southern China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The number of individuals is 1200-1800. This subspecies is distinguished by a darker color. The average weight of males is from 150 to 190 kg, for females this figure is in the range of 110-140 kg.
Distributed only in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Previously, the population of this subspecies was attributed to the Indochinese tigers, but according to genetic studies at the beginning of the 21st century, it was isolated as an independent subspecies. Its number is estimated at 600-800 individuals, that is, it is the third largest in nature.
An inhabitant of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where there are about 400-500 animals. This is the smallest of all subspecies: the weight of males is 100-130 kg, females weigh 70-90 kg.
This small sized subspecies is the most endangered. Body length 2.2-2.6 meters, weight of males 127-177 kg, females - 100-118 kg. Now 59 individuals are kept in captivity in China, and they are trying to introduce them into the wild.
Male and female: main differences
Sexual dimorphism in tigers is manifested in the larger size of males compared to females. Both males and females are colored the same.
Tiger behavior
Tigers are most active in the morning, evening and night. They usually spend the day in their lairs. They move in big steps. They don't climb trees. They do not avoid water and swim well, and residents of the southern regions even bathe regularly. Tigers are also hardy to low temperatures. They molt twice a year: in March and September.
Tigers are mostly silent and rarely raise their voices. Only during the mating season, males begin to roar deafly, and when they are angry or attack prey, they growl. An adult tiger is a territorial animal that leads a solitary life and fiercely defends its territory. The tiger marks its personal territory in various ways, leaves urine marks on tree trunks, rocks, bushes, loosens snow or soil, rubs against trees and leaves scratches on the trunks. The size of personal territories is determined by the habitat, the amount of prey, the presence of females (for males). Tigresses usually occupy an area of about 20 km², and males - 60-100 km². Females can live in the territory of the male.
The territorial behavior of males is very aggressive, they do not let strangers into their territory and enter into serious battles with them, they get along only with tigresses. In turn, females normally get along with each other and can put up with intersecting areas.
Tigers hunt only alone, either by sneaking up on prey (in winter) or lying in wait for it in ambush (in summer). Their victims are often hunted down near bodies of water. Prey can be pursued 100-150 m, reaching speeds up to 60 km / h.
reproduction
Tigers are polygamous animals. Their mating season is December-January. At this time, males often fight for females. Since the tigress is capable of fertilizing only a few days a year, mating occurs many times during this time. The first offspring in females is observed at the age of 3-4 years. A tigress usually gives birth once every 2-3 years. The duration of pregnancy is 97-112 days.
To breed offspring, the female arranges a den in a hard-to-reach place: in crevices among stones, in a cave, windbreak. Tiger cubs are born in March-April, there are 2-4 of them, they are blind, helpless, weigh 1.3-1.5 kg, their eyes are opened after 6-8 days. The first 6 weeks are breastfeeding. Only the female takes care of them, and the males do not let them in. At 8 weeks old, the cubs leave the den and follow their mother. They start independent life at 18 months, but can stay with the female until they reach puberty.
Females become sexually mature at 3-4 years, males at 4-5 years. During the life of the female brings 10-20 cubs, but half die at a young age. In nature, tigers live for about 25 years.
tiger threat
Throughout its range, the tiger is at the top of the food chain and other predators do not attack or compete with it. On the contrary, tigers attack wolves, leopards and pythons. The danger to each other is represented by the Amur tiger and the brown bear. Crocodiles are potentially dangerous for tigers.
The main factor that limits the size of the tiger population is the economic activity of people and hunting for trophy (for skins) and for medicinal purposes (used in traditional oriental medicine).
Due to hunting and habitat destruction, the number of tigers is rapidly declining. A hundred years ago, the population was estimated at 100,000 wild tigers, and now there are about 5,000 left. About 20,000 animals are kept in captivity, which prevents the complete destruction of the species. In addition, tigers are under international protection, listed in the IUCN Red Book, hunting for them is strictly prohibited.
- July 29th is International Tiger Day.
- The destruction of tigers was associated with the use of their organs and tissues in traditional oriental (Chinese) medicine. The best-known medical products of this type are painkillers and aphrodisiacs. Now such use is prohibited and criminally punished; but illegal trade still persists.
The tiger is the largest animal in the cat family. This family also includes panther, lynx, cheetah, but the tiger surpasses them in size.
Species: Tiger
Genus: Panthers
Family: Feline
Class: Mammals
Order: Carnivores
Type: Chordates
Kingdom: Animals
Domain: Eukaryotes
tiger anatomy
The size and weight of a tiger animal depends on its species. There are 6 species of tiger in total. The largest species of tigers can reach up to 2.5 meters in length without a tail. The height of the tiger is approximately 115 cm. The weight of the largest individuals can vary up to 200-300 kg. The color of the tiger also depends on its species, the color of the coat is from rusty red to rusty brown, while the inside of the ears, paws, belly and chest are light. The iris of the eye is yellow. The whole body is in black stripes. Each animal has a unique arrangement of stripes, which helps to recognize different individuals. The tail is long, even, also in black stripes, the tip of the tail is always black. The spine of the tiger is flexible, the body is muscular, the pelvic bones are structured in such a way that the animal can develop high speed, and also has good jumping power.
It is extremely difficult to detect the appearance of a tiger in advance, because there are soft, fleshy pads on its feet, thanks to which its steps become silent. The skull of the tiger is short, rounded, powerful. Has a massively developed jaw. With its help, the tiger can inflict a crushing bite on the enemy. The predator's mouth opens wide, the jaws have a strong bone structure, powerful muscles provide great squeezing force when biting. When attacking, the tiger plunges its teeth into the prey in such a way that the prey cannot escape under any of its maneuvers. Canines length 8 cm without root.
Where does the tiger live?
Tigers were originally distributed in Asia. To date, they have survived in only 16 countries: Laos, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Russia, India, Iran, Indonesia, China, North Korea (not confirmed), Malaysia, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand. At the same time, they choose completely different places for their habitat - this is the taiga in the north, and semi-deserts, and forests, and dry savannahs, and humid tropics.
What does a tiger eat?
Tigers can feed on all kinds of animals that he can knock down with one jump. These are deer, wild boars, roe deer, rhinos. Living in captivity, they do not disdain smaller animals such as hare, cows, donkeys, horses. The desire to use the plant gifts of nature in tigers appears only in the summer. Nuts, grass, fruits are used.
Tiger lifestyle
Tigers are territorial animals. All adults live alone and have their own area, which they hunt and protect from other representatives of their kind. The territory of the male can reach from 60 to 100 km2, while the females usually have less - 20 km2. Territories of males do not intersect, otherwise a fight begins. But the territories of males and females can overlap.
tiger breeding
Tigers are polygamous animals. Their mating season is in December-January. The male locates the female by the smell of her urine. By the nature of the behavior of the female and the smell of her urine, it becomes clear how ready she is for the reproduction of offspring. In a year, the female has only a few days when she is ready for fertilization. In cases where mating was not fruitful, the female's estrus is repeated the next month.
A tigress is able to bear offspring as early as 3-4 years. She gives birth every 2-3 years. Pregnancy lasts +/- 100 days. At the same time, the male does not take part in the upbringing of children at all. All this is successfully done by the female. Cubs are born in March-April in the amount of 2-4 cubs. Less often there is 1 tiger cub or more than 4 in a brood. They are born completely helpless. 1.5 months they feed on mother's milk.
The female does not let the male near the children, as foreign males are capable of killing babies. At 2 months old, the cubs already leave their den and follow their mother. At 1.5 years old, they become independent, sometimes staying close to their mother for 2-3 years. Then they start looking for their territory. Tigers live up to 20-26 years.
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Although the lion is considered the king of animals, in size it is inferior to its other predatory relative from the cat family - the tiger. Yes, the tiger is the largest predator of the cat family, this striped "kitty" is up to 3 meters in length with an average weight of 250-300 kg. The name of the majestic and predatory animal "tiger" came to us from the ancient Persian language, which means "sharp, fast", perhaps tigers are quite consistent with their name.
Tiger: description, structure, characteristics. What does a tiger look like?
Tigers have a flexible and muscular body with a round head and a prominent forehead. The eyes of a tiger are expressive, besides, they are able, like people, to distinguish colors (in general, the ability to distinguish colors is very rare in the animal kingdom) and even see in the dark. In addition to good eyesight, tigers also have excellent hearing and scent (as do many feline predators), they are able to pick up the slightest sounds and subtle smells. All this makes the tiger one of the most dangerous predators on our planet.
As we wrote at the beginning of the article, tigers reach up to 3 meters in length and weigh up to 300 kg, although their sizes may vary depending on the type of tiger. The largest are the Bengal and Amur tigers, whose weight can even reach 380 kg. Female tigers are usually somewhat smaller than males.
On the muzzle of the tiger there are elastic white mustaches. Also, an adult tiger has 30 teeth (with which they survive food) + four sharp fangs, two from above and below, with their help, predators deal with their victims.
The front paws of the tiger have five fingers, the back paws only four, on each of the tiger fingers there are retractable claws, which are also used in tiger hunting.
The hairline of tigers depends on the species and habitat, so in southern tigers the hairline is short and dense, while in northern tigers it is more fluffy.
The skin of a tiger is yellow or brown with signature black stripes all over the body. The stripes of the tiger have characteristic pointed endings, sometimes moving apart and reconnecting. On average, there are about 100 stripes on the body of a tiger. The long tail of the tiger is also covered with rings of stripes.
Remember that the word “tiger” is translated from Persian as “sharp, fast”, so it is really fast, and despite its impressive weight, this predator is capable of speeds up to 60 km per hour.
Tigers also have an impressive roar, the roar of a tiger can be heard at a distance of up to 3 km.
How long do tigers live
Tigers live about as long as their domestic relatives, averaging around 16-20 years.
Where do tigers live
Tigers live mainly in Asia, but it is almost throughout Asia, in its most diverse climatic zones, from the Siberian taiga to the South Asian jungle of Sumatra. Many tigers live on the territory of such Asian countries as China, Korea, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia.
As habitats, tigers prefer forest areas, tropical rainforests, bamboo thickets, or the harsh Siberian taiga. In any case, they perfectly adapt to the environment. Tigers like to arrange their lairs in reed thickets near water bodies.
The lifestyle and habits of the tiger
Possessing such a powerful force, it is not surprising that the tiger feels like the sovereign master of the forest. Male tigers mark their territory with special marks, which they make with urine and protect from the encroachment of other tigers.
Under natural conditions, tigers live either alone or in small families (something in the manner of lion prides) and what is very interesting, the relationship of tigers from the same family is always friendly, sometimes they behave funny during communication, touching each other with their faces. But if a stranger tiger accidentally wanders into their territory, then he will not be in trouble.
What do tigers eat
Needless to say, tigers are notorious predators, and by no means suffer from a lack of appetite. So an adult tiger can eat 30-40 kg of meat at a time, and if it is also a very hungry tiger, then all 50 kg. The main source of their food is ungulates and large herbivores: wild, tapirs, roe deer. And the tiger is also an excellent swimmer and is always willing to eat not only meat, but also fish. Sometimes even a small elephant calf, which has broken away from its parents, can get to a tiger for lunch, but tigers are already afraid of attacking adults (as well as).
Tigers hunt at different times, when they feel hungry, then they go hunting, and this can be both day and night, morning and evening. They always hunt alone, while using two methods: they either sit in ambush, patiently waiting for a potential victim, or carefully sneak up on her. One way or another, both of these techniques end with a swift throw of the tiger, during which he catches up with his prey. The tiger immediately gnaws the throat of small animals, larger ones, it first knocks to the ground and then gnaws through the cervical vertebrae.
An interesting fact: if it so happened that the victim turned out to be stronger and was able to escape from the tiger, then he does not attack again.
Enemies of tigers
Since the tiger is literally at the top of the food chain, in natural conditions it has no enemies. Including other predators: leopards and even flocks are afraid of tigers and prefer to bypass them. (No wonder the English writer Kipling chose a tiger named Sharkhan as the main negative character of his cult book "Mowgli", and in the book even the wolves that sheltered a human cub were afraid of Sharkhan).
Nevertheless, the main enemy of the tiger was, of course, man, moreover, the extermination of tigers by hunters led to the fact that many species of these striped "cats" were on the verge of extinction. Now tigers are brought to the planets, and hunting for them is strictly prohibited.
Types of tigers, photos and names
There are 9 species of tigers, although 3 of them: the Bali tiger, the Caspian tiger and the Javan tiger, unfortunately, have disappeared forever from the face of the earth. And then we will describe in detail the rest of the species that have survived. So.
He is the Ussuri tiger, one of the largest and at the same time the smallest representatives of the tiger family. It is distinguished by thick fur and a relatively small number of characteristic tiger stripes. According to zoologists, today the population of Amur tigers has only 500 individuals that live in the Amur region of Russia. A number of these tigers also live in North Korea and northeast China. Listed in the Red Book.
This species is also one of the largest in the tiger family. And unlike the Amur relative, the Bengal tiger is just the most numerous. Interestingly, albino Bengal tigers are found in nature, which are a mutated species. Bengal tigers live in a number of Asian countries: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh.
This type of tiger is distinguished by a dull red color and is slightly smaller than their Bengal and Amur relatives, they are up to 2.85 cm long and weigh 150-195 kg. These tigers live in southern China, as well as in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma.
The Malayan tiger, which lives on the Malay Peninsula, is notable for being the smallest of the tigers. Its length is only 237 cm and weighs up to 120 kg. Also, this tiger is listed in the Red Book and is on the verge of extinction, today there are only about 600-800 individuals of the Malayan tiger in nature.
This tiger, which lives on the island of Sumatra and several other islands of Indonesia, is also one of the endangered species of the majestic striped predator. About 500 Sumatran tigers live in national reserves on. Sumatra is what separates this species from complete extinction. The Sumatran tiger also does not shine in size (compared to its large relatives, of course), but it is somewhat larger than the Malayan tiger, its length is 220-225 cm and weighs up to 140 kg.
Or simply the Chinese tiger, is a small species of tiger living in China, which is now preserved exclusively in zoos.
Tiger hybrids
Tiger hybrids are called tigers born from crossing tigers themselves with other representatives of the panther genus. Among them are:
It is a hybrid of a lion and a female tiger. Has a huge size.
Just like a liger, just the opposite, his father is a tiger, and his mother is a lioness. It is smaller in size than its parents and has the features of both: the stripes of the father and the spots of the mother, and the males have a mane, though it is several times smaller than that of real lions.
These hybrids of a lion and a tiger are born exclusively in captivity, in zoos, in natural conditions they, of course, are not found.
tiger breeding
Puberty in tigers occurs at 3-5 years. At the same time, females mature faster and, starting from the 3rd year of life, they are ready to bear cubs, while male tigers become sexually mature at the age of 5.
The mating season for tigers is December-January. The male at this time is actively courting the female. Sometimes it happens that two males claim one female, then a fight occurs between them and the strongest gets the female.
Pregnancy in a tigress lasts about 100 days, childbirth takes place in a tiger den. 2-4 tiger cubs are born at a time, in rare cases there can be 6 of them. Like their relatives kittens, small tiger cubs are born blind and only after a week they begin to see. At first, the cubs feed on their mother's milk.
At this time, they grow very quickly, already 2 months after birth, the mother tigress leaves the den for the first time with her children. Upon reaching a year and a half, the cubs turn into quite adult and large tigers. True, many young tigers live next to their mother even before they are 3-5 years old.
Who is stronger: a lion or a tiger?
Why do so many people ask this question. It is not possible to answer it precisely, since there are very few recorded and documented fights between lions and tigers, which does not give us the opportunity to reasonably talk about the superiority of one or another animal. But there is an opportunity to compare a lion and a tiger according to a number of external parameters:
- The tiger wins in the weight category, although it is not much, it is still heavier than the lion. (This applies to large species of tigers, small species will lose here to the "king of beasts").
- By the force of jaw compression during a bite, both the tiger and the lion are approximately the same.
- The principle of hunting and killing the prey of lions and tigers is also the same.
- But in terms of lifestyle, tigers and lions differ, if lions still prefer to live in prides - small families, then tigers choose a solitary lifestyle, as well as a solitary hunt (lions often hunt collectively). Although tigers sometimes form small families, which could also be called prides, they only gather in such prides much less often than lions.
- In terms of endurance, it is also impossible to say who is stronger, and the tiger and the lion run very fast, they can cover considerable distances.
In any case, both the tiger and the lion are strong, powerful and, of course, very dangerous predators, including dangerous ones for humans.
- Since ancient times, the tiger has been the hero of numerous fairy tales, myths and legends. For example, one legend tells us about the now non-existent saber-toothed tiger, as the progenitor of all predators on Earth.
- Unlike other representatives of the cat family, tigers are not afraid of water, but rather love to swim in it, especially in hot weather.
tiger, video
And in conclusion, an interesting documentary about tigers - "The most famous tiger in the world."
The lion is recognized as the king of animals, but the tiger is no less worthy of this title: photographs and pictures of tigers only confirm this fact. He is one of the largest land predators, fearless and ruthless, cunning and cautious, agile and fast, endowed with remarkable intelligence, and curious, like all cats.
TYPES OF TIGERS
The largest and most formidable of the big cats is the tiger. The tiger is one of the largest land predators, second only to the white and brown bears. Nine subspecies of the tiger have been identified, of which only six have survived by the beginning of the 21st century. The total number of tigers at the moment is about 4000-6500 individuals, of which the Bengal tiger is the most numerous. In the 20th century, the tiger was included in the Red Book. Hunting for it is prohibited worldwide.
TYPES OF TIGERS
Amur tiger
TYPES OF TIGERS
Amur tigers
The tiger is the largest and heaviest of the wild cats, but its various subspecies vary greatly in size and body weight. Adult male Amur tigers can reach up to 2.3-2.5 m, and in some cases up to 2.6-2.8 meters in length without a tail and weigh up to 275 kg, sometimes up to 300-320 kg. Tigers of those subspecies that live in the tropical regions of the Asian range are somewhat smaller.
The tiger is an exclusively Asian species.
The historical range of the tiger (now strongly dissected into separate populations, sometimes very distant from one another) is located on the territory of the Russian Far East, Iran, Afghanistan, China, India and the countries of Southeast Asia, including the Sunda Archipelago (Indonesian Islands).
Habitat
formed in northern China about 2 million years ago. About 10,000 years ago, tigers moved south through the Himalayas and eventually spread throughout almost all of India, the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra, Java and Bali. A few centuries ago, the area of its habitat stretched from Kazakhstan to the Sunda Islands, from Northern Iran to the mouth of the Amur. Now in most of this territory tigers have been exterminated; the largest populations have survived in India and Indochina. Within Russia, a small population of tigers exists only in the Far East, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. Between 1995 and 2005 alone, the range of the tiger in Asia shrank by about 40%, so today the animals occupy only 7% of the original range.
The habitat of the tiger
The habitats of tigers can be very diverse: tropical rainforests, mangrove swamps and bamboo thickets in the tropics, dry savannahs, semi-deserts, bare rocky hills and taiga in the north.
In the zoo, against the background of the back wall of the cage, the tiger strikes with the brightness of its color - orange with black stripes. But in their natural habitat, the stripes serve as excellent camouflage. In the thickets of elephant grass and in the bush, the tiger becomes almost invisible, as soon as he freezes in immobility. But even as he glides gracefully through the whimsical shadows of the dense jungle, he is very hard to spot. All subspecies of tigers - Bengal, Amur and seven others - have a color that matches the characteristics of their habitat.
The tiger leads a solitary lifestyle
Although sometimes the male hunts with his girlfriend. However, this is a temporary phenomenon, limited to a few weeks of the mating period in winter or spring. In the same way, the territory that the tiger marks with urine, notifying with a roar that these places belong to him, turns out to be only a temporary home. After a few weeks, almost all tigers begin to lead a wandering life again, and then mark a new territory. The size of a tiger's home territory is highly dependent on habitat, abundance of prey, and, in the case of males, the presence of females in the area. The size of the territory of tigresses reaches 20 square kilometers, while the territory of males is usually much larger - 60-100 square kilometers.
Given the aggressive territorial behavior of male tigers, skirmishes over the distribution of habitats between them often lead to serious injury, and sometimes even death of one of them. However, in most conflict situations, tigers are limited to using threatening postures and sounds. Male tigers can easily get along with tigresses in their territory and even share prey. Tigresses can also share their prey and - unlike males - are much more tolerant of sharing prey with individuals of the same sex.
In the wild, tigers mainly feed on ungulates: for the Bengal tiger, the main prey are species such as Indian sambar deer, axis, wild boar and nilgai; for the Amur tiger - red deer, spotted deer, wild boars, roe deer and musk deer; for the Sumatran tiger - sambar deer, wild boar and black-backed tapir. Also, tigers can prey on large herbivores such as Indian buffalo, gaur, and elk. In addition, from time to time, tigers also feed on animals that are not typical for their diet, such as monkeys, pheasants, hares, and even fish. For proper nutrition, the tiger needs about 50-70 ungulates per year.
Amur tiger
Tigers have been known to kill other predators, including wolves, leopards, boas, and sometimes even crocodiles. Amur tigers and brown bears pose a rather serious danger to each other; there are numerous reports of tigers killing cubs and even attacking adult bears. Brown and Himalayan bears make up 5-8% of the diet of the Amur tiger (mostly adult males kill them). The Malay bear, being very aggressive, sometimes drives the tigers away from prey, although the opposite happens more often.
Adult Indian elephants are unattainable prey for the tiger, so big cats try to avoid meeting with them, but sometimes they can kill young elephants. There is also at least one known case of a tiger killing an adult female Indian rhinoceros. Sometimes tigers may prey on domestic animals such as dogs, cows, horses, and donkeys. Plant foods - nuts, grass, fruits - are consumed only in summer.
Meet among tigers and cannibals
Although tigers and humans usually coexist with little or no interest in each other. However, as soon as a man-eating tiger appears, the life of entire regions is paralyzed by fear until the man-eater is killed.
Tracking prey, the tiger uses its camouflage coloration to approach its intended prey several meters under the cover of dense vegetation, and then rush at it with a swift jerk. Like other big cats, the tiger kills its prey by gnawing its throat and often breaking its neck in the process. He usually hunts at dusk or at night, but sometimes hunger makes him forget his commitment to darkness and rush to a herd of antelopes or other prey in broad daylight. The tiger hunts, as a rule, silently and gives a voice only when looking for a girlfriend. Then a frightening roar shakes the night jungle for hours, until, finally, a tigress appears, having heard a passionate call.
Females become sexually mature at three years, males at four.
The tigress is capable of fertilization only a few days a year, during which mating occurs several times a day and is accompanied by loud sounds. Probably, in some females that are not fertilized during the breeding season, estrus is repeated after a while.
The lair is arranged in the most inaccessible places: in crevices among stones, in caves, among windbreaks, reed supports. A female tiger can occupy the same lair for several years in a row.
Tigress with a tiger cub
Pregnancy lasts 3.5 months. Tiger cubs are born blind and completely helpless, two, three or four per litter. At the age of two weeks, they begin to see clearly, hear, double their weight in a month, become nimble, inquisitive. They get out of the lair and even try to climb trees. They begin to eat meat already at the age of two months, but mother's milk is sucked up to six months. At this age, cubs reach the weight of a large dog and completely switch to meat - from now until the end of their days.
The mother first brings them fresh food from her hunts, then leads them from one prey to another. Two-year-old tiger cubs weigh up to one hundred kilograms and begin to hunt on their own under the guidance of their mother. The tigress patiently and thoroughly seeks to pass on to her heirs all her experience, all worldly wisdom. She will release her children to independent life in a complex world fully formed and well prepared. The tigress has many worries, and she copes with them alone. The tiger does not take any part in the upbringing of his children, although he often lives next to them. The tiger family breaks up when the young are three years old. In the fourth year of life, they become independent.
Most cats avoid water, but tigers seem to love to swim. When tigers crossed the Himalayas many thousands of years ago and settled in the tropics, they discovered that water is an excellent coolant. Now, in the stuffy and hot jungles of India, tigers sit or lie for hours, immersed up to their necks in the water of a lake or river, and enjoy the coolness.
Tiger is a clean animal
After dinner he tidies up his fur, carefully licking it with his tongue; tiger cubs are licked by a tigress. The claws clear the remnants of the meal, scratching the soft bark with them.
Tiger subspecies
In total, 9 subspecies of the tiger have been identified, of which 3 have already been destroyed by humans.
Amur tiger
(or Ussuri tiger, lat. Panthera tigris altaica)
The largest subspecies of predatory cats. The length of an adult male Ussuri tiger can reach 280 cm, and weight - 320 kg. Moreover, the length of the tail alone is approximately one meter. Not surprisingly, these tigers have a great need for food and are able to eat up to 25 kg of meat at a time.
Thus, in order for the Amur tiger to be always full of energy, it must consume at least 9 kg per day. meat. However, it is known that in the absence of prey, the tiger can stay on a starvation ration for a week.
Bengal tiger
Or the Royal Bengal Tiger (lat. Panthera tigris tigris or lat. Panthera tigris bengalensis)
This predatory cat, as the name implies, lives in India. However, sometimes it can be found in neighboring countries.
This subspecies has approximately 1200 individuals, the size of which is not much inferior to the size of the Siberian tiger - 3 meters long and 260 kg. weight.
indochinese tiger
(Corbet's tiger, lat. Panthera tigris corbetti)
Distributed in the southernmost regions of China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. There are approximately 900 individuals of this subspecies. The population of these tigers is poorly studied, since tigers live, as a rule, in the hard-to-reach forests of Indochina.
Malayan tiger
(lat. Panthera tigris jacksoni)
Six years ago, in the course of research, it became known about another subspecies of tigers - the Malayan. The number of individuals of this subspecies is five hundred.
Malayan tiger
South China tiger (lat. Panthera tigris amoyensis)
Judging by the fact that only 20 individuals remain in nature, namely in the central and southeastern parts of China, this subspecies of tigers is classified as a rare and almost extinct species.
[b] Sumatran tiger
(lat. Panthera tigris sumatrae)
The life of this subspecies takes place in Sumatra. Approximately 400 individuals are found in the wild, the remaining 235 languish in zoos.
With the development of agriculture, the number of individuals began to noticeably decrease in connection with which a program was launched to organize national parks. The Sumatran tiger is much smaller than the other subspecies. So, an adult male weighs a maximum of 140 kg.
Caspian tiger
(Turanian tiger, lat. Panthera tigris virgata)
The Caspian tiger could previously be found in Central Asia and throughout the entire territory up to the Caucasus. The coat color of this subspecies was bright red, and the stripes were longer with a brownish tint.
With the onset of cold weather, the fur became fluffy and thick, and lush sideburns also grew. Exterminated in the 1970s.
Bali tiger
(lat. Panthera tigris balica)
Lived on the island of Bali and is completely extinct. The smallest in weight and size than other predatory cats. The body of this subspecies was covered with short bright orange fur with black stripes, the number of which was much less than that of other subspecies. Exterminated in the 1940s.
[b] Javan tiger (lat. Panthera tigris sondaica)
They lived on the island of Java (Indonesia). It was considered the smallest subspecies. Its weight was no more than 140 kg with a body length of 245 cm. The weight and size of females was half that of males. It was exterminated relatively recently - in the 1980s.
Color color variations
Tigers are characterized by a coat color mutation. It is for this reason that tigers are often born with white hair, which, however, does not mean that they belong to albinos. After all, their hair, albeit white, is covered with black stripes, and the color of their eyes is blue or amber, which is characteristic of tigers with a normal color.
In addition, their belonging to non-albinos can be judged by the presence of melanin, the amount of which is not large, but still present, which cannot be said about albinos. The birth of white tigers at one time or another can occur in each subspecies. But if one of the parents was of the Amur subspecies, then the baby is more likely to be born white.
In addition to white tigers, tigers with an even more exotic golden color are found in nature. The coat of this subspecies is light with brown stripes.
The white patches of fur are larger than those of tigers of other subspecies. At the moment, there are about 30 individuals with this type of color in captivity. Like white tigers, all captive golden tigers are predominantly of Bengal origin, but are genetically "contaminated" with the genes of a partially Amur white tiger named Tony, which is the common ancestor of almost all white tigers in North America. The assumption that this coloration appeared by crossing the Amur and Bengal tigers is a common misconception.
yellow tigers
The so-called golden variety is the most rare color change caused by a recessive gene. The first mention of a meeting with golden tigers in the wild dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Initially, the theory was put forward that the appearance of this type of coloration gradually developed in a small group of tigers that lived in areas rich in clay soils, and the unusual color served them as additional camouflage when hunting. The theory remains unproven. However, inbreeding of a small isolated group of tigers could have affected the appearance of this type of color if one of the tigers carrying the recessive gene for gold was crossed with its own offspring, as happened in captivity.
At the moment, there are about 30 individuals with this type of color in captivity. Like white tigers, all captive golden tigers are predominantly of Bengal origin, but are genetically "contaminated" with the genes of a partially Amur white tiger named Tony, which is the common ancestor of almost all white tigers in North America. The assumption that this coloration appeared by crossing the Amur and Bengal tigers is a common misconception.
tiger eyes
On the Internet, you can find any images of tigers, including those with a variety of eyes. In fantastic and mystical stories, especially on the topic of werewolves - too. In reality, it is worth remembering that a tiger is a cat. Yes, big, majestic and very wild, but still a cat. So the variety of colors is limited.
The most common color for tiger eyes is yellow. At the same time, in different individuals, it can vary from very dark (almost brown) to very light. Sometimes there are tigers of golden color: very light with soft brown stripes. In such individuals, the eyes are amber.
And finally, white tigers are born quite rarely (and more often in zoos) in the wild. These are not albinos (otherwise they would not have stripes) - melanin is present, just in a smaller amount, since two recessive “white color” genes met in the genome of these individuals. These tigers have blue eyes.
Photos and pictures of tigers
The tiger cannot be confused with anyone. A characteristic striped pattern on a bright, yellow-orange background only in a zoo seems defiant and attracts attention. In the variegation of the jungle, among the wavering patterned shadows cast by plants, this is the best camouflage color. The further north, the lighter and calmer the color of the skin. The most powerful among relatives, the owner of the Ussuri taiga, in winter is dressed in thick fur, light yellow on the back and white on the stomach.
