Which tiger is the strongest? Tiger is the biggest cat
Rare and unusual tigers world September 7th, 2010
This year's symbol is the tiger. As you know, this is the most big representative the cat family that lives in Asia. Tigers can reach 4 meters in length and weigh up to 384 kilograms.
Today I want to tell you a little about the most amazing tigers that are found on Earth.
Maltese tiger
The unique Maltese tiger is the most... rare view tigers in the world. It is also known as the blue tiger. Habitat: Fuzhian Province, China. According to eyewitnesses, this cat has bluish fur with dark gray stripes. The term "Maltese" comes from felinologist (cat lovers) terminology for blue fur and refers to the bluish-gray coloring of the animals.
Majority maltese tigers, reported to belong to the South China subspecies. About existence blue tigers also reported from Myanmar and South Korea.
Heterozygous golden tiger
The unique heterozygous golden tiger is the second most rare tiger in the world after maltese tiger. A heterozygous golden tiger is like other golden tigers except for one important aspect– this tiger has a recessive gene responsible for its white color.
Golden striped tiger
A very unusual golden striped tiger has a light golden wool, pale paws and dim orange stripes. Its fur is much thicker than that of ordinary tigers. This color of tigers is found only in 30 animals living in captivity, and it is caused by a recessive gene. This is a color variety, not a separate species of these cats. These tigers are also larger in size than ordinary tigers and are of Bengal origin, like their closest relatives - white tigers.
White Tiger
White tigers are very rare in the wild, but have become frequently bred in zoos due to their popularity. This is one of the most beautiful animals in the world. It is easy to distinguish not only by white color, but also by blue eyes and pink nose. White tigers usually live shorter lives than their red counterparts. It is worth noting that white tigers are not albino. White Tiger can be born if both of its parents had a rare gene found only in white tigers. It has been estimated that this gene occurs only once every 10,000 litters. White tigers are also not a separate subspecies, but only differ in color from their relatives - bengal tigers, from which they come.
Liger (English liger from English lion - “lion” and English tiger - “tiger”)
a hybrid between a male lion and a female tigress, looking like a giant lion with blurry stripes. Appearance and similar in size to those extinct in the Pleistocene cave lion and his relative the American lion. Ligers are the largest big cats in the world today. The largest liger is Hercules from the interactive theme park Jungle Island. Male ligers, with rare exceptions, have almost no mane, but unlike lions, ligers know how and love to swim. Another feature of ligers is that female ligers can give birth to offspring, which is unusual for feline hybrids. The extraordinary gigantism of ligers is due to the fact that ligers receive genes from their lion father that promote the growth of their offspring, while the tiger mother does not have genes that inhibit the growth of their offspring. While the tiger father does not have genes that promote growth, the lioness mother has genes that inhibit growth, which are passed on to her offspring. This explains the fact that liger is larger than a lion, and a tiger lion is smaller than a tiger.
In Russia, one ligress is kept in the Novosibirsk Zoo, and the other in the Lipetsk Zoo. Ligers can also be seen at performances of the Great Moscow State Circus (2009).
Tigrolev (also tigon or tigon, English tigon: from English tiger “tiger” and lion “lion”)
a hybrid of a male tiger and a female lioness. Currently, tigons are not as familiar as their counterparts, ligers, although in late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century the situation was the opposite. Tigons are never found in nature, since tigers and lions have different habits, manners and distribution areas.
Tigons combine the characteristics of both parents: they can have spots from their mother (lion genes are responsible for spots - lion cubs are born spotted) and stripes from their father. The tigon's mane, if it appears, will always be shorter than the mane of a lion. Tigons are typically smaller than lions and tigers and weigh around 150 kg.
Male tigons are always sterile, while females are not.
A large predator with luxurious fur and cat-like habits is the tiger. Today this animal is listed in the Red Book, since the probability of its extinction from the face of the earth is too high. Where do tigers live? Where can you find these unique tabby cats today?
Do tigers live in Africa?
There have never been tigers in the African wild. Believed to be the ancestor of all existing species this tabby cat is south china tiger. Consequently, the center of origin and distribution of the predator is China. From there the animals traveled north and south through the Himalayas. They began to populate Iran and Turkey, and spread across the islands of Bali, Sumatra, Java, and throughout India and the Malay Peninsula. But wild cats did not make it the long way to Africa. In addition, the climate and living conditions do not meet the natural needs of these animals.
The tiger is an Asian animal. The historical range occupies the territory of the Russian Far East, Afghanistan, India, Iran, China and the countries of Southeast Asia. Today this range is strongly dissected into separate populations, some of which are significantly distant from each other.
The territory where predators lived began to form about two million years ago in northern China. Moving south through the Himalayas, they gradually occupied an area with the following borders: Sunda Islands - from the south, the mouth of the Amur - from the west, Northern Iran - from the east and Kazakhstan - from the north. Today, tigers have been extirpated from most of this range.
Where do tabby cats live?
Researchers identify nine subspecies of the striped predator, three of which have already completely disappeared. Wild cats live in different landscapes. They like tropical rainforests, dry savannas, bamboo thickets, semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, and bare rocky hills. The name of all existing subspecies contains a territorial attribute.
Amur tiger
Other names are Siberian, North Chinese, Ussuri, Manchurian. Habitat: fourteen regions. The most significant populations concentrated in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions of Russia, in northeastern China and North Korea.
As a result of the last two surveys, the largest undivided habitat was discovered Amur cats in nature, about five hundred and twenty individuals. This fact makes this population the largest in the world.
Bengal raptor
It lives in Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh. This subspecies inhabits mangroves, savannas, and rain forests. The majority of Bengalis occupy the Terai-Duar ecoregion.
Bengal cats are the most numerous, but they are also endangered. The main reasons: poaching and destruction of the natural environment. A large-scale conservation project launched in India at the end of the twentieth century stopped the process of extinction of striped predators. In the nineties, this program was recognized as one of the most successful.
Indochinese tiger
The habitat is limited to Cambodia, southern China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia. The approximate number of individuals is one thousand two hundred. This figure gave the subspecies the second largest number among other striped cats. The largest number of Indochinese tigers is concentrated in Malaysia. Strict measures in this country do not allow poachers to run rampant. But the population is threatened by inbreeding and habitat fragmentation.
Three quarters of Vietnamese animals were killed to sell organs for Chinese medicine. Today, killing or capturing animals is strictly prohibited.
Malayan predator
Researchers identified it as a subspecies only in 2004. Previously, the population was classified as an Indochinese species. The Malays live exclusively on the island of Malacca, in its southern part. Today it is the third largest subspecies, with a population of six to eight hundred individuals.
Sumatran tiger
Place of residence: Indonesian island of Sumatra. There are four to five hundred cats of this subspecies found in the wild. Most of them are in national parks and nature reserves. But here, too, animals are in danger: even in strictly protected areas of Sumatra, deforestation occurs.
Meanwhile, unique genetic markers were found in the genotype of this subspecies. This indicates that, on the basis of this species, a separate species of feline may develop over time. Unless the Sumatran predator goes extinct, of course. Indeed, today it is represented in the smallest quantity.
Chinese tiger
A subspecies that is on the verge of extinction. In the wild, the last predator was killed in 1994. Today, South China cats are kept only in captivity.
Extinct subspecies
A Balinese who previously lived on the island of Bali. The last individual of this breed was killed by hunters in 1937. And these cats have never been kept in captivity.
The Transcaucasian was found in Armenia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan. The animal was last seen in 1968 in southeastern Turkey.
Yavansky lived on the Indonesian island of Java until the eighties of the twentieth century. The extinction was due to the destruction of natural habitat and hunting.
Thus, the main habitat of tigers is Asia. Do you know where the skunk lives?
How long do tigers live?
How long do lions live? Oh, tigers. We're talking about them.
In the wild, tabby cats can live up to twenty-six years. Most high level mortality rate among tiger cubs up to one and a half years old. About fifty percent die. Moreover, than more kids in the litter, the more often they die.
Puberty animals occurs at the age of four to five years. Pregnancy lasts three and a half months. Most often, a tigress gives birth to two or three cubs, less often – one, four or five. Babies stay with their mother for two to three years. During this time they almost acquire size adult. A new litter is born only when the previous one begins an independent life.
The tigress does not leave her cubs alone for long. Only towards the end of the first year of their life does the mother begin to go far away. The ability to hunt is not an innate skill. The cubs learn all the methods and techniques from their mother.
For some time, while the cubs are very small, the tigress does not let their father get close to them. Only later, perhaps, will an adult tiger be allowed to visit its family.
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is one of the most beautiful animals on Earth, the most major representative felines. The royal hunter, the most powerful of all predators, he is a symbol of strength and dignity. The tiger is a solitary predator, adapted to any climatic conditions, and in any weather he will get himself water and food. But, to our greatest regret, these animals are becoming less and less numerous, and some subspecies of tigers have completely disappeared.
Subspecies of tigers
At the beginning of the 20th century, hundreds of thousands of striped predators lived in forests throughout Asia. Habitat loss, in particular intensive deforestation, poaching and a reduction in food supply, has led to the fact that today the tiger population has decreased by 95%, and from eight subspecies of the tiger to today Only five survived: the Bengal, Malayan, Amur, Indochinese and Sumatran tigers. Three species of tigers were completely exterminated in the 20th century: the last Bali tiger was killed in 1937, the Caspian tiger in 1970, and a little later the Javan tiger shared their fate.
Bengal tiger(Panthera tigris tigris), also sometimes called Royal tiger- the most numerous subspecies in our time. This is the national animal of India and lives here greatest number Bengal tigers. It is also found in Bangladesh, Burma, Bhutan, Nepal, Iran and Pakistan. It lives in all types of forests, including alpine and mangrove forests, and is found in savannas and swamps.
Males weigh from 160 to 250 kg, females - from 100 to 160 kg, body length from 1.4 to 2.8 meters. The color of the sides and back is from red-orange to brown-yellow with dark stripes, the belly is bright white.
Like all tigers, the Bengal is very fond of bodies of water where you can swim in silence.
(Panthera corbetti) found shelter in forests, savannas and lower swamps Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and the southeastern provinces of China. Its exact number is unknown - according to some sources, the population of Indochinese tigers is less than a thousand, according to others - from 1200-1800 individuals.
The coloring of the Indochinese tiger is more contrasting than that of its Bengal counterpart.
In one sitting, a tiger can eat up to 40 kg of meat. However, this does not mean that he eats an entire herd in a month, because he does not have lunch every day and 30-40 large mammals a year is enough for him.
Amur tiger (Panthera tiger altaica) or Ussuri tiger is the beauty and pride of the Far Eastern taiga, a symbol of the Far East, listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
By the end of the 1940s of the last century, Ussuri tigers were practically destroyed - then there were no more than 40 individuals living in the wild. Fortunately, today, thanks to environmental measures, the situation has improved significantly - as of 2016, more than 500 of these large cats live throughout their habitat.
95% of the entire population northern tiger lives in the southern, most developed part of the Far East and 5% in China.
The Amur tiger is the largest of all representatives, it weighs from 250 to 320 kg with a body length of 2 to 3.8 meters.
The long, thick fur is yellow-orange in summer and becomes lighter in winter. The Amur tiger is accustomed to cold weather, and thanks to the layer of subcutaneous fat, even in severe frosts he can sleep in the snow.
(Panthera sumatrae) is an inhabitant of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where about 300-400 of these animals live in remote areas. Found in dense tropical forests and in mangar thickets.
Compared to other species, this tiger is small: its body length is no more than 2.5 meters, weight is about 140 kg. This tiger is the most brightly colored.
(Panthera tigris jacksoni) found only in the south of the Malay Peninsula ( Southeast Asia). This tiger was identified as a separate subspecies in 2004, before which the population was considered to belong to its Indochinese relative.
This is the smallest of all tiger species, its body length is no more than 2.1 m, and its weight rarely exceeds 120 kg.
Lifestyle of a Lone Hunter
Depending on its habitat, the color of tiger fur varies from bright orange to straw yellow with the inevitable black stripes. The tiger looks great in its luxurious striped skin! This seemingly flashy outfit perfectly hides the tiger in bamboo thickets and tall grass. Each tiger wears a one-of-a-kind fur coat: the pattern on the tiger skin, like human fingerprints, is never repeated.
Tigers are very strong and powerful animals, capable of killing large prey with one blow. Nature arranges it in such a way that everything about tigers is adapted for hunting:
- The tiger finds its prey thanks to its exceptionally fine hearing. When attacking, he straightens his ears and points them forward, and when defending, he pulls them back. Vibrissae help to navigate the terrain;
- tiger eyes see well in the dark, their night vision is six times better than that of humans;
- powerful jaws and huge fangs, which can grow up to 7 cm in length, help the tiger deal with prey, which is sometimes larger than itself; the large skull increases the bite force of the upper jaw;
- the long flexible body and muscular pelvic limbs give the tiger speed, mobility and power, and a long tail helps maintain balance during long jumps;
- Like almost all cats, tigers can retract their sickle-shaped claws into their pads. When hunting, claws are formidable weapons.
Tigers live as hermits, occupying a certain area of the forest. Their hunting grounds, the area of which sometimes exceeds 1 thousand km2, animals mark deep scratches on tree trunks, and on stones and bushes they leave odorous marks. Walking around his property, the owner regularly checks his own and others’ marks and mercilessly drives away competitors - other males.
The favorite habitats of tigers are impassable thickets along the banks of reservoirs, because these mighty animals, unlike most representatives of the cat kingdom, are excellent swimmers, and swimming gives them real pleasure. Tigers living in the tropics hot weather after swimming, they look for a shady place under the trees or hide in a cool cave. Tigers avoid open spaces.
The tiger prefers to hunt alone. Its activity peaks at dawn and dusk. Tireless on long journeys, and in search of prey it can travel up to 20 kilometers in a day. Like all cats, it locates its prey using hearing. Having spotted an animal, he crouches down and silently sneaks through the tall grass until he overtakes the victim with one powerful jump, and he can jump forward up to 10 meters and 5 meters up. Sharp claws dig into the victim's back, fangs bite through her throat. It knocks large prey to the ground with a blow of its paw and crushes the vertebrae with its fangs.The main objects of tiger hunting are ungulates: buffaloes, deer, wild pigs.
While protecting its territory, the Amur tiger can also attack a bear, although such a fight does not always end in victory for the tiger, and Bengal tigers sometimes attack even adult elephants and rhinoceroses.
The tiger usually drags its prey, no matter how large, to its hiding place, often several hundred meters away, so that it can dine there in peace for its own pleasure. Each tiger consumes about three tons of food per year, but it never kills more than it can eat, unlike, for example, wolves.
Tiger breeding
Tigers do not have a specific mating season. When the female is ready for fertilization, the male spends several days together. After mating, the male leaves his girlfriend and goes in search of new partners, and the tigress looks for a secluded place for a den. Pregnancy lasts from 93 to 117 days. In a well-protected cave or in dense thickets of bushes, the female usually gives birth to 2-3 cubs, sometimes their number can reach up to 6. Helpless newborns, already dressed in striped coats in the manner of their parents, weigh about 1 kilogram. They open their eyes on the tenth day. The tigress raises her children alone; the male does not bear any paternal responsibilities and lives on his own.
The tigress is a very caring mother, she diligently licks her babies with her rough tongue, like that of all cats, jealously guards them and is ready to kill anyone who dares to be near her lair. Panthers, jackals, bears, pythons - all these animals pose a threat to little tiger cubs. She leaves the den only during the hunt.
For the first eight weeks of their lives, tiger cubs eat only mother's milk. Then the tigress begins to bring them small prey, so the babies gradually get used to their future daily food - meat. True, up to six months, and sometimes longer, the mother continues to feed the younger generation with milk. At two months, tiger cubs first emerge from their shelter into the world. They begin to master the wisdom of hunting at the age of 6 months, which takes about a year. Games with brothers and sisters, chasing and catching up prepare the animals for independent life. Young predators switch completely to their own bread only at the age of 1.5 years, but sometimes even up to the age of three they stay with their mother, and only when they have finally matured do they go in search of an individual plot. Tigers reach sexual maturity at 5-6 years of age.
The tiger is the only four-legged predator that enjoys the grim reputation of a cannibal. Although, as a rule, tigers do not consider people as prey, but if they feel threatened, the tiger will attack. In most cases, attacks by huge cats on people occur due to the lack of food supply in the habitat.
A tiger can knock out its prey or even kill it with one single blow of its front paw. The springy power of the muscular hind legs comes in handy at the moment when the tiger suddenly collapses from cover on its prey with several giant leaps.
Among tigers, albinos are very rarely born, with fur devoid of pigment, which gives the animal a red color. Albinos Blue eyes And white fur With brown stripes. The Maharajah of Rewa, a princely state in India, managed to preserve a rare deviation from the norm. The offspring of this tiger are now able to pass on their unique coloring to generations. White tigers are considered national treasure India.
Tigers cannot purr like cats. When experiencing a state of bliss, they squint or close their eyes. And a tiger can afford to cover the evil eye only when it is confident in its absolute safety.
The stripes on a tiger’s skin are its trademark; their number can reach up to a hundred, but what’s interesting is that not only its fur is striped, but also its skin itself.
Tigresses are capable of conceiving only 4–5 days a year.
Tigers have round pupils, not slit-shaped pupils like cats'.
In nature, tigers rarely live longer than 15 years, only in ideal conditions At the zoo, their ages are longer – 25-year-old individuals are not uncommon.
Tigers are the largest terrestrial predators, which are second in weight only to polar and brown bears. There are 9 subspecies of the tiger, of which only 6 have survived into the 21st century. Total number The population is 4000-6500 individuals. Tigers are listed as endangered by the IUCN and many countries around the world, and hunting them is prohibited everywhere.
The tiger is the largest and heaviest wild cat, but the known subspecies differ markedly in size and weight.
Dimensions
The largest are Bengal and Amur tigers. Males are from 2.3 to 2.5 m in length, 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 and pubescent. The front paws are five-toed, the hind paws are four-toed, the claws are retractable. The head is round in shape, the forehead is convex. The ears are small and rounded. There are tanks 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 coat is short, sparse, dense and low in the southern subspecies, high and fluffy in the northern ones. The color ranges 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 colored brown or black. The muzzle below the nostrils, the vibrissa area, and the chin are white, and there are black spots around the mouth. The tail has a black tip and transverse ring stripes. The shape and distance between stripes vary among subspecies, but their number on average is about 100. The arrangement of stripes on tigers is unique for each individual.
What does it eat?
The diet of tigers mainly consists of ungulates: Bengal tigers hunt sambar, axis, wild boar and nilgai; Amur tigers prey on red and sika deer, wild boar, roe deer and musk deer; Sumatran tigers - sambara, wild boars and black-backed tapirs. Among the prey of tigers there are also large herbivores, for example, Indian buffaloes, gaurs and moose. Their diet includes monkey, pheasant, hare, reptiles and fish. Sometimes tigers also hunt domestic animals: dogs, cows, horses and donkeys. Plant food, nuts, grass and fruits can be enjoyed in summer period.
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A complete diet for a tiger is 50-70 ungulates per year. At one time, a meal is 30-40 kg of meat. The tiger tolerates the lack of food relatively easily due to the presence of a subcutaneous layer of fat about 5 cm thick.
Where does he live?
The tiger is an Asian animal. Its historical range included the Russian Far East, Iran, Afghanistan, China, India and Southeast Asian countries.
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Today, in most of these territories, the tiger has been exterminated; large populations have survived only in India and Indochina and in Far East(in 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 savannas, 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, three of which are now completely exterminated.
Known as Ussuri, Siberian, Manchu or North Chinese, common in Amur region, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions of Russia. The population size reaches about 500 individuals.
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The Amur tiger is a large subspecies. It is distinguished by thick, long and fluffy wool, light color and many stripes.
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The nominate 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. Average weight for males it is 205-227 kg, for females – 140-150 kg.
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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.
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Distributed only in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Previously, the population of this subspecies was classified as Indochinese tigers, but according to data genetic research at the beginning of the 21st century it was identified as an independent subspecies. Its population is estimated at 600-800 individuals, that is, it is the third largest in nature.
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Inhabitant of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where there are about 400-500 animals. This is the smallest of all subspecies: males weigh 100-130 kg, females weigh 70-90 kg.
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This subspecies small size is located under the big threat disappearance. Body length is 2.2-2.6 meters, weight of males is 127-177 kg, females - 100-118 kg. Currently, 59 individuals are kept in captivity in China, and they are trying to introduce them into the wild.
Male and female: main differences
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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 at night. They usually spend the day in dens. They move in large steps. They don't climb trees. They do not avoid water and swim well, and the inhabitants southern regions They even bathe regularly. Tigers are hardy and low temperatures. They shed twice a year: in March and September.
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Tigers are mostly silent and rarely speak. Only during the mating season do males begin to roar dully, and when they get angry or attack prey, they growl. An adult tiger is a territorial animal that leads a solitary lifestyle and fiercely defends its territory. A tiger marks its personal territory different ways, leaves urine marks on tree trunks, rocks, bushes, loosens snow or soil, rubs against trees and leaves scratches on trunks. The size of personal territories is determined by habitat, amount of prey, and 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 male's territory.
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The territorial behavior of males is very aggressive; they do not allow strangers into their territory and engage in serious fights with them; they only get along with tigresses. In turn, the females get along well with each other and can make peace in areas where they overlap.
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Tigers hunt only alone, either creeping up on prey (in winter) or lying in wait for it in ambush (in summer). They often track their victims near bodies of water. They can pursue prey for 100-150 m, reaching speeds of up to 60 km/h.
Reproduction
Tigers are polygamous animals. Mating season They have it in December-January. At this time, males often fight for females. Since the tigress is capable of fertilization only a few days a year, mating occurs at this time many times. The first offspring of 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.
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To breed offspring, the female makes a den in a hard-to-reach place: in crevices among stones, in a cave, in a windfall. 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 open after 6-8 days. Breastfeeding lasts for the first 6 weeks. Only the female takes care of them and does not allow males near them. At 8 weeks, the cubs leave the den and follow their mother. They begin to live independently at 18 months, but can remain with the female until they reach sexual maturity.
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Females become sexually mature at 3-4 years, males at 4-5 years. During her life, a female gives birth to 10-20 tiger cubs, but half die at a young age. In the wild, tigers live for about 25 years.
Tiger menace
Throughout its entire range, the tiger is the pinnacle the food chain and other predators do not attack him and do not compete with him. On the contrary, tigers attack wolves, leopards and pythons. The Amur tiger and Brown bear. Crocodiles are potentially dangerous to tigers.
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The main factor that limits the tiger population is economic activity people and hunting with trophy (for obtaining skins) and with medicinal purposes(use in traditional oriental medicine).
Due to hunting and destruction of natural habitats, the number of tigers is rapidly decreasing. A hundred years ago the population was estimated at 100,000 wild tigers, and now there are about 5,000 of them left. About 20,000 animals are kept in captivity, which prevents complete destruction kind. In addition, tigers are under international security, are listed in the IUCN Red List, hunting them is strictly prohibited.
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- July 29 is celebrated as International Tiger Day.
- The destruction of tigers was associated with the use of their organs and tissues in traditional Eastern (Chinese) medicine. The best-known medical products of this type are painkillers and aphrodisiacs. Such use is now prohibited and criminalized; but illegal trade still persists.
Tiger (lat. Panthera tigris) - a predator of the class mammals, such as chordates, the order Carnivora, the cat family, the panther genus, the subfamily big cats. It got its name from the ancient Persian word tigri, which means “sharp, fast,” and from the ancient Greek word “arrow.”
The tiger is the largest and heaviest member of the cat family. Some male tigers reach a length of 3 meters and weigh over 300 kg. Tigers are listed in the Red Book, and hunting these animals is prohibited.
Tiger: description and photographs
Tigers are distinguished by a flexible, muscular body and a round head with a convex forehead, expressive eyes and small but sensitive ears. Tigers see perfectly in the dark, and according to scientists, they can distinguish colors. Bengal and Amur tigers are the largest of their species. The size of these tigers can reach 2.5-2.9 meters in length (excluding the tail), and the weight of tigers of this species reaches 275-320 kg. The height of a tiger at the withers is 1.15 m. The average weight of an adult male is 180-250 kg.
According to official data, the record recorded weight of the big tiger(Bengali) was 388.7 kg.
However, females usually fewer males to size.
Elastic white tiger whiskers grow in 4-5 rows, framing the tiger's muzzle. With sharp fangs up to 8 cm long, the tiger easily deals with its prey.
Special keratinized protrusions on the side of the movable tongue help to cut the carcass of a killed animal, and also serve as an auxiliary means of hygiene. Adult mammals have 30 teeth.
There are 5 toes on the front paws of a tiger, hind legs There are only 4 of them, each finger has retractable claws.
Tiger ears are small and have rounded shape. The animal's pupil is round, the iris is yellow.
Southern species of tigers have short and dense hair, while their northern counterparts are fluffier.
The color of animals is dominated by the color of rust with red or brown tint, the chest and belly are much lighter, and sometimes even white.
The tiger owes its exceptional beauty to the dark brown or completely black stripes located throughout the body. The tiger's stripes have characteristic pointed ends, sometimes bifurcating, then joining again. Typically an animal has more than 100 stripes.
The long tail, covered with rings of stripes, is always black at the end. The tiger's stripes are uniquely positioned, like a human fingerprint, and serve as excellent camouflage for the animal.
The track of a male tiger is longer and more elongated than that of a female. The length of the male tiger's track is 15-16 cm, the width is 13-14 cm. The length of the female tiger's track reaches 14-15 cm, and the width is 11-13 cm.
The roar of a tiger can be heard at a distance of almost 3 kilometers.
Despite their considerable weight, tigers can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h regardless of the surrounding landscape.
The lifespan of an animal in captivity is approximately 15 years.
Who is stronger - a lion or a tiger?
This question worries and interests many. Unfortunately, there are very few recorded facts about battles between a lion and a tiger, so there is no reason to talk about the superiority of one representative of the animal world over another. It is only possible to compare a tiger and a lion according to their external parameters and lifestyle.
- So, as for the weight category, although a little, about 50-70 kg, the tiger is still heavier than the lion.
- In terms of jaw compression force when biting, both animals are in the same positions.
- The principle of killing the chosen victim is also identical - both the tiger and the tiger bite into the neck of their prey, piercing it with powerful fangs.
- But in terms of lifestyle, these two predators are radically different. The tiger is a born solitary hunter who prefers to get food in his own “lands”, that is, in the marked territory. Feuds between relatives are almost impossible, since tigers rarely intersect with each other during the hunt. Lions live in pride clans, so males often fight not only for the right to hunt, but also for the “lady of their heart” during mating games. Often such fights end in serious wounds and even the death of one of the lions.
- It is impossible to say with certainty who is more resilient - a lion or his striped brother from the cat family. Both animals run quite quickly, covering considerable distances, but such a criterion as endurance can be justified by the age of these predators, living conditions, or their state of health.
There are facts when trained lions fought with the same circus tigers. Basically, the lion emerged victorious from the battle, but again, this conclusion is subjective, no one kept statistics, so you should not use such information as a 100% statement of superiority.
Both animals, the lion and the tiger, are very strong, powerful and perfectly adapted to natural environment its habitat.
Subspecies of tigers, names, descriptions and photos
The classification identifies 9 subspecies of the tiger, 3 of which, unfortunately, have already disappeared from the face of the earth. Today in nature live:
- Amur (Ussuri) tiger (lat. Panthera tigris altaica)
The largest and smallest representative of the species, distinguished by thick fur and a relatively small number of stripes. The color of the Amur tiger is orange with a white belly, the fur is thick. The body length of males reaches 2.7 – 3.8 meters. The weight of a male Amur tiger is 180-220 kg. The height of the Amur tiger at the withers is 90-106 cm.
Population Ussuri tigers, numbering approximately 500 individuals, inhabits the Amur region of Russia. A number of individuals are found in North Korea and northeast China. The Amur tiger is listed in the Red Book of Russia.
- Bengal tiger (lat. Panthera tigris tigris, Panthera tigris bengalensis)
Characterized by the largest numbers, representatives have a bright coat color from yellow to light orange. In nature, there are also white Bengal tigers that have no stripes at all, but they are rather a mutated species. The length of the Bengal tiger reaches 270-310 cm, females are smaller and reach a length of 240-290 cm. The tiger's tail is 85-110 cm long. The height at the withers is 90-110 cm. The weight of the Bengal tiger is from 220 to 320 kg as a maximum.
According to various sources, the population of this tiger species includes from 2.5 to 5 thousand individuals, most of who live in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and South Asia.
Albino white tiger
- Indochinese tiger (lat. Panthera tigris corbetti)
It is distinguished by a dull red color and numbers a little more than a thousand individuals. The stripes of this species are narrower and shorter. This type of tiger is smaller in size than others. The length of the male is 2.55-2.85 cm, the length of the female is 2.30-2.55 cm. The weight of a male Indochinese tiger reaches 150-195 kg, the weight of a female tiger is 100-130 kg.
The area where Indochinese tigers live is Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Southeast Asia, South China.
- Malayan tiger(lat. Panthera tigris jacksoni)
The third largest subspecies in the number of individuals, living in the Malaysian, southern, region of the Malay Peninsula.
This is the most little tiger among all types. The length of a male Malayan tiger is 237 cm, the length of females is up to 200 cm. The weight of a male Malayan tiger is 120 kg, the weight of females does not exceed 100 kg. In total, there are about 600-800 tigers of this species in nature.
- Sumatran tiger (lat. Panthera tigris sumatrae)
It is also considered the smallest representative of the species. The length of a male tiger is 220-25 cm, the length of females is 215-230 cm. The weight of male tigers is 100-140 kg, the weight of females is 75-110 kg.
About 500 representatives are found in nature reserves on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.
- South China tiger (Chinese tiger) (lat. Panthera tigris amoyensis)
A small subspecies, no more than 20 of these tigers live in captivity in the south and center of China.
The body length of males and females is 2.2-2.6 meters, the weight of males does not exceed 177 kg, the weight of females reaches 100-118 kg.
Extinct species are Bali tiger, Caspian tiger And Javan tiger.
In addition to white tigers, species with a yellow color are sometimes born; such animals are called golden tigers. The fur of such tigers is lighter and the stripes are brown.
Tiger hybrids
Hybrids, born from crossing the big tabby cat and other representatives of the panther genus, began to appear in captivity as early as the 19th century.
- Liger
A hybrid of a lion and a female tiger, it is huge in size and mature age reaches three meters in length.
- Tigrolev (tigon)
A hybrid of a tiger and a lioness, always smaller than its parents and endowed with the characteristics of both: paternal stripes and maternal spots. Males have a mane, but it is smaller than that of a liger.
Tigers and ligers are born exclusively in zoos. In the wild, tigers and lions do not interbreed.
Ussuri tigers live in the Amur region in Russia, Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories, about 10% of the population is found in North Korea and northeast China. Bengal tigers live in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and South Asia. The area where Indochinese tigers live is Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Southeast Asia, and Southern China. The Malayan tiger lives in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula. Sumatran tigers are found in nature reserves on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Chinese tigers live in south-central China.
For their habitats these striped predators favored by the most different zones: rain forests tropics, shady jungles, semi-desert regions and savannas, bamboo thickets and steep rocky hills. The tiger is so able to adapt to conditions that it feels great both in hot climates and in the harsh northern taiga. Steep cliffs with numerous niches or secret caves, secluded reed or reed thickets near water bodies are the most favorite territories where the tiger makes his lair, hunts and raises restless and nimble offspring.
Tiger's lifestyle and habits
Possessing quite massive dimensions and enormous power, tigers feel like absolute masters of the territory in which they live. Leaving his marks with urine everywhere, stripping the bark from trees along the perimeter of his property and loosening the soil with his claws, the male tiger clearly marks his “land”, not allowing other males there.
At the same time, tigers from the same “family” are quite friendly to each other and sometimes behave very funny during communication: they touch their muzzles, rub their striped sides, “snorting” noisily and energetically, while exhaling air through their mouths or nose.
In nature, tigers are most often solitary animals, but in zoos with these cats everything looks a little different. After the birth of a pair of offspring, the tiger-father takes care of the babies no less reverently than the tigress-mother: he spends leisure time with them during games, licks them and gently trembles in the form of punishment for the scruff of the neck. Watching the tiger family is really interesting.
IN natural environment tigers do not limit themselves to the time of day during the hunt - when they are hungry and prey has turned up, then the fatal throw for the victim will be made. By the way, the tiger is an excellent swimmer and will never refuse to eat fish,
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