Tiger

Tigers are mammals of the Felidae family. They are solitary animals found in forests. Tigers are carnivores and hunt by stalking their prey. In the wild the tiger is the heaviest cat. Male tigers are significantly larger than female tigers. The Siberian Tiger can reach up to 3.5 meters long and weigh up to 300kg. The Bengal Tiger is the most common subspecies found in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal. Tigers can be found thriving in tropical rainforests and boreal forest. Like jaguars, tigers are strong swimmers and prefer to bathe in lakes and rivers. Most of the subspecies have orange coats with black or brown stripes. The pattern of their stripes is unique to each individual tiger. The stripe is even found on the skin of the tiger. White tigers are rare in the wild. It varies only by color and is not a separate subspecies.

The number one threat for the tiger’s survival is man. Illegal poaching for the tiger’s fur and body parts are endangering their existence in the wild. Eastern medicine believes that their bones can be used as pain killers. China has made an effort to prevent poaching of tigers. Some punishments for poaching can even lead to a death sentence. The destruction of their habitat also puts a strain on their survival. The tigers wild population has decreased by over 400% over the past century. There is now an estimated 2,500 mature breeding individuals left in the wild.

Panthera tigris

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In the wild, tigers can leap as high as 16 ft and as far as 30-33 ft.

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