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tiger facts

DID YOU KNOW? Tiger babies, known as cubs, don’t open their eyes until they are 15 days old. They nurse for the first three to six months, and begin traveling with their mothers at five to six months to learn to hunt. They become fully independent at two or three years old. Just like human fingerprints, no two tigers have the same stripes. At night, tigers have vision six times better than a human. A tiger can eat up to 80 pounds of meat in one sitting! Tigers must make a lot of attempts while hunting; they are successful only one or two times in 20 attempts. Tigers bred in captivity cannot be released into the wild because humans can’t teach them the vital hunting and survival skills they learn as cubs. Female tigers usually give birth to two or three cubs at a time. Tigers need lots of space to live. Depending on their size, and sub-species, and the density of prey where they live, they can need 10 to 120 square miles. Tigers mark their territory using scratch marks on trees, urine, and droppings. The gestation period for tiger moms is 103 days. Though many people believe it to be true, Saber-toothed tigers are not ancestors of modern day tigers. Just like house cats, tigers have retractable claws. Some scientists believe that tigers can emit low-frequency sounds a to communicate with each other, and that these sounds are inaudible to human ears. The Tasmanian tiger is actually not a tiger at all — it's a marsupial. Although they were believed to be extinct in the 1930s, there have been recent unconfirmed sightings reported. Though many people think they do, tigers don’t live in Africa, and never have.

What is a tiger?

Tigers, or panthera tigris, are large carnivorous feline mammals. They are identified by their orange and black striped coats. As the largest wild cats in the world they can weigh up to 550 pounds, grow to 6 feet long, plus a 3-foot-long tail.

Tigers hunt alone and often at night, preying on both small animals, such as wild pigs, and large animals like deer, elk, or antelope. They live in a variety of habitats across Asia.

What are the different kinds of tigers?

There are five remaining subspecies of tigers. These are:

Bengal tigers live mostly in India, with some found in areas to the north. It’s estimated there are no more than 2,500 to 3,000 wild tigers remaining in India. The famous white tigers are a color variant of Bengal tigers but are rarely found in the wild.

Siberian or Amur tigers live in coniferous, scrub oak, and birch woodlands of eastern Russia, with a few in China and North Korea. Fewer than 400 of these tigers still live in the wild. This subspecies of tigers are the largest in size.

Indochinese tigers live mainly in Thailand, though some live in Myanmar, southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and peninsular Malaysia. Approximately 1,200-1,700 of these tigers still live in the wild. Because they live in very remote areas, very little is known about these tigers in the wild. Scientists only recently began to study them.

The South China tiger is now found only in eastern and central China. Shockingly, only 20-30 of these tigers are thought to still exist in the wild. These tigers are the smallest in size, with males weighing 330 pounds and measuring 8 feet from head to tail.

Sumatran tigers are found only on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. About 400 of these cats are thought to live in the island’s five national parks. The coat of the Sumatran tigers is the darkest of all the tiger subspecies.

Where do tigers live?

Although most tigers live in warm places like India and southeastern Asia, Siberian tigers live in very cold climates such as North Korea, eastern Russia, and China. These tigers have thicker coats to keep them warm.

Tiger habitats include a variety of forests, such as tropical evergreen forests in southern Asia to coniferous woodlands in Siberia. Unlike most cats, tigers love water and often swim to cool off in streams or rivers.

Tigers leave behind "pug marks” (or pawprints) and scientists count these marks to estimate how many tigers are living in an area. They also take photos of tigers with camera "traps” which are triggered automatically when an animal walks within their range.

How many tigers are there?

There are only about 5,000 tigers left across Asia. Scientists estimate that 100,000 tigers existed in 1900. That means that 95% of the world’s tigers disappeared during the 20th century.

Why are tigers endangered?

Every day tigers face increasing threats from humans and these dangers won’t go away by fixing just one part. The three biggest threats right now are:

Habitat destruction, such as illegal logging in Indonesia, mining in India, and conversion of land for agriculture all across Asia, destroys the tigers’ natural homes. As their living area decreases, tigers also have less food available to them. With less natural prey, sometimes tigers are forced to leave their habitats for nearby farms where they eat livestock or even kill a human out of desperation for food. Humans often retaliate by killing tigers.

Poaching is a continuous problem that has been in the news as recently as early February 2005. Tigers are illegally killed by poachers for their body parts. Traditional Eastern medicine has used tiger parts such as tails, teeth, eyes, and brains for over 1,000 years. Although there is no scientific proof that these cures are effective, these beliefs are part of a cultural tradition, making it difficult to change minds.

Population fragmentation threatens future generations. Tiger populations get broken up as humans move into the areas where tigers live. Their groups get divided up, giving them less of a variety of mates. Over time, inbreeding occurs, which weakens the gene pool of each group.

Are some kinds of tigers already extinct?

Yes. Sadly, the Bali, Caspian, and Javan tigers have all become extinct in the past 70 years. These three sub-species of tigers faced the same threats that today’s remaining tigers face. Unfortunately, little is known about them. In fact, no photos are known to exist of a live Bali tiger, and only one of a Javan tiger.

Because we’ve seen these tigers disappear forever in our lifetimes, it means we must all work as hard as we can to save the five remaining species.

What is being done to help the tigers?

There are many organizations dedicated to helping tigers. They work both locally and globally to preserve habitats, curb poaching, educate the public, and persuade governments to cooperate in these efforts.

One of the most influential tiger activists for the past 24 years is Bittu Sahgal, a good friend of Muttscomics.com. Bittu is the publisher and editor of “Sanctuary Asia ” magazine and website. In 1984, his organization launched “Cub ” magazine, for readers age 8-15. And his Kids for Tigers organization operates throughout India to educate young kids about the plight of the tiger and motivate them to action.

Bittu has dedicated his life to make Indians aware of their disappearing natural heritage. We encourage you to learn more about him and his valiant efforts here.

Another excellent organization is Satpuda Foundation. They works very site specific and problem specific. Because they are out "in the field" everyday, they know the reality of the problems very well. They have also learned how to get results by applying available resources.The strength of the Satpuda Foundation is that it works directly with committed and young conservationists and local NGOs (Non-Government Organizations.)

The Satpuda Foundation works closely with Nature Conservation Society, Amravati. If you'd like to donate money to a tiger charity, muttscomics.com recommends this amazing group, headed by Kishor Rithe. To learn how to give, click here. Every penny helps!

Where can I learn more?

You can learn LOTS more about tigers from some amazing internet sites here.