| Largest amongst all existing cats, tiger compares in | | | | hides the carcass and usually returns to it over the |
| size to the biggest feline fossils ever found. Named | | | | next couple of days to devour the scraps. Usual prey |
| 'Panthera Tigris', tigers are characterized by their | | | | is deer, buffalo, gaur. However a hungry tiger will go |
| orange coat and black stripes, the pattern of which | | | | for anything from young elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, |
| uniquely identifies each individual tiger. With a whitish | | | | leopards, bears and even humans. Whereas conflicts |
| belly, tiger's coat is designed to disperse their outline, | | | | between tigers and elephants are rare, tigers have |
| aiding them in camouflage as they stalk their prey. | | | | been known to charge and maul Indian bull elephants. |
| Tigers generally weigh in a wide range - from two | | | | A tiger can climb to the back of the elephant in a single |
| hundred and fifty to eight hundred pounds - depending | | | | leap and viciously attack the tourists atop - as is often |
| on the individual subspecies and gender of the animal. | | | | chronicled by historians of the British India. |
| Female Sumatran Tigers may weigh around two | | | | Tigers are territorial animals and mark their domain in |
| hundred seventy pounds, whereas adult male Siberian | | | | the forest by leaving scat and urine trails. Males are |
| Tigers can be as heavy as eight hundred pounds. In | | | | very defensive of their region and this frequently leads |
| fact the largest ever recorded Siberian Tiger in | | | | to conflict between individual tigers, leading to severe |
| captivity weighed over one thousand pounds! The | | | | injury and even death. A male's territory frequently |
| average length is between 2.5 to 3.5 meters, again | | | | overlaps those of several females, to which he mates |
| subject to variation amongst sub-species. | | | | as they come in estrus. Pregnancy lasts for around |
| The reason behind these size variations is evolutionary | | | | three and a half months and usually four or five cubs |
| adaptation of the tiger to varying environments in | | | | are born. In the wild not all of these survive since the |
| different regions of the world. The large Amur tiger | | | | female is often not able to hunt enough to feed all of |
| prowls over huge territories in Siberia, tackling massive | | | | them as they depend on her for their food until one |
| prey animals and having to cope with bitter cold - thus | | | | and a half years of age. Also randomly, other male |
| evolving into the biggest tiger species with a thick fur. | | | | tigers may kill the cubs to bring the female into heat. |
| The Bengal Tiger comes next with its notoriety for | | | | Despite all its magnificence the tale of the tiger has |
| great ferocity and occasional man-eating in the | | | | been a sorry one over the past century. Their number |
| mangroves of Sundarban (more on that later!). In fact | | | | in the wild has dwindled from over one hundred |
| big male bengal tigers, particularly those in northern India | | | | thousand to nearly seven thousand today, with the |
| and Nepal, weigh close to the Siberian Tiger. Following | | | | Bengal Tiger having the healthiest population among |
| are the Indochinese Tiger, Malayan Tiger, South China | | | | existing tiger species (thanks largely to an initiative by |
| Tiger and Sumatran Tiger. The other three | | | | the Indian Government in the 1970's that led to 'Project |
| sub-species - the Caspian Tiger, Balinese Tiger and | | | | Tiger', one of the more successful conservation |
| Javan Tiger have all gone extinct in the past century. | | | | programs worldwide). Still many are killed annually by |
| Apex predators, tigers are solitary hunters designed to | | | | poachers for use in Chinese traditional medicines that |
| take down huge prey animals. They are excellent | | | | make ridiculous claim about the aphrodisiac and |
| stalkers and display great cunning in patiently pursuing | | | | strengthening abilities of tiger parts - with no scientific |
| and ambushing their prey. Despite their great size, they | | | | evidence to back them. Others are threatened by |
| can reach speeds up to 60km/hr and leap up to 10 | | | | habitat destruction and ever increasing human |
| metres. The primary mode of attack is a sudden | | | | populations. Of the others, the South China tiger is in |
| charge and leap to unbalance the animal. Next they | | | | immediate threat of extinction owing to ruthless hunting |
| use their muscular forearms to hold down the hunted | | | | in the 1960's when it was declared as a 'pest' by the |
| whilst they severe their spine (or suffocate by crushing | | | | then communist government. Despite the passage of |
| the windpipe in case of big animals like gaur and water | | | | a law protecting them in 1977, the few remaining tigers |
| buffalo) using their long canines and strong jaws. Even | | | | in China lack genetic biodiversity to sustain them as a |
| still only a fraction of the hunts are a success for the | | | | specie. |
| tiger. Therefore it eats a lot during one sitting once it | | | | The author is a blogger about cats and an expert on |
| makes a kill (usually every four or five days). Next it | | | | tiger. |