Tiger swimming underwater

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiger

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus: Panthera
Species: Panthera tigris

 

Tiger Conservation Status: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15955/0

 

 

The Tiger is the largest and heaviest of all big cats. They are 150-230 cm (5-7.5 ft) long and they can reach 385 kg (850 lbs)! Tigers use their body weight to knock prey to the ground and kill with a swift and powerful bite to the neck. They love the water and have been known to kill prey while swimming.

Tigers are solitary creatures, except during mating season and when females are raising their cubs. Tigresses are excellent mothers.

Tigers can be found in 13 countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, on the island of Sumatra in the Republic of Indonesia, Lao PDR, peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Russian Far East, Thailand, and Vietnam. http://www.catsg.org/index.php?id=124

Tigers are territorial and they mark large home ranges. Tigers can reach speeds of 49-65 kmph (35-40 mph) and can leap 9-10 m (30-33 ft) in a single bound. They can jump up to 5m (16 ft) high. Tigers live 15-20 years in the wild and up to 26 years in captivity.

There are four cats who can roar: the Tiger, the Lion, the Jaguar, and the Leopard. Roaring requires a special elongated larynx and hyoid apparatus. When air passes through the larynx on the way from the lungs, the cartilage walls of the larynx vibrate, which produces sound. The Lion’s larynx is longest, thus giving it the most robust roar. But the Tiger’s is pretty impressive too.

 

Tigers don’t just have striped fur- they have striped skin too!

 

 

The Truth About White Tigers

White tigers are not a subspecies, they are a genetic deformity that almost never occurs in nature. Unlike the rare white Lion that does occur in nature, white Tigers experience difficulty hunting as their camouflage has been compromised. White Tigers are a product of cruel captive breeding practices; countless animals come out too deformed and sick to survive- and many end up in crowded shelters with severe health problems and special needs. Breeding white Tigers must be abolished. Don’t support any of those gross shows in Vegas or inhumane traveling circuses etc.

Here’s a video on white Tigers: https://youtu.be/_5_mzz-9i3g

 

 

More wild cats