Would you
like to find out some amazing facts about tigers? Below are some facts about them for your consideration:
- Tigers are the largest felines in the world. Many cultures consider the tiger to be a symbol of strength and courage.
- A tiger's roar can be heard as far as 1.8 miles (3 km) away.
- There are more tigers privately owned by U.S. citizens than in the wild worldwide.
- Tigers are the largest wild cats in the world. Adults can weigh up to 363kg - that's about the same as ten ten year olds! - and measure up to 3.3m!
- Tigers are carnivores, eating only meat. They mainly feed on large mammals such as deer, wild pigs, antelope and buffalo.
- Tigers are the largest members of the cat family and are renowned for their power and strength.
- The tiger is capable of killing animals over twice its size; it is one of nature’s most feared predators.
- Like its ancestor, the sabre-tooth cat, the tiger relies heavily on its powerful teeth for survival. If it loses its canines (tearing teeth) through injury or old age, it can no longer kill and is likely to starve to death.
- Tigers interesting animal facts are solitary hunters, and generally search for food alone at night. They quietly stalk their prey until they are close enough to pounce - then they kill their victim with a bite to the neck or back of the head. Ouch!
- The tiger is the biggest species of the cat family.
- Tigers can reach a length of up to 3.3 metres (11 feet) and weigh as much as 300 kilograms (660 pounds).
- Subspecies of the tiger include the Sumatran Tiger, Siberian Tiger, Bengal Tiger, South China Tiger, Malayan Tiger and Indochinese Tiger.
- Many subspecies of the tiger are either endangered or already extinct. Humans are the primary cause of this through hunting and the destruction of habitats.
- Around half of tiger cubs don’t live beyond two years of age.Unlike most members of the cat family, tigers like water. They are good swimmers and often cool off in pools or streams.
- When a tiger wants to be heard, you'll know about it, gang - because their roar can be heard as far as three kilometres away.
- They may be big and heavy, but tigers are by no means slow movers. In fact, at full speed they can reach up to 65km/h!
- These fierce felines have walked the earth for a long time. Fossil remains of tigers found in parts of China are believed to be 2 million years old. Yikes!
- Rare white tigers carry a gene that is only present in around 1 in every 10000 tigers.
- Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have exactly the same stripes).
- If the kill is large, the tiger may drag the remains to a thicket and loosely bury it with leaves, then return to it later.
- As well as game animals, it preys on wild boar, monkeys, lizards and occasionally porcupines.
- Females give birth to litters of two to six cubs, which they raise with little or no help from the male. Cubs cannot hunt until they are 18 months old and remain with their mothers for two to three years, when they disperse to find their own territory.
- Tigers usually hunt alone at night time.
- Tigers have been known to reach speeds up to 65 kph (40 mph).
- Less than 10% of hunts end successfully for tigers
- Tigers can easily jump over 5 metres in length.
- Various tiger subspecies are the national animals of Bangladesh, India, North Korea, South Korea and Malaysia.
- Every tiger in the world is unique - no two tigers have the same pattern of stripes.
- Today, there are five subspecies of tiger: Bengal, South China, Indochinese, Sumatran and Siberian. Sadly, three subspecies of tiger have become extinct - Caspian, Bali and Javan.
- Less than 100 years ago, tigers could be found throughout Asia. Sadly, hunting and habitat loss have put populations at risk, and today their range has been reduced to around 7% of its former size. That's why we need to do all we can to protect these beautiful beasts!