Tiger | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is one of the world's strongest and most endangered creatures. The largest member of the cat family, it inhabits the swamps, forests, and grasslands of Asia. The tiger's coat of thick fur can vary from yellow to dark orangebrown. Tigers are the only striped cats and the pattern of each tiger's dark vertical stripes is unique (like a human fingerprint), providing excellent camouflage. White tigers, with brown stripes and blue eyes, are very rare in the wild. Tigers have sharp teeth and extremely powerful jaws, neck, and limbs. They can run very fast for short periods of time and leap huge distances. They are also strong swimmers and can cross wide rivers. Tigers are generally about three meters long, including tail. An adult male tiger weighs 180 to 250 kilograms.

All tigers belong to the same species, but there are several subspecies. The best known are the Siberian (Amur) tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), which lives in the forests of the Russian Far East; the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), which lives in the grasslands and forests of India, Myanmar (Burma), and the Himalayas;

and the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), which inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The tiger is a carnivore that usually hunts alone and at night. Its prey ranges from large mammals, such as deer and wild pigs, to monkeys, frogs, and fish. Prey is usually killed with a strong bite to the neck. Occasionally young elephants and rhinoceroses are attacked. The killing of cattle and other livestock sometimes brings tigers into conflict with people. Rarely do tigers attack and kill people.

Tigers are solitary animals and each tiger has its own territory. Male territories often overlap with female territories. Cubs are usually born in litters of two or three and stay with their mother for two years. A tiger's life span is about twenty years.

Tigers are critically endangered. Very few tigers remain in the wild, and several subspecies, such as the Javanese tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica), are believed to already be extinct. Tigers are illegally killed for their bones, which are used in traditional Chinese medicines, and for their coats. They also suffer from the effects of deforestation and habitat destruction. Many zoos have set up breeding programs, and India and Nepal have designated special tiger reserves.

Lucy D. Moss

Alderton, David, and Bruce Tanner. (1998) Wild Cats of the World. New York: Sterling.

IUCN-World Conservation Union. (2000) "The 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species." Retrieved 13 March 2002, from: http://www.redlist.org.

Thapar, Valmik. (1992) The Tiger's Destiny. London: Kyle Cathie Ltd.

This complete Tiger contains 434 words. This article contains 474 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).