Bengal
Indochinese
South China
Sumatran
Siberian

Tigers are animals that are  endangered species. There are 5 species of Tigers: Siberian, Bengal, Indochinese, South China, and Sumatran. There are 3 species of tigers that are extinct : Bali, Javan, Caspian  They live in Asia in a variety of habitats from the tropical evergreen and deciduous forests of southern Asia to the coniferous, scrub oak, and birch woodlands of Siberia. People think that there are between 5,000 and 7,500 wild tigers living in the world today. The Siberian Tiger is the largest of all the tiger species.

Description

The tiger's body is built in such a way to help in its hunting method . 

·        Longer hindlimbs to help in jumping.

·        Stronger forelimbs and shoulders help in dragging down large prey

·        Sharp retractable claws that help in holding onto the prey

·        Large and powerful jaw that includes relatively flattened canines, makes the tiger bite strongly.

Each stripe pattern on a tiger is unique to that particular individual tiger species and works the same way as human fingerprint.

Reproduction

·        Female tiger is ready for mating only for a few days, and mating is frequent during that time period

·         A male tiger mates with all the females within his home range.

·        Tigers which live in the tropical forest region breed throughout the year. In the northern regions breeding is only in the winter months.

·        The gestation period is 103 days.

·        A typical litter is about 3-4 cubs in size weighing about 1 kilogram each.

·        Female tigers take care of the young until they are 2-2 ½ years old when the cubs become independent and go off on their own.

·        The cubs reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years of age

Behavior

·        .Tigers hunt alone, but sometimes tigers are seen in groups in the wild.

·         Both female and male tigers do not  encroach on  another tiger’s(same sex) territory.

·        Males have larger territories approximately 60-100 square kilometers and mate with the females in that area.

·        Females have smaller territories, approximately 20 square kilometers.

·        tigers use several kinds of signals to communicate..

·        Urine and anal gland release are sprayed to establish territories and to reduce conflict among them.

·        Males use a behavior called "Flehmen" to determine if a female is ready to mate by smelling the female's urine.

·        Male tigers may kill a mother's cubs if the cubs are the offspring of a previous male.

     Food Habits

·        Tigers mainly eat large, hoofed mammals, but they will eat other animals they catch.

·        If prey is not avaliable,they will readily attack  livestock that is available.

·        They use stock and attack technique when hunting ..

·        There stripes help camoflauge in the dense forest while they sneak up on their prey.

·        Only 1 in 10 or 20 attacks are successful.

·        They knock the prey off its balance and the attack is usually made from the side or rear of the victim,

·        The prey off of its feet and the final bite is to the back of the neck or throat.

·        The tiger may keep his grip several minutes after death.

·        It drags the carcass into a dense covering and begins eating the rump.

·        They eat approximately 15- 18 kg each day over several days or 20-30 kilograms at one time.

·        Females hunt to feed themselves and their cubs

                     Tiger at the San Diego zoo , in California