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A tiger is the world's largest cat, and they are found in Asia and in some parts of southern Russia. The scientific name for tigers is Panthera tigris. Male tigers are significantly larger than female tigers and have been documented to weigh as much as 660 pounds. Male tigers can be up to 13 feet in length while female tigers can be up to 9 feet in length and weigh up to 375 pounds.
Tigers are considered apex predators which means that they are on the top of the food chain. Tigers are extremely skilled hunters, and they rely on their eyes and ears while hunting. Tigers do not rely on their sense of smell to hunt unlike many other predators. Tigers have a top speed of 40 miles per hour which helps them to chase down their prey.
Tigers have stunning coats which typically consist of orange, black, and white. However, some tigers have brown coats or black and white coats. The striping on their coats helps them to stay camouflaged and stalk their prey without being detected. Their orange coats may be considered a disadvantage to some but many animals do have full color vision as humans do. Humans have three cones in their eyes; these are red, green, and blue. Many animals only have blue and green cones which makes their perception of color more muted. This is similar to what humans would consider color-blind.
Tigers are endangered and there are roughly 4,750 tigers left in the wild. This number has increased somewhat in recent years with large strides being made in India and other countries. Tiger populations have reduced so drastically because of two causes: a loss of their natural habitat and poaching. Unfortunately, humans have destroyed a great deal of the forests and jungles which tigers call their homes. Additionally, illegal tiger hunting is prevalent throughout the habitats of tigers and causes a large number of tiger fatalities each year.
Tiger parts are common in illegal wildlife markets, and they are highly sought after. The small population of tigers means that tiger parts are considered rarities and as such are highly valuable. This disappointing reality means that tigers are frequently hunted by humans for monetary reward. Many countries with tiger populations do not have the infrastructure necessary to stop tiger poaching despite this being an illegal activity.
Deforestation is another large contributor to tigers being an endangered species. Humans are destroying forests and jungles for farmland because of the increasing global demand for certain crops and livestock. Palm oil is a particular contributor to deforestation because it is a high yield crop that is in great demand across the world. This crop in combination with others causes humans to tear down forests and jungles to create farmland. This land is unsuitable for many wild animals and leads to a decline in their population.
There are nine species of tiger, but only six are still present in the world:
Tiger’s need to eat at least one substantial meal per week in order to survive. Because of this they tend to favor densely populated areas such as jungles and forests. Unlike most other cats, tigers like water and are frequently observed in water cleaning themselves. This makes areas with large water sources appealing for tigers as well. This can include areas like swamps and marshes. Tigers also have the natural ability to climb and this is another reason why jungles and forests are predominantly their homes.
Tigers used to roam over much of Eurasia, from Turkey all the way to Japan. Now due to deforestation and poaching their habitats have shrunk drastically. They are now restricted to a much smaller area of central, south, and Southeast Asia, the northeastern part of Russia, India, and Indonesia. Here the remaining wild tigers can still find subsistence off of the land and hunt enough food to survive. While this area may not seem small, it is only 6% of the land which tigers used to roam.
Tigers also prefer dense forests and jungles because this is the environment which suits their hunting capabilities the best. Their natural camouflage in the form of their coats is most useful in densely vegetated environments. This gives them the ability to sneak up on their prey and secure their weekly meal through stealth and cunning.
Tigers prefer to eat large prey to sustain themselves. This predominantly includes deer and boar. However, tigers are not fussy when it comes to their meals and will also hunt many other types of animals. This can include snakes, apes, birds, rabbits, water buffalo and fish. They have also been known to eat other predators like smaller big cats, hyenas and bears. Tigers have even been known to take on prey that is larger than they are when food is scarce.
Tigers typically prefer to eat animals which they have killed themselves. Sometimes tigers will steal another predator's kill, but this is quite uncommon. Tigers tend to be solitary animals and other smaller predators like leopards tend to avoid them. When there is a territorial dispute, tigers will kill and eat other predators from hyenas all the way up to bears. This tends to be more unusual than tigers hunting herbivores.
Tigers predominantly hunt at night which makes them nocturnal hunters. In areas with fewer or no humans tigers have also been known to hunt during the day because they feel safer to do so. Tigers prefer to hunt using stealth and cunning, blending into their environments by using their coats as camouflage. As was mentioned earlier, tigers can reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour but only in short bursts.
Their biggest advantage in hunting is their tremendous strength. They typically pounce on their prey and try to achieve a killing blow immediately. Their size and weight make them particularly suited for this type of hunting. Tigers will usually use their mouths as their weapon of choice. Aiming for critical parts of the body when attacking. Tigers also have incredible strength in their paws and have been known to crush skulls with a single swipe.
Despite their tremendous hunting capabilities they are only successful in hunts 1 in 10 times. This means that they must constantly be on the prowl for prey to sustain themselves. Tigers can go for up to two weeks without a meal. After this period tigers have been observed to eat upwards of 75 pounds of meat in a single sitting. Tigers in zoos are usually fed between 6 and 13 pounds of food per day. Tigers almost always avoid contact with humans, but there have been several cases of tigers preying on humans. This is quite rare because of the severe danger that humans pose to tigers.
Tigers are incredible creatures with a wealth of advantages over their prey. They are strong, powerful, and fast which makes them lethal hunters. Their natural camouflage also helps them to blend into their surroundings to obscure themselves from their prey. These adaptations have evolved over time to make them into what they are today. Read on for more tiger facts about their adaptations.
Tigers have natural camouflage in the form of their coats. This obscures them from view of their prey and allows them to sneak up on their unsuspecting dinner. While their distinct orange coloration may seem obvious to us, this is not the case for many animals. Many animals do not have full color vision and this makes the tiger's coat less obvious to them than it does to humans. Additionally, the striped pattern of their coats allows them to sneak through forests and jungles almost undetected.
Tigers are built for hunting from the ground up. They have soft pads on their feet which allows them to be silent when they walk. They also have particularly strong and long hind legs as well as flexible spines. These two adaptations give them the ability to pounce with tremendous speed and dexterity. Tigers can jump as far as 33 feet in distance although not every tiger is capable of such leaps. All of these adaptations make them superb stealth hunters. Additionally, the soft pads on their feet allow them to expend as little energy as possible while hunting. This benefits them because of how often their prey is able to escape.
Tigers are also extremely strong animals with razor sharp claws. The combination of these two features allows tigers to fight other predators when necessary and makes them even better hunters. Tigers do not often tussle with other predators but their capability to do so makes them feared by even the most powerful animals.
Tigers have the ability to expand their throats which makes them capable of swallowing large pieces of food in a single gulp. This can even include swallowing some of their smaller prey whole. Tigers front legs can curve inwards which makes them able to hold their prey in their mouths as they eat. A tiger’s jaw is very strong which makes it versatile as both a killing and an eating tool. They also have a powerful array of teeth that are adapted for killing, tearing, biting and eating.
Tigers are able to be nocturnal hunters because they have an adaptation in their eyes which allows them to have impeccable night vision. They can also see extremely well during the day, especially at long distances. Their superior night vision to many other animals enables them to be highly effective hunters once the sun has set.
Their hearing is also finely tuned and tigers communicate with one another through something called infrasound. This is sound that has a frequency of less than 20Hz. Many animals cannot hear these sounds which allows tigers to communicate with each other without being heard. These sound waves can travel long distances in forests and jungles and can even travel through dense vegetation.
Lastly a tiger’s sense of smell is acute, but it is not what they rely on for the most part. Smell is predominantly used by tigers to mark their territory and is not used a great deal when hunting.
Tigers used to reside exclusively in India and China before their population became too large, and they had to roam to other areas to find sustenance. This led to a range of adaptations such as the Siberian tiger’s thick coat to survive the icy cold of its environment.
Despite their tremendous geographical spacing, tigers all live in relatively similar environments. They prefer densely populated jungles and forests because of the amount of food they need to eat to survive. They also need a lot of water to maintain their lifestyle which draws them to areas that receive respectable amounts of rainfall. Different types of tigers live in different types of forests and jungles and each subspecies has developed different mutations to thrive in their respective environments.
The Siberian tiger is one notable example of these adaptations as it has evolved thick skin and an even thicker coat. These adaptations allow it to survive the extreme cold in which it lives. Additionally, the Siberian tiger’s thick skin allows it to be more resilient when it is attacked by its prey as the extra fat can absorb some nasty wounds.
Tigers reach sexual maturity at different ages depending on their sex. Female tigers can be sexually mature between ages 3 and 4, while male tigers can be sexually mature between the ages of 4 and 5. Tigers can mate at any time of the year, although they prefer to mate when it is colder. Tigers in warm climates exclusively mate in winter months.
Female tigers carry their cubs for between 3 and 3 and half months before giving birth. They then take care of the cubs until they are capable of taking care of themselves. This is typically at the age of 2. By this time they developed enough to find their own food. Female tigers tend to be superior hunters to male tigers because they need to find their cubs' food while their cubs are unable to do this for themselves. Female tigers will typically give birth to 2 to 3 cubs in one litter. Tigers tend to live to roughly 20 years of age in the wild.
Tigers are incredible creatures and there are plenty of fun tiger facts out there. The following is just a small list of some tiger facts we thought you would enjoy.
Here at Twinkl we take great pride in both the quality of our resources and the wide range of subjects and topics that they cover. We have a wealth of tiger-themed resources on offer as we do for most topics and subjects. The following are examples of some of the best tiger resources available.
Consider these Tiger Photos for your classroom. They are bright and beautiful much like wild tigers. They will make a stunning classroom display and can be used year round. Additionally, these photos can be used as a way of celebrating International Tiger Day.
Try out our Year of the Tiger Informational Poster to teach your students about the Chinese Zodiac Calendar and the Year of the Tiger. It can also be a great option for teaching children about different New Year celebrations across the world.
Our Describe the Tiger Activity is a great way to sharpen your students' writing and reading skills. The activity asks students to circle some adjectives which describe a tiger and then write a short paragraph using these words to describe the tiger.
Tigers are stunning animals and ferocious predators. Their size, weight and strength make them lethal hunters in combination with their natural ability for stealth. Tigers typically live in forests and jungles around India, Asia and Russia. Their natural habitats have shrunk tremendously in the past 100 years and this has contributed to a significantly declining tiger population. Additionally, illegal poaching of tigers is contributing toward their small numbers and their status as an endangered and even critically endangered species.
We still have time to save wild tigers, but this will require drastic intervention such as what is occurring in India. Here the wild tiger population has increased by several thousand since 2004. Conservation efforts need all the help that they can get, and it is our responsibility to help where we can.
If you enjoyed this read then consider checking out the rest of our Wiki. For more great informational content consider signing up for Twinkl.
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