The tiger is considered the king of the forest as the mascot representing many beliefs and religions. In many countries in East and Southeast Asia, tigers are revered and respected, especially countries like Vietnam, China, India …
Introduction to the tiger
The tiger, whose scientific name is Panthera tigris, is the largest animal in the cat family (Felidae). In the local language, tigers are also known as tigers, lobsters, sea buckthorn and lynx … In the wild, in terms of size, tigers are the third largest land carnivore in the world, behind only polar bears. and brown bears. .
The habitats of tigers are dense forests or large grasslands where they can be easily endangered to hunt or escape predators. Tigers are very good at climbing, only inferior to domestic cats, but they are very developed in terms of swimming ability.
In the wild, tigers live on their own and only sometimes mate during mating season. They are the last link in the food chains. All animals can be preyed on by tigers, mainly from mid-range animals like deer, buffaloes, cows … to small animals like rabbits, chickens, ducks … Large objects such as elephants can also fall prey to tigers in exceptional circumstances.
Currently, tigers live and are distributed in Asian countries like Russia, China, India, Vietnam, Iran, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand … In Vietnam, the number of tigers tend to decrease. , living only in remote forest areas on the border between Vietnam and Laos, Nghe An and Lam Dong.
Over the past century, the number of tigers in the world has declined rapidly, due to illegal hunting. Tigers are hunted primarily for their skin, feathers, teeth, bones, and some other organs. It is estimated that the number of wild tigers in Vietnam is only around 200.
Biological characteristics of tigers
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There are many varieties of tigers in the world, depending on the geographical location and the climatic environment, of different sizes. The male tiger is on average 2.6 to 3.3 m long and weighs 150 to 360 kg. The female tiger measures an average of 2.3 to 2.75 m long and weighs 100 to 160 kg on average.
The largest species of tiger in the world is the Siberian tiger with a length of up to 3.5 m and a weight of 360 kg. The smallest species of tiger in the world is the Sumatran tiger with a length of around 2.6 meters and an average weight of 75-140 kg.
Tigers in general have long, slender bodies for ease of movement and hunting.
Color
Most species of tigers have yellow, black, and white stripes on the chest, tail, legs, and neck. The color of the yellow coat can range from dark yellow, orange to redder. There are also many different color variations recorded such as:
White tiger: black and white fur stripes. These are some of the rare individuals synthesizing a recessive trait, and not albinism.
Yellow tiger: the coat color is lighter than the normal tiger coat color, the color of black stripes also turns into brown stripes.
Black tiger: because the body is infected with the habitat pigments, the hair also gradually turns black to adapt.
Biological behavior
Tigers are lonely. Each tiger has its own territory, which can extend up to 160 km. They only meet and live together during the mating season, from February to November each year.
Each pairing period of male and female tigers can last 5-7 days, one day can have sex 2-3 times, and each time is no more than 1 minute. When female tigers are successfully conceived, they growl and chase the male tiger.
The average gestation period for tigers is 105 days, with an average of 2 tigers. There are also cases of pregnancy of 1 to 5 tigers. The survival rate of hind tigers is quite low. Therefore, the mother tiger will take care of them and feed them until they reach adulthood, usually 3 years old.
There are also cases of male tigers, female tigers and young tigers living in groups, but this is a very rare case.
Classification of tiger species
Scientists have created the largest species of tiger in the world: the Liger.
In the wild, there are 9 different breeds of tigers, 3 of which are extinct:
Bali tiger – Panthera tigris balica
Java tiger – Panthera tigris sondaica
Persian tiger – Panthera tigris virgata
The other breeds of tigers classified in increasing number are:
Panthera tigris amoyensis: currently around 59 individuals are in captivity.
Sumatran tiger – Panthera tigris sumatrae: Currently, around 500 individuals live on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Siberian tiger – Panthera tigris altaica: living mainly in eastern Russia, with a population of around 540 individuals.
Panthera tigris jacksoni, living in the south of the Malay Peninsula with a population of 600 to 800 individuals.
The Indochinese tiger – Panthera tigris corbetti, is found in Indochina, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, and southern China. The number is around 1200-1800.
Bengal Tiger – Panthera tigris tigris, found in Southeast Asia, including India, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The wild population is estimated at 2000.
Maybe you didn’t know: the biggest tiger in the world?
As is known, the largest individuals of individual tigers reached only a maximum weight of 360 kg. However, with the advancement of modern science and technology, scientists have created the largest species of tiger in the world – the Liger.
Liger is a cross between a lion (Lion) and a tiger (Tiger). Because they are hybrids, they synthesize all the dominant traits of both species, Liger’s weight can be up to 400 kg.
Because the living environment of the parent species is quite different, ligers currently exist in captivity. The record for the world’s largest tiger belongs to an 18-year-old liger from Bloemfontein Zoo in South Africa, weighing up to 798 kg.
Hope the interesting facts about this tiger have provided you with a lot of useful knowledge. Tigers are rare and endangered animals in the wild, so please take steps to protect them.
