Tiger

Tiger is an alluring creature known for his power, vigor and prowess [bravery]. The term tiger arise from the greek word tigris, which means arrow. The tiger is the largest cat species that has a coat of yellow and brown fur and body covered with black stripes. Tiger is the national animal of India, Malaysia, Bangladesh and south korea. Different species of tiger represents different countries.

There are seven Major levels of Classification of a tiger. They are:

Kingdom: animalia

Species: panthera tigris.

Family: felidae.

Genus: panthera.

Class: mammalia.

Phylum: chordata.

Order: carnivora.

Where they are found:

Wild tigers are found in Asia. The large sub species of tiger including Siberian tiger lives in northern, colder places such as northern and eastern china and eastern Russia. The smaller subspecies of tiger lives in southern, warmer places, like India, laos, Nepal, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bhutan, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia, and they are habitat of grasslands, savannas, rain forests, mangrove swamps, tropical forests, evergreen forests and woodlands.

How tigers spend their time:

Without wasting their energy they simply relaxed during day time. Daytime weather is often too hot to cover long distances for food, so they hunt at night and rest during day. They spend most of the time alone and roaming in their territories.

They can sleep up to 18 to 20 hours every single day under trees shades and cooler places.

Sub species of tiger:

There are nine sub species of tigers, found in different countries. According to sources, the three species of tiger including Balinese tigers, Javan tigers and Caspian tigers has been lost [extinct], means they are not found throughout the world from the last three decades. Now there are six species of tigers, that still survive in the world. They are:

1. Siberian tiger.

2. Bengal tiger. 

3. Malayan tiger.

4. Sumatran tiger.

5. Indochinese tiger.

6. South china tiger.

How and when tigers hunt:

Tigers are patient hunters, they at least stalk their prey for 20 to 30 minutes. Male Tiger are the main hunters, if they have a family they will let the female tigress and cubs eat first. They spend half of their life hunting, after trying 15 to 20 times they can only successful at once and they only eat once in four to five days. When they are successful in killing the prey, they eat as much as possible [They consume minimum 18 to 20 kilograms in one sitting.] They hide themselves under bushes or long grasses, they will be 20 to 30 feet far from its prey and they can jump up to 30 feet. When the target is on point, they jump on them and pull the victim [prey] to the ground. And when the prey is under control they just grab the throat with its strong jaws to insure a speedy death.

Tiger mostly hunts in cool, overcast temperatures, during night times and they can able to see in these conditions far better than humans. 

Tigers mainly focus on 5 things while hunting:

Hearing: They mostly rely on hearing rather than smelling, they slowly move and hide under bushes to catch the prey. They can hear sounds up to 60 kHz, this sensitivity enables them to detect the sounds releases by prey and their movements.

Vision: Tiger’s eye has a retinal adaptation which allows light to reflect back on the retina as well as on the pupils and yellow irises, this is the reason they are able to see clear during night time. The eyesight of a tiger is good during daytime [they can see well] as we do but during night they can see six times better than humans and their eyes has specially designed to see very well at night.

Speed: Tiger are not the fastest runner, they can cover short distances in order to catch the prey and they can able to reach 50 miles or 45 to 80 kilometers per hour.

Teeth: Tigers teeth is of 9 centimeters depending upon the gender and sub species. Their teeth play a major role in hunting, specially designed to grab the flesh of prey.

Claws: The claws of a tiger are sharpest and they are around 13 centimeters in length. They use their claws to bring down the prey. 

What type of food eaten by different sub species of the tiger:

Sub species of tiger eats different types of animals but the favorite or similar diet of all species is deer and wild boars….

Siberian tiger: The favorite foods of Siberian tiger includes deer, wild boar, elk, bear and lynx, they also consume rabbits, fish and small rodents when large prey are rare.

Bengal tiger: The diet of Bengal tiger includes large prey such as gaur, sambar, and chital, they also eats medium sized prey species such as grey languor, wild boar, hog deer and Indian muntjac and in smaller size prey they consume such as water buffalo, barasingha, serow and nilgai.

Malayan tiger: The Malayan tiger is the top predator, they are so valuable because they keeps number of wild boars under control. They consume wild boar, sambar deer, barking deer, young elephants, rhinoceros and they also eats reptiles, birds and monkeys.

Sumatran tiger: Like all tigers, they will also prey on any available animal, big or small. Their diet includes monkeys, wild boar, fishes, deer, tapirs and many others.

Indochinese tiger: They can consume whatever flesh or animal is available. They feed on wild pigs, buffalo, sambar deer, antelope, serow, banteng and sometimes they also go after birds, turtles, fishes, monkeys, hog badgers, porcupines, young elephant and baby rhinoceros.

South china tiger: They hunt large mammals, such as wild boars, goats, deer, cattle, gray languor, hog deer, muntjac and also feed on small prey species such as hares, porcupines and peafowl. They eat their food depending upon the size of the prey, availability of meat and the length of time. They can consume 15 to 40 kilograms of meat in one sitting.

Body features:

Tiger has a large head, a muscular body with strong forelimbs and a tail that is half the length of its body. His fur is thick and heavy.

Size: The size of a tiger is depends upon the sub species and habitat. They can grow as long as 13 feet [4 m].The length of an adult tiger is minimum 2.5 to 3.9 meter and female [adult] is 2 to 2.8 meter and the body weight of male tiger [adult] is up to 90-300 kg and female weigh is 60-170 kg.

Hair: All the body is covered with hair, this hair provides them protection, cover them and camouflage them in their habitats. Tigers have two types of hair, guard hair and underfur. The guard hair protects the skin and its long in length and the underfur traps hair in order to insulate [cover] and it is shorter in length.

Tail: Tiger’s tail is about three feet long [1m] and they use their tail for balance when tight turns in pursuit of prey. They also use their tail to communicate. When they are angry or violent, they will move the tail quickly from side to side and when they are relaxed, the tail hangs loosely.

Eye sight: Tigers have eyes with round pupils and good eyesight. They have yellow eyes but white tigers have blue eyes due to gene. They have large pupils, which allows them to see clearly during daytime and during night the tiger can see six times more clearly than humans. And that is reason they hunt for prey at night.

Tongue: Tiger’s tongue is so rough, which are covered with numerous little, sharp, rear facing projections called papillae. These papillae give the tongue the rasping texture. They use their tongue for cleaning their fur and their cubs.

Teeth and jaw: Tigers have carnassials teeth, the grown up tigers have total 30 teeth, 16 teeth are in top jaw and only 14 teeth are in lower jaw. They have the largest canine teeth of all big cat species and their size is around 6.4 to 7.6 cm. These sharp teeth are specially design for tearing meat from bones. They are able to cut the skin of a buffalo. They use their powerful jaws to trap and kill prey. The back teeth are use to cut the meat from the prey bones and they pick pieces and feather of prey’s with front teeth [incisors].

Legs: Tigers are the fast predator. Their legs are so powerful that they can remain standing even when dead. The front legs of a tiger are shorter than their hind legs and the bones of front legs are strong, which dense to hold up the large musculature needed to take down their prey.

Claws: Tiger has five claws in each paw and one specialized claw called a dewclaw, this claw is located further back on the foot and does not touch the ground when walking. The five sharp claws are a vital weapon against any animal. A male’s paw is larger than female paw. The tiger claws are up to 10 cm and they use their claws to grab and hold the prey, they also use their claws for marking their territory by scratching trees, this sharpens the claws.

Tiger’s attack:

As per the sources, nearly 85 humans are killed and injured each year by tiger’s attack. Between 1800 and 2009, 373,000 people died due to tiger’s attack all over the world but the majority of these occurred in south and south east Asia.

During 1900s, 1000 people were killed each year in India with one individual Bengal tigress killing 436 people. According to the country’s tiger census, tiger killed around 225 people between 2014 and 2019 across India and 31 people killed in 2020 alone. It has been recorded that tiger has been responsible for more humans death than other wild animal.

What are the reasons behind tiger’s attack:

Tiger’s attack humans when they enter their territory, comes too close, when they disturbs a feeding tiger, a sleeping tiger or a tigress with her cubs.

The Bengal tigress are man eaters, they used to kill nearly fifty to sixty people a year. Humans are not their main diet but sometimes they change their natural diet to become man eaters. 

Most of the man eating tigers are old, handicaps or have missing teeth.

Why tigers are getting extinct:

According to a report released by traffic between 2000 and 2018, nearly 124 tigers were killed each year throughout the world. Around 3,900 tigers remain in the wild, according to world wild fund. Beginning of the 20 th century, 95 percent of tiger’s population is lost. Humans are clearing forests [removal of trees and grazing lands] for building of roads and for agriculture, their habitat has been disturbed, destroyed and degraded by all this human activities tigers are getting extinct.

Why tigers are being killed by humans:

In India, around 100 wild tigers killed by poachers or die due to variety of causes like natural causes, forest fires or electrocuted by fence erected by farmers. They are killed by poachers for their skin, bones and other body parts. The demand is very high for traditional Chinese medicines.

It is illegal to sell animals body parts but the demand and cost of tiger parts is high in both national and international market. In black market dead tiger is more valuable than a live one and their skin can costs up to 25,000 USD.

In middle eastern countries tiger parts are suppose to heal the liver and kidneys and are to cure the skin diseases, baldness, epilepsy, toothaches, nightmares, laziness, headaches, hydrophobia, inflammation etc.

Tiger’s pelts are in higher demand for many different purposes. Many cat species are being hunt for their skin and for the stripes on the fur, their skin is supposed to be so soft and smooth. The tiger skin and fur is so valuable and expensive. There is no fixed price for such items, its cost nearly 7 lakhs in the Indian market and around 20 lakhs in the international market.

Tiger skin is turned into rugs, used to decorate homes and it is believed that it cures fever when the victim sits on it. According to some cultures, it symbolize power, wealth and it fur means loyalty and bravery.

A tiger’s paw is worth 1000 dollar and their bones are use to make bone strengthening wine. In traditional Chinese medicine, this wine has been used for over 1000 years and its sell over 20,000 to 30,000 dollars a case.

Tiger bones are beneficial and costly it is believed that its cure conditions like arthritis and rheumatism and also treats malaria, typhoid, ulcers, burns and dysentery. The other parts of the body like whiskers worn as talismans or protective charms.

Of what tigers are afraid of:

Both tiger and tigress are afraid of fire, bright lights, heat, and loud sounds. But in circus shows tigers are forced to jump through rings of fire. They are also afraid of fire crackers bursting or dynamite explosions while mining and quarrying in or around the forest.

How do they show affection: They express affection while communicating with each other, they will touch each other body and rub their faces and they will show affection by chuffing, happy tail quivers, running to greet and mutual grooming. They show their happiness by closing their eyes because they cannot purr.

Tiger has feelings and they also feel/has emotions, like happy, sad, anger, depress. They also sometimes becomes aggressive, it all depends upon their mood.

Communication: Tigers visually communicate each other by using body languages. They bark, roar, growl, chuff and mutter in a low, rolling sound [like a short purr] to greet each other. They also use tails to communicate. When they are in angry mood they start twisting their ears, a lashing tail, and wide open eyes. And when they are relaxed their tail hangs loosely.

They also roar loudly when they are ready for mating and mothers use soft groans to call their young ones.

How tiger gets feeling:

Female tiger sexually mature at 3 or 4 years of age but males do it a little later, at the age of 4 or 5.

A male tiger start getting feelings when the female tiger urinate in very distinctive smelling urine and begin to vocalize loudly to attract a nearby male to come towards her.

Female tiger becomes restless and vocal, leaving her scent by spray marking, rubbing herself on bushes and scratching trees, by all this they allure males. The readiness of a tigress to mate announced through vocalization. Females give final hint to the male by laying down on the ground and presenting herself to him for mounting. There is no fixed breeding season, they can mates all year around and the act of breeding is short and not so sweet.

When both are ready for mating they lick each other and rub their bodies. When the male penis barbed into female ovary to induce ovulation, it will be quite painful to her, when the mating is finished the male immediately jumps off because she will roar and turn around and try to slap him with her clawed paws.

While mating they lick each other faces, male bites female neck and they both rolls on the ground.

They mate over three to four days and they mate 30 times in a day and sometimes doing every 5 to 7 minutes.

Males don’t mate only with one female, they mate with many females. After the tigress gets pregnant males has nothing to do with the female or cubs. Females leave their territory and isolate themselves to deliver their cubs.

The gestation period of tigress is about 93 to 112 days. It is difficult to know a pregnant tigress because they don’t begin to show a bulge until the last 8 to 12 days of pregnancy. They give birth to a litter every two years [a litter may have up to 7 cubs but the average is 3]. The birth of a litter of cubs takes about an hour with cubs being born every 15 to 20 minutes.

When cubs are born their weight from 780 to 1,600 g each at birth and are born with closed eyes. They open their eyes when they are 7 to 14 days old. They start eating meat when they are 8 weeks old.

How female tiger take care of their cubs: Male is present only in the mating phase, female take sole charge of caring their cubs. Protect them from animals, humans and even from the male tigers, they will also attack or kill if needed. They teach them how to hunt when they are around six months old and they will be fully independent at around 18 months. They don’t separate their cubs until two years, the male cubs grows early than female cubs and male cubs leave their mothers earlier.

Some fascinating facts about tigers:

They are the largest amongst the other wild cats.

Tigers are smart and bold.

Tigers nails are use to create medicinal antidotes.

A punch from a tiger can kill a person.

Their cubs are born blind and they open their eyes after 1 to 2 weeks of birth.

Tiger are great swimmers and they like to play with water.

Tigers are the lonely creatures.

They are active at night.

They cannot purr.

They roar rarely.

We can hear tiger’s roar from up to 2 miles away.

The tiger legs are so strong that they can remain standing even when dead.

They have antiseptic saliva.

Tigers group are called an ambush or streak.

They communicate each other through visual signals and using sounds like roars, snarls and hisses.

They can mate with other big cats.

They can sprint at over 60 kilometer per hour.

Their urine smells like buttered popcorn.

Lifespan: Minimum they can live up to 8 to 10 years but maximum they can reach up to 20 years of age in the wild.

Conclusion:

Thus, the tigers are solitary creatures, they build their own territory and they mostly consume animals not humans. Not all the species of tigers are man eater, some attack or kill humans in order to save their cubs, when they enter their territory or disturb a sleeping tiger. Save them and don’t kill them for their body parts. The three sub species of tigers has been lost from decades, if the other species also get extinct, it will affect the whole ecosystem. They are the unique creatures which plays a crucial role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem. They are the top predators which is at the apex of the food chain, they keeps the population of wild ungulates under control and maintains the balance between prey herbivores and the vegetation upon which they feed. Therefore, the existence of tigers in the forest is an indicator of the well being of the ecosystem. So don’t kill them, save them because they are the beauty of the jungle.