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Tiger
Tiger
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Tiger terrain

The tiger is the largest member of the cat family. It stands at the top of the food chain.

The tiger's original home was China, but long ago they spread northwards to Siberia, westwards as far as the Caspian Sea, through India and Burma, and south to Sumatra, Java and Bali. In just the last 50 years, three subspecies of tiger -- the Bali Tiger, Javan Tiger and Caspian Tiger -- have become extinct. Five subspecies survive: the Amur (Siberian), South China, Indo-Chinese, Bengal, and Sumatran tigers. All living kinds of tigers are endangered.

The subspecies differ slightly in size, colour and markings.
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Class Mammalia(mammal)
Order Carnivora (meat-eating mammals)
Family Felidae (cats)


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The royal tiger
The tiger is one of the most magnificent and imposing of animals. It has a powerful muscular body with big paws and large, curved claws which help to make it the perfect hunter. The claws are retractile, that is, they can be pulled in into the paw.

The tiger is a distinctive reddish-yellow to rust-brown in colour on the back, streaked with black stripes. The underside is pale white. Young tigers have similar coloration but their stripes are more grey-brown.

Claws A few individuals may be white or almost black. White tigers are actually albinos. The first one was spotted in the forests of Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, India. 'Black' tigers are not really black but because they have wider black stripes, they appear darker.

The tiger's large head, piercing yellow eyes, and long, sharp teeth set in wide cheekbones give it a formidable appearance. Tigers have a wide beardlike growth on the cheeks, more developed in males than in females. Some tigers even have a short mane on the neck.

A large male Bengal tiger is about 3m long from nose to tail. Of this, the tail measures 1m. It might weigh as much as 250 kg. Female tigers are somewhat smaller.

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Behaviour patterns
The cat that hunts alone
Tigers are usually solitary animals except when breeding, when a female is rearing cubs, or when a group of young ones stay together for a short while after their mother has left them to fend for themselves.

Male tigers have territories which they fiercely defend against other males. These territories could also cover the home ranges of several females. Both males and females mark the boundaries of their areas by spraying a mixture of urine and scent on the trees, bushes and grass. Claw marking of tree trunks is also a way of marking boundaries.

Once a tiger selects its territory, it spends most of its time in the centre of the area and returns to it after a hunting expedition. Hunting territories are well separated so there is enough distance between individual tigers. Space is very important. It reduces the frequency of fights between males competing for females.

Breeding habits
During the mating season, tigers communicate with each other over long distances with a loud "aa-uuu-aa-uuu" roar, the emphasis being on the first syllable.

Tigers can breed at any time of year, but they usually mate in winter or spring. The mating period lasts 20 to 30 days. If a female does not find a mate at the right time, she may come on heat again later.

A tigress bears cubs only once every three-four years. In the north the gap is even more -- only every four-five years.

Normally, two to four cubs are born after a gestation period of about 113 days. On rare occasions a tigress may produce as many as six cubs, but the chances of all surviving are slim. A newborn cub weighs 800-1,500 gms. It is 31-40 cm from head to tail. Its eyes usually open by the tenth day. Milk teeth appear after two weeks.

Tiger Cub During its first eight weeks, the cubs drink their mother's milk though the tigress continues to feed them on meat for five to six months. The mother usually brings up the cubs single-handedly. The father takes no responsibility in the rearing of the young ones.

When the cubs are two months old, the mother brings them out of the den. The cubs are playful, adventurous, and curious about the world around them. The tigress has now to provide not only for herself but also for the young ones. When she hunts, she takes care not to leave the cubs alone for too long. At first, she brings them small prey animals. After six months the cubs are old enough to be left alone for several days. The young tigers begin hunting alone when they are 11 months old.


            
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