Where do tigers live on the world map. Where do tigers live in Russia and foreign countries? Do tigers live in Africa?

At the beginning of the twentieth century, about 100,000 tigers lived on Earth, most of which lived in India (40,000 individuals). In the 21st century, the number and habitat of animals has decreased significantly. According to rough estimates, there are no more than 4,000 tigers left in the wild.

Previously, these striped animals lived in many countries: India, China, eastern Russia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan. In addition to the mainland, tigers inhabited the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Bali. Now it is rare to see a tiger even in the once most common places.

The largest population of Bengal tigers lives in the territories of the following states: Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan. The representative of the panther genus prefers to settle in dry savannas, rain and mangrove forests. Its population is about 2,000 individuals.

Indochinese tiger inhabits the territories of China, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. One of the largest populations lives in Malaysia. It was possible to preserve the animal population in this country with the help of harsh laws punishing poaching.

Another representative of the species Amur tiger lives in Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krai of Russia. A small number of Amur tigers inhabit North Korea and northeastern China. This is the largest subspecies of tigers of all living ones; already at the age of six months its weight and size exceed the parameters of an adult leopard.

Chinese tigers- a species that is on the verge of extinction. There are no animals left in the wild. All tigers of this species live in captivity in China. The government is doing everything possible to return tigers to the wild.

In addition to the continents, tigers also live on the Malacca Peninsula and the island of Sumatra. These tigers differ from their mainland relatives in their size. Malayan and Sumatran tigers weigh significantly less than their relatives. A male Malayan tiger weighs up to 120 kg, while a Sumatran tiger weighs 100-130 kg.

White and golden tigers are also found in nature. This animal color is the result of a mutation. As a rule, one such individual appears for every 10,000 individuals with a normal color. Most often, animals appear in captivity because they are descendants of the same animal. White and golden tigers live mainly in zoos and private nurseries.

Panthera tigris
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae

It seems that tigers have always awakened much more complex feelings in humans than any other animals: let’s remember their literary images - from the treacherous Shere Khan from R. Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” to the “Guardian of the West” who protects people from Korean mythology. Tigers have recently become a symbol of wildlife conservation, and their future now depends entirely on whether people can find a balance between their growing needs and the need to save the Earth's nature.

Tigers and lions, considered the largest of all living cats, are almost the same size. The largest tigers live in Hindustan and Russia, where the weight of males varies from 180 to 300 kg, while tigers in more southern island populations are much smaller in size - the average weight of male Sumatran tigers does not exceed 100-150 kg.

The Amur tiger is the largest living member of the cat family: a medium-sized male can weigh from 150 to 300 kg. The documented record belonged to a beast weighing 384 kg.

Facts about tigers

Highlighted 8 subspecies of tigers:

1. Bengal (Indian) tiger (P.t. tigris): India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, western Myanmar, Nepal;
2. Indochinese tiger (P. t. corbetti): Kampuchea, China, Laos, Malaysia, eastern Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam;
3. Sumatran tiger (P. t: sumatrae): Sumatra;
4. Amur tiger (P. t. altaica): Russia, China, North Korea (unconfirmed data);
5. South China tiger (amoyensis) (P. t. amoyensis): China;
6. Caspian (Guranian) tiger (P. t. virgata): once lived in Afghanistan, Iran, the Republic of Turkmenistan and the adjacent Chinese territory, in Turkey - now extinct;
7. Javan tiger (P. t. sondaica) - extinct;
8. Bali tiger (P. t. balica) - extinct.

Distributed in India, Southeast Asia, China, southeast Russia. Habitats range from the reed beds of Central Asia to the tropical rain forests of Southeast Asia and the coniferous-deciduous forests of the Russian Far East.

The body length of a male Bengal tiger is 2.7-3.1 m, a female is 2.4-2.65 m; male weight 180-258 kg, female 100-160 kg.

Colour: black stripes on a bright red background on the back and sides; the lower part of the body is mostly white; Males have a noticeable “collar” of thick, long hair around their heads. The color of the Amur tiger is paler, with seasonal color changes. Sometimes there are white tigers with chocolate stripes.

The main food object is large ungulates. They also hunt smaller animals, such as monkeys, badgers, and even fish.

Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 3-4 years, males somewhat later - at 4-5 years; There are usually 2-3 cubs in a litter (sometimes 1-7). The duration of pregnancy is 103 days. Young animals become independent at the age of 1.5-2 years.

Lifespan tiger up to 15 years old (in captivity up to 26 years old).

Conservation status

All tigers are listed as endangered. Populations are rapidly declining due to poaching, habitat loss and decreasing food supply. Three of the eight recognized subspecies are already extinct, and the South China tiger is critically endangered.

Made to kill. Structure and functions

The structure of all representatives of the cat family ideally corresponds to their hunting specialization. They are fluent in the art of covert pursuit, ambush and killing the victim. Different types of cats differ from each other mainly in coat color and size. Tigers, like other “big cats,” mainly hunt prey that is significantly larger than them; They are characterized by short front legs with well-developed muscles and long, sharp, retractable claws, with which they can grab and hold their prey. The skull is shortened, which enhances the leverage effect when working with powerful jaws. Tigers usually kill animals with a crushing bite to the back of the neck, although in some cases they strangle their prey by placing a death grip on its throat.

For the hunt to end in success, the tiger must first crawl as close to the prey as possible; then he straightens up to his full height and rushes to the attack, covering the remaining distance with several powerful leaps. Typically, a tiger attacks from behind, trying to grab onto the shoulder, neck or back of its prey. One in ten or even twenty attacks is successful.

These cats are unusually impressive in appearance: their orange-red and white fur is decorated with black stripes; The uniqueness of the color lies in the fact that each tiger can be identified by its unique arrangement of stripes. White tigers, which are quite widely represented in zoos (the stripes on their fur are most often chocolate-colored, so they cannot be considered full albinos), are descended from Mohan, a male Bengal tiger captured by the Maharajah of the Rewa district in India (now the state of Madhya Pradesh). Although the colors of tigers vary somewhat in different parts of their range (representatives of populations living in the rain forests of Southeast Asia are darker), the vertical arrangement of stripes, characteristic of all subspecies, provides these cats with excellent camouflage.

Tiger habitats. Spreading

The play of sunlight and the continuous movement of mine shadows cast by tall grasses, bushes and trees provide tigers with the opportunity to sneak up unnoticed. Probably, only this environmental factor is common to many different biotopes where the tiger has ever flourished as a species. Its range includes the tropical rain forests of the Sunda Islands, tall grass and floodplain forests of northern India and Nepal, mixed deciduous, dry evergreen and dry tall forests of Thailand, mangrove swamps of the Sundarbans, as well as temperate and boreal forests of the Russian Far East; Until quite recently, the tiger lived in the reed thickets, tugai forests and mountain forests of the Caspian region.

An attacking tiger in a jump can fully serve as a symbol of strength and swiftness, an example of the most perfect predator on Earth. While searching for prey or patrolling its territory, the tiger is quite capable of covering distances of up to 10-20 km every day.

The main characteristic of tigers' habitats is the presence of dense vegetation, which the animals skillfully use, hiding in it before starting to hide their prey. In addition, animals need sources of water, which is important in hot climates, and a high population density of large ungulates, the main prey of these predators. The distribution of tigers, as well as many features of their behavior and social structure of populations, are determined primarily by the abundance of species that form the basis of their diet - deer, bovids and pigs.

Keeping in touch at a distance. Social behavior of tigers

Unlike lions and cheetahs, which hunt in open spaces, the tiger hides and ambushes its prey, so hunting alone is usually the most effective for it. In areas with dense vegetation, where prey are dispersed over large areas, the benefits of cooperative hunting are minimized. Therefore, the social organization of tigers is not characterized by life in a community; these animals maintain connections with each other mainly at a distance.

Radio tracking in Nepal, India and Russia has shown that males and females occupy individual territories, which they protect from other tigers of the same sex. Females settle in a smaller territory, and their choice is determined by the availability of food and water resources necessary for the tigress to survive and raise offspring. Males try to take control and protection of the maximum possible number of individual areas of females.

The size of individual territories depends on the strength and fighting qualities of the males who occupy them. Typically, a male who is able to defend his territory from invasion by other tigers has exclusive mating rights with all females whose territories are included in his domain.

Despite the fact that the manifestation of territoriality is characteristic of all tigers, the size of the territories themselves depends on the population density of the animals that the predators hunt. In Nepal and India, which have a very high density of ungulate populations, the average area of ​​a female's individual home range is only 20 square meters. km, while in the Russian Far East, where the density of ungulate populations is extremely low, the area of ​​an individual territory can reach 470 sq. km. Stray tigers are mostly young animals approaching sexual maturity; they strive to acquire their own territory - they cross already occupied areas and move along their borders, waiting for the opportunity to penetrate into other people's possessions.

The male can determine the reproductive state of females by the smell of their marks. When sniffing, the tiger raises its head high, and its muzzle is distorted by a peculiar grimace called “flemen” - while the animal’s lips are strongly retracted and the mouth is wide open, thanks to which odorous substances easily reach the corresponding receptors of the Jacobson’s organ, which analyzes both the smell and taste.

Protecting an individual territory is fraught with serious dangers: even if a tiger wins a fight, it can receive serious injuries that will deprive it of the ability to hunt. It is not surprising that tigers try to notify their opponents of their presence in advance in order to avoid a direct confrontation. They spray urine mixed with anal gland secretions onto shrubs, trees, and rocky surfaces, and leave marks in the form of feces and scrapes in various parts of their territory using roads, trails, and other conspicuous places. Surely, such identification marks are perceived by neighbors and visiting tigers as a signal “the area is occupied,” although it is possible that they also carry other information, in particular, individual differences between animals.

Tigers become sexually mature by the age of 3 - 5 years, but it still takes them some time to establish their own territory and prepare for reproduction. Mating can occur at any time of the year, even in winter. Females in estrus notify males about this with the help of increased roars and active scent marking of the territory. After a pregnancy of 103 days, the female gives birth to an average of two to three blind, helpless kittens. For at least the first month, the cubs feed on their mother's milk, and the tigress keeps them in the den where they were born, or carries them to other places, carefully grabbing them by the scruff of the neck with her teeth.

In hot areas, tigers can spend most of the day near rivers and other bodies of water; They often stand or lie in the water to cool off. Tigers are skilled swimmers; sometimes they can easily swim across rivers 7-8 km wide.

After 1-2 months, the cubs begin to accompany their mother on the hunt, staying behind her. Only six-month-old tiger cubs begin to learn the techniques of tracking, hiding and killing prey. Males do not participate in raising cubs, although at times they join the family, and sometimes even share their prey with the tigress and her cubs.

Tiger cubs depend on their mother for up to 15 months, after which they gradually disperse.

Tigers and people

The relationship between people and tigers is complex. People from different parts of the world, fascinated by the majesty of tigers, strive to save these animals from extinction. Residents of countries where tigers live are trying to find a balance between meeting their own needs - and sometimes saving their lives - and addressing the problem of conservation of the species. If there is no natural prey, tigers begin to hunt livestock. Such predatory attacks are usually carried out either by young settling individuals, or by old, wounded or physically weakened tigers driven out of their territory by young and strong animals. Less commonly, although unfortunately still too often, tigers kill people.

There are three main reasons why tigers become man-eaters: injury, old age and hunger. It happens, although extremely rarely, that tiger cubs pick up the habit of cannibalism from their mothers. In India, tigers, having noticed a moving living creature from behind (a person bending down while collecting firewood), realize too late that the object of their attack was a person. Under such circumstances, a single blow is often fatal, and the tiger does not eat its victim, leaving it at the scene of the kill. In other cases, a person accidentally comes across a tigress with cubs or a tiger near killed prey and dies as a result of an attack caused by parental instinct or an attempt to defend its prey on its territory. The third common reason for tigers to attack people is an attempt to drive people away from potential prey: predators kill shepherds trying to protect their herd.

There is only one place on Earth where tiger cannibalism has become quite common. This place is the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, located in the delta of the Ganges River. The biotope of the Sundarbans Nature Reserve is absolutely unique, as it is represented by mangrove forests. The tigers living here have no fear of humans; This is probably due to the historical fact that the Sundarbans are the only Indian territory where sport hunting of tigers has never existed.

The sad story of the destruction of tigers

Of the eight recognized tiger subspecies, the three smallest and most isolated are already extinct. The first to disappear from our planet was the Bali tiger (the last reliable report of the sighting of the Bali tiger dates back to 1939); followed by the Turanian and Javan tigers, which were last seen in 1968 and 1979, respectively. Now the South China tigers are on the verge of extinction. Tigers of other subspecies also face a serious threat of extinction from the face of the Earth.

There are three main threats to tigers living today: direct poaching, habitat destruction, and depletion of the food supply. Enormous damage to predator populations is caused by the growing demand for tiger bones, caused by the needs of the market for traditional oriental medicine, and the hunting of tigers for their skins, which attracts lovers of hunting trophies. Efforts to curb illegal trade have yielded positive results, but its scale remains significant.

Tiger habitats are being degraded by human activity and are being fragmented due to the growth of the human population. When tiger populations are torn into separate fragments within their former range, the ego dooms the animals to isolation and reduction in numbers, which ultimately brings them close to the risk of extinction from the wild.

But even if the tigers’ habitats are reliably protected, the predators need an abundant food supply. The decline in the number of ungulates has already left many areas of Asia without tigers, which in all other respects are quite suitable for these predators. Strengthening control over the shooting of ungulates in such areas, coupled with a ban on all hunting in protected areas, will undoubtedly benefit both people and tigers.

Ultimately, tigers can only survive if local people become interested in their conservation and protection. People living in various parts of the tiger's range perceive it as an inevitable but necessary component of the environment.

The tiger (lat. Panthera tigris) is a predatory mammal from the fairly large family of Felines, as well as a typical representative of the genus Panther (lat. Panthera) from the subfamily Big cats. Translated from Greek, the word “Tiger” means “Sharp and fast.”

Description of tigers

Representatives of this species include the largest predatory animals from the Feline family. Almost all subspecies of currently known tigers are among the largest and most powerful land predators, so in terms of mass, such mammals are second only to brown and polar bears.

Appearance, coloring

The tiger is the largest and heaviest of all wild cats. However, different subspecies differ markedly from each other not only in their characteristic appearance, but also in size and average body weight, and mainland representatives of this species are always noticeably larger than island tigers. The largest today are the Amur subspecies and Bengal tigers, adult males of which reach a length of 2.5-2.9 m and weigh up to 275-300 kg and even a little more.

The average height of the animal at the withers is 100-115 cm. The elongated body of the predatory mammal is massive, muscular and excellent flexibility, and its front part is noticeably better developed than the back and sacrum. The tail is long, with uniform fluff, always ends in a black tip and is distinguished by transverse stripes that form a continuous type of ring around it. The powerful, strong front paws of the animal have five toes, and the hind paws have four toes. All fingers of such an animal have retractable claws.

The rounded large head has a noticeably protruding facial part and a convex frontal region. The skull is quite massive, with widely spaced cheekbones and nasal bones extending onto the maxillary bones. The ears are relatively small in size, rounded in shape. There are tanks on the sides of the head.

White, very elastic vibrissae are typically arranged in four or five rows, and their length reaches 165 mm with an average thickness of 1.5 mm. The pupils are round in shape, the iris is yellow. All adult tigers, along with most other representatives of the cat family, have three dozen well-developed and strong, sharp teeth.

This is interesting! The male's tracks are larger and more elongated than those of the females, and the middle fingers protrude quite clearly in the forward direction. The length of the male's track is 150-160 mm with a width of 130-140 mm, the female's is 140-150 mm with a width of 110-130 mm.

The predatory mammal of the southern type is distinguished by short and rather sparse, low hair with good density. Northern tigers have fluffy and fairly tall fur. The underlying background color can range from a rusty-reddish tint to a rusty-brown color. The area of ​​the abdomen and chest, as well as the inner surface of the paws, are light in color.

There are characteristic light markings on the back of the ears. There are transverse vertical stripes on the body and neck, which are located quite densely on the back half. On the muzzle below the location of the nostrils, in the area of ​​the whiskers, chin and lower jaw, a pronounced white coloration is noted. The forehead, parietal and occipital areas are characterized by the presence of a complex and variable pattern formed by short transverse black stripes.

It is important to remember that the distance between the stripes and their shape vary greatly among representatives of different subspecies, but in most cases more than a hundred stripes cover the animal’s skin. The striped pattern is also present on the skin of the predator, so if you shave off all the fur, it is completely restored in accordance with the original type of coloring.

Character and lifestyle

The tiger, regardless of subspecies, is a very typical representative of territorial animals. Adults lead a solitary lifestyle and have their own area where they hunt. An individual area, ranging in size from 20 to 100 km 2, is very fiercely protected by the predator from the encroachments of other representatives of the genus, but the territory of the male and female may well overlap.

Tigers are not able to pursue their prey for several hours, so such a predatory animal attacks with a lightning-fast dash from a special ambush after the prey is caught up. Predatory mammals from the Felidae family hunt in two different ways: very quietly creeping up on the prey or waiting for their prey in a pre-selected ambush. Moreover, the maximum distance between such a hunter and his prey can be quite impressive, but not more than 120-150 m.

This is interesting! During the hunt, an adult tiger has a jump height of up to five meters, and the length of such a jump can reach about ten meters.

The surprise of an attack practically does not give any victim of a wild animal even the slightest chance of survival, which is due to the inability of the animal to gain sufficient speed for a life-saving escape. An adult and strong tiger can literally be near its frightened prey in a matter of seconds. Males quite often share part of their prey, but exclusively with females.

How long do tigers live?

Amur tigers in natural conditions live about fifteen years, but when kept in captivity their life expectancy is slightly longer, averaging twenty years. The lifespan of a Bengal tiger in captivity can reach a quarter of a century, but in the wild it is only fifteen years. Indochinese, Sumatran and Chinese tigers can live eighteen years in the wild. The Malayan tiger is considered to be a real long-liver among tigers, whose life expectancy in natural conditions is a quarter of a century, and when kept in captivity - about four to five years more.

Types of tigers

There are only nine subspecies belonging to the Tiger species, but by the beginning of the last century only six of them managed to survive on the planet:

• (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Ussuri, North China, Manchurian or Siberian tiger - living mainly in the Amur region, on the territory of the Jewish Autonomous Okrug, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. The largest subspecies, distinguished by thick and fluffy, rather long fur, having a dull red background and not too many stripes;
• (Panthera tigris tigris) - is the nominate subspecies of the tiger, living in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, in Nepal, Myanmar and Bhutan. Representatives of this subspecies inhabit a wide range of different biotopes, including tropical rainforests, dry savannas and mangroves. The average weight of a male can vary between 205-228 kg, and that of a female - no more than 140-150 kg. The Bengal tiger, which lives in the northern part of India and Nepal, is larger in size compared to individuals inhabiting the younger regions of the Indian subcontinent;
• Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is a subspecies found in Cambodia and Myanmar, and also inhabiting southern China and Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The Indochinese tiger has a darker color. The average weight of a mature male is about 150-190 kg, and an adult female is 110-140 kg;
• Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jasksoni) is one of six extant representatives of the genus, found in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Previously, the entire population was considered to be the Indochinese tiger;
• (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is the smallest of all currently existing subspecies, and the average weight of an adult male is approximately 100-130 kg. Females are noticeably smaller in size, so their weight does not exceed 70-90 kg. Small size is a way of adapting to living in the tropical forest zones of Sumatra;
• Chinese tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) is one of the smallest representatives of all subspecies. The maximum body length of the male and female is 2.5-2.6 m, and the weight can vary between 100-177 kg. The genetic diversity of this subspecies is extremely small.

Extinct subspecies are represented by the Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balisa), the Transcaucasian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) and the Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica). The fossils include the primitive subspecies Panthera tigris acutidens and the oldest subspecies of the Trinil tiger (Panthera tigris trinilensis).

Range, habitats

Initially, tigers were quite widespread in Asia.

However, today all representatives of the subspecies of such predators are preserved exclusively in sixteen countries:

• Laoc;
• Bangladesh;
• Republic of the Union of Myanmar;
• Butane,
• Cambodia;
• Socialist Republic of Vietnam;
• Russia;
• Republic of India;
• Islamic Republic of Iran;
• Republic of Indonesia;
• China;
• Malaysia;
• Islamic Republic of Pakistan;
• Thailand;
• Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

The tiger's usual habitats are northern taiga zones, semi-desert and forest areas, as well as dry savannah and humid tropical areas.

This is interesting! Almost all wild cats are afraid of water, so if possible they try to avoid bodies of water, while tigers, on the contrary, are excellent swimmers and love water, using bathing to relieve heat and overheating.

The most favorite territories where tigers set up their comfortable and reliable lair, hunt, and also raise their offspring are fairly steep cliffs with numerous niches and secret caves. Inhabited areas can be represented by secluded reed or reed thickets near water bodies.

Diet of tigers

All subspecies of tigers are representatives of the order of predators, so the main diet of such wild animals is exclusively meat. The diet of a large feline mammal may have some significant differences depending on the main features of the animal’s habitat. For example, the main prey of the Bengal tiger most often are wild boars, Indian sambars, nilgai and axis. Sumatran tigers prefer to hunt wild boars and tapirs, as well as sambar deer. Amur tigers feed mainly on deer, as well as wild boars.

Among other things, Indian buffaloes and hares, monkeys and even fish can be considered as prey for tigers. Too hungry predatory animals are able to feed on frogs, all kinds of rodents or other small animals, as well as berries and some fruits. There are well-known facts according to which adult tigers can, if necessary, quite successfully hunt some predators, represented by crocodiles, boa constrictors, as well as Himalayan and brown bears or their cubs.

As a rule, sexually mature male Amur tigers, who are large in size and have impressive muscles, enter into fights with young bears. The outcome of the struggle of such powerful predators can be completely unpredictable. There is also information according to which tigers often attack cubs. In zoological parks, the diet of tigers is compiled very carefully, taking into account all the recommendations given by specialists of the Euro-Asian Regional Association.

In this case, the age characteristics of the predatory mammal must be taken into account, as well as its weight, the gender of the animal and the characteristics of the time of year. The main diet of a predator in captivity is represented by products of animal origin, including chickens, rabbits and beef. The diet also includes milk, eggs, fish and some other types of highly nutritious protein foods.

In one day, an adult predator can eat about ten kilograms of meat, but the norm depends on the species characteristics of the animal and its size. Other products are offered to the tiger periodically and in limited quantities. In captivity, the diet of feline predators is supplemented with vitamin mixtures and healthy supplements with essential minerals, which promotes proper skeletal growth and prevents the development of rickets in animals.

Tiger ( Panthera tigris) - a predator of the class mammals, such as chordates, the order Carnivora, the cat family, the panther genus, the subfamily big cats. It got its name from the ancient Persian word tigri, which means “sharp, fast,” and from the ancient Greek word “arrow.”

The tiger is the largest and heaviest member of the cat family. Some male tigers reach a length of 3 meters and weigh over 300 kg. Tigers are listed in the Red Book, and hunting these animals is prohibited.

Defenseless domestic animals and small elephant calves often become prey. In summer, nuts and fruits are added to the main meat menu of tigers.

Amur tigers eat wapiti, wild boar, elk, and deer. Bengal tigers sometimes attack porcupines.

Indochinese tigers hunt wild boar, sambar, serow, banteng and gaur, and also attack porcupines, macaques, teleda (hog badgers), and muntjac. Malayan tigers feed on wild boars, barking deer, sambar deer, and can even attack the Malayan bear.

Tigers hunt alone, using 2 main methods: sitting in ambush or carefully sneaking up on the prey. Both techniques are successfully completed with rapid jumps or a jerk. One tiger jump is 5 m high and 10 m long. The tiger gnaws the throats of small animals, and knocks large mammals to the ground and gnaws the cervical vertebrae.

If the tiger's hunt was unsuccessful, and the prey turned out to be stronger or ran away, then the tiger does not attack again. Predators eat their prey lying down, holding the meat with their paws.

Tiger breeding

The breeding season for tigers is December and January. Females are ready to bear offspring at 3-4 years, males mature at 5 years. As a rule, a tigress is courted by one male tiger; in conditions of increased numbers, there are fights among the males for the right to own the female.

A tigress can conceive only a few times a year and brings offspring every 2-3 years. On average, tigers gestate for 103 days.

The tigress gives birth in a den built in inaccessible places: rock crevices, caves, impassable thickets.

Usually 2-4 cubs and tiger cubs are born, in rare cases there can be 6 of them. After a week, newborn tiger cubs open their eyes, and for the first month and a half they are milk-fed. At the age of 2 months, the mother and offspring leave the den.

One and a half year old tigers are quite independent, although many do not leave their mother until they are 3-5 years old.

On average, tigers live 26-30 years, during which time a tigress can give birth to up to 20 cubs, many of which often die in their youth.

Tigers adapt well to living conditions in captivity and reproduce well. The increase in the number of offspring bred in captivity contributed to a fall in prices for predatory cats and made it possible for people, in particular Americans, to purchase a tabby predator as a pet.

• Animals such as tigers have long been the subject of all sorts of myths and legends. For example, many consider the saber-toothed tiger to be the progenitor of modern striped predators. In fact, being a member of the cat family, the ancient species is considered a saber-toothed cat, not a tiger.
• Most wild cats are afraid of water and avoid bodies of water whenever possible. But not a tiger. This predator is an excellent swimmer, loves water and never misses an opportunity to soak up the heat in a cool lake or river.

Tigers are the largest land predators, second in weight only to polar and brown bears. There are 9 subspecies of the tiger, of which only 6 have survived into the 21st century. The total population size is 4000-6500 individuals. Tigers are listed in the Red Book of the IUCN and many countries around the world, and hunting them is prohibited everywhere.

Description

Tiger (Panthera tigris)

The tiger is the largest and heaviest wild cat, but the known subspecies differ markedly in size and weight.

Dimensions

The largest are Bengal and Amur tigers. Males are from 2.3 to 2.5 m in length, with a body weight of about 300 kg. The height at the withers reaches 1.15 m. Females are usually inferior to males in size.

Body

Tigers have a massive, elongated, muscular, flexible body. The tail is long and pubescent. The front paws are five-toed, the hind paws are four-toed, the claws are retractable. The head is round in shape, the forehead is convex. The ears are small and rounded. There are tanks on the sides of the head. White vibrissae are arranged in 4-5 rows. The animal has well-developed fangs, up to 8 cm in length. Tigers have well-developed night vision and color vision.

Color

The coat is short, sparse, dense and low in the southern subspecies, high and fluffy in the northern ones. The color ranges from rusty red to rusty brown, the belly, chest and paws are light inside. Light markings are also visible on the ears. The body is covered with stripes colored brown or black. The muzzle below the nostrils, the vibrissa area, and the chin are white, and there are black spots around the mouth. The tail has a black tip and transverse ring stripes. The shape and distance between stripes vary among subspecies, but their number on average is about 100. The arrangement of stripes on tigers is unique for each individual.

What does it eat?

The diet of tigers mainly consists of ungulates: Bengal tigers hunt sambar, axis, wild boar and nilgai; Amur tigers prey on red and sika deer, wild boar, roe deer and musk deer; Sumatran tigers - sambar, wild boars and black-backed tapirs. Tigers' prey also includes large herbivores, such as Indian buffaloes, gaurs and elk. Their diet includes monkey, hare, reptiles and fish. Sometimes tigers also hunt domestic animals: dogs, cows, horses and donkeys. Plant foods, nuts, grass and fruits can be enjoyed in the summer.

Adequate nutrition for a tiger is 50-70 ungulates per year. At one time, a meal is 30-40 kg of meat. The tiger tolerates the lack of food relatively easily due to the presence of a subcutaneous layer of fat about 5 cm thick.

Where does he live?

The tiger is an Asian animal. Its historical range included the Russian Far East, Iran, Afghanistan, China, India and the countries of Southeast Asia.

Today, in most of these territories, the tiger has been exterminated; large populations remain only in India and Indochina and the Far East (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Iran, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan , Russia, Thailand).

Tigers live in a wide variety of landscapes: in tropical rainforests, mangrove swamps and bamboo thickets in the tropics, in dry savannas, semi-deserts, bare rocky hills and taiga in the north. In the mountains they are found at altitudes up to 3000 m above sea level.

Common types

There are 9 subspecies of the tiger, three of which are now completely exterminated.

Known as Ussuri, Siberian, Manchurian or North Chinese, it is common in the Amur region, Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories of Russia. The population size reaches about 500 individuals.

The Amur tiger is a large subspecies. It is distinguished by thick, long and fluffy wool, light color and many stripes.

The nominate subspecies that lives in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar. The population is estimated at 3100-4500 animals, but it is still under threat due to poaching. The average weight of males is 205-227 kg, for females - 140-150 kg.

Distributed in Cambodia, Myanmar, southern China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The number of individuals is 1200-1800. This subspecies is distinguished by a darker color. The average weight of males is from 150 to 190 kg; for females this figure is in the range of 110-140 kg.

Distributed only in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Previously, the population of this subspecies was classified as Indochinese tigers, but according to genetic studies, at the beginning of the 21st century it was separated into an independent subspecies. Its population is estimated at 600-800 individuals, that is, it is the third largest in nature.

Inhabitant of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where there are about 400-500 animals. This is the smallest of all subspecies: males weigh 100-130 kg, females weigh 70-90 kg.

This small-sized subspecies is the most endangered. Body length is 2.2-2.6 meters, weight of males is 127-177 kg, females - 100-118 kg. Currently, 59 individuals are kept in captivity in China, and they are trying to introduce them into the wild.

Male and female: main differences

Sexual dimorphism in tigers is manifested in the larger size of males compared to females. Both males and females are colored the same.

Tiger behavior

Tigers are most active in the morning, evening and at night. They usually spend the day in dens. They move in large steps. They don't climb trees. They do not avoid water and swim well, and residents of the southern regions even swim regularly. Tigers are also hardy to low temperatures. They shed twice a year: in March and September.

Tigers are mostly silent and rarely speak. Only during the mating season do males begin to roar dully, and when they get angry or attack prey, they growl. An adult tiger is a territorial animal that leads a solitary lifestyle and fiercely defends its territory. The tiger marks its personal territory in different ways: it leaves urine marks on tree trunks, rocks, bushes, loosens snow or soil, rubs against trees and leaves scratches on trunks. The size of personal territories is determined by habitat, amount of prey, and the presence of females (for males). Tigresses usually occupy an area of ​​about 20 km², and males - 60-100 km². Females can live in the male's territory.

The territorial behavior of males is very aggressive; they do not allow strangers into their territory and engage in serious fights with them; they only get along with tigresses. In turn, the females get along well with each other and can make peace in areas where they overlap.

Tigers hunt only alone, either creeping up on prey (in winter) or lying in wait for it in ambush (in summer). They often track their victims near bodies of water. They can pursue prey for 100-150 m, reaching speeds of up to 60 km/h.

Reproduction

Tigers are polygamous animals. Their mating season is December-January. At this time, males often fight for females. Since the tigress is capable of fertilization only a few days a year, mating occurs at this time many times. The first offspring of females is observed at the age of 3-4 years. A tigress usually gives birth once every 2-3 years. The duration of pregnancy is 97-112 days.

To breed offspring, the female makes a den in a hard-to-reach place: in crevices among stones, in a cave, in a windfall. Tiger cubs are born in March-April, there are 2-4 of them, they are blind, helpless, weigh 1.3-1.5 kg, their eyes open after 6-8 days. Breastfeeding lasts for the first 6 weeks. Only the female takes care of them, and does not allow males near them. At 8 weeks, the cubs leave the den and follow their mother. They begin to live independently at 18 months, but can remain with the female until they reach sexual maturity.

Females become sexually mature at 3-4 years, males at 4-5 years. During her life, a female gives birth to 10-20 cubs, but half die at a young age. In the wild, tigers live for about 25 years.

Tiger menace

Throughout its entire range, the tiger is the top of the food chain and other predators do not attack it or compete with it. On the contrary, tigers attack wolves, leopards and pythons. The Amur tiger and the brown bear pose a danger to each other. Crocodiles are potentially dangerous to tigers.

The main factor that limits the size of the tiger population is human economic activity and hunting for trophy (for the extraction of skins) and for medicinal purposes (use in traditional oriental medicine).

Due to hunting and destruction of natural habitats, the number of tigers is rapidly decreasing. A hundred years ago, the population was estimated at 100,000 wild tigers, but now there are about 5,000 left. About 20,000 animals are kept in captivity, which prevents the complete destruction of the species. In addition, tigers are under international protection, listed in the IUCN Red List, and hunting them is strictly prohibited.

• July 29 is celebrated as International Tiger Day.
• The destruction of tigers was associated with the use of their organs and tissues in traditional Eastern (Chinese) medicine. The best-known medical products of this type are painkillers and aphrodisiacs. Such use is now prohibited and criminalized; but illegal trade still persists.