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E B O O K F O R F A N S
Datamatic, S.C.
Miami, FL.
www.tigers-world.com
Text and research: Karen Castillo.
Design: Andrs Gngora.
Review: Berenice Lorenzo.
Production: Sergio Gngora
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HABITAT & DISTRIBUTION
Tigers are native to Asia; although today they can be seen all
over the world in captivity, their natural habitat is only on that
continent. Today they are present in 13 countries:
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Unlike other cats, tigers
are excellent swimmers.
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ANATOMY
Each tiger has a particular striped
pattern, so there are no two tigers with
the same coat.
Tigers body is built for hunting. Far from walking and running, especially when
being the fastest or biggest animals in making abrupt turns.
the world, they have key adaptations that
They have a robust skull, and large
make them efficient hunters to meet their
sharp teeth anchored to the jaws, which
needs. An adult tiger can reach up to
they use to pierce the skin and tear the
1.22 meters high to the shoulders and up
flesh of their victims. Other lethal parts
to 3.90 meters in length, and weigh more
are their retractable claws in their
than 300 kilograms, dimensions that
fingers. The hind legs are longer than the
exceed those of lions, jaguars, and
front legs, but all have soft pads.
pumas.
Their beautiful coat has orange tones in
They have a flexible spine that ends at
the background and thick dark stripes
the tip of their tail and acts as a flexible
that run to the tip of the tail. Each tiger
central support for their paws and
has a particular striped pattern, so there
thorax. Their tail, long and slightly thick,
are no two tigers with the same coat.
helps them to maintain the balance when
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The Siberian or Amur
Tiger is the largest
subspecies of all.
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FEEDING
Tigers' favorite preys are Nobody is astonished to know that Tigers have Tigers are carnivorous mammals. Their diet
ungulate animals, usually deer. a great appetite, but it can be a surprise to consists of a wide variety of prey but depends
discover that they do not strictly eat every day. on the animals available in their particular
Adults can spend up to two weeks without a habitat. Some common victims are wild boars
snack, although when they eat, they can (Sus scrofa), Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor),
consume large amounts of food. water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), marsh deer
(Rucervus duvaucelii), Sika deer (Cervus
nippon), saiga antelopes (Saiga tatarica),
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porcupines (Order Rodentia) and hare (Family Leporidae). If they do stealthily to approach it and lurk from a discreet distance, usually
not find food, they are sometimes forced to eat carrion or attack camouflaged between the tall and dense grass. In a quick and
domestic livestock. accurate movement, they catch their victim by surprise and give it a
powerful bite on the neck or the head to kill it quickly.
When they prepare to hunt, they mainly rely on their ear and sight.
The tigers hunt by ambush. After detecting a prey, they walk
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BEHAVIOR
Most cats are solitary creatures, and Tigers are no exception.
During most of their adult life, they roam and hunt alone,
although while cubs they spend a lot of time with their mother
and during the breeding season, they have to establish
relationships with the opposite sex to mate. They are more
active during the night, for that reason they do not usually
interact with diurnal species. However, activity patterns may
vary depending on the season and the activities of their prey.
To secure their territory and warn others that they cannot enter,
a tiger leaves scent marks or claws on trees or rocks. In
addition to these visual and olfactory marks, Tigers watch the
limits of their territory to avoid the entrance of intruders. When
they are not inspecting, they prefer to spend time resting.
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REPRODUCTION
Males and females are polygamous, Tigers develop inside their mother
so they mate with several individuals for an average of 105 days. Typically,
throughout their life after reaching a female gives birth to a litter of two
sexual maturity, which happens or three offspring, but they may have
between three and five years of age. up to seven in a single delivery. As
they are born blind and completely
Both genders can mate at any time
defenseless, the mother shelters her
of the year, but when they are in
puppies in a den, feeds them with
heat, females vocalize and leave
breast milk and teaches them to hunt
scent marks more frequently to
for some months until they are ready
capture the attention of males. If a
to live on their own.
couple meets, they move in circles,
vocalize and growl, and then
separate, in a ritual of recognition
and establishment of trust.
Subsequently, the male places
himself over the female and
copulates for a short time. The
couple can stay together for a few
days, after which each one takes its
way.
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The only lasting social
relation of tigers is that of
a mother with her
offspring.
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BENGAL TIGER
Panthera tigris tigris
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The Bengal tiger is the
most common subspecies
and the one with the
largest population.
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SIBERIAN TIGER
Panthera tigris altaica
Their fur is paler than other tigers, but thicker and longer to
protect them from low temperatures. Their dimensions are
exceptional; when adults they can weigh more than 300
kilograms, although females tend to be smaller than males.
Litters are usually two to four cubs, and the mother is in charge
of their care. When they grow up and acquire skills to hunt and
live alone they separate from it, but females take longer to do
so.
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The skull of the Siberian
tiger is very similar to the
one of the lions, due to its
large size.
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THREATS
It is estimated that tigers have lost
93% of their historical distribution
range.
Tigers are among the most threatened In 2009 it was estimated that there were
animals on the planet. The species has around 3,200 tigers worldwide, while in
been considered endangered for several 1998 there were between 5,000 and
years, mainly due to human activities 7,000 tigers, although in recent years
such as poaching and illegal trade of there has been a slight increase. Today,
parts of their body. Habitat loss, the the conservation of tigers is an issue of
effects of climate change, and conflicts interest to many, because their
with people for the areas linked to importance for the biodiversity.
activities such as deforestation, land
conversion for agriculture and livestock.
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