Tiger

Joshua Davis

=__**TIGER**__=


 * Scientific Name(//Panthera Tigris//)[[image:http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS7Cz9y3ztFB-RAeA-Mwpf8HZYkJ05A_zsfZyxpvy-rsJSxLkRg width="360" height="236" align="right"]]**
 * Kingdom:** Animalia
 * Class:** Mammalia
 * Order:** Carnivora
 * Family:** Felidae
 * Nickname:** King of the Jungle
 * Known for**: its stripes

Tigers are mammals. They are the largest/heaviest living species of cat. They can weigh from 265lbs to 675 lbs, depending on the type of tiger. They can range from 4.6ft to 12ft in length. Tigers have distinct markings. Stripes, no one knows exactly why tigers are striped, but scientists think that the stripes act as camouflage, and help tigers hide from their prey while they hunt. Tiger stripes are like human fingerprints; no two tigers have the same pattern of stripes. Most tigers have an orange coat with dark brown or black stripes accented with white. Tigers that live in cold climates (Siberian tigers) have thicker fur than tigers that live in warm climates. A tiger's tail is 3 to 4 feet long, about half as long as its body. Tigers use their tails for balance when they run through fast turns. They also use their tails to communicate with other tigers. These huge cats have excellent hearing and eyesight, which they rely on for hunting. A tiger's eyes glow in the dark, and its very sensitive whiskers help it find its way even in very dim light.Tigers are territorial and usually solitary animals in the wild except during mating season. There are only 6 living subspecies of tigers, they are: Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan, South China and Sumatran. The Bali, Caspian and Javan tiger subspecies have all become extinct.

=__Diet__= Tigers are carnivores, meaning they eat meat. Tigers eat a variety of prey ranging in size from termites to elephant calves. Integral components of their diet are large-bodied prey such as moose, deer species, pigs, cows, horses, buffalos and goats. Occasionally they may consume tapirs, elephant and rhinoceros calves, bear species, leopards and Asiatic wild dogs. Their favorite food seems to be deer and wild boar and pig.

Tigers are lone hunters and actively search for prey using their eyesight and hearing, seldom scent. They stalk and attack their prey. When prey is detected, the tiger begins its stalk. It approaches the prey from the side or rear, in a semi-crouch or crouch position. Then it rushes the prey. Using its paws and sharp claws, the tiger seizes the prey by the shoulder, back, or neck, and forces it to the ground. Unless the prey is quite large, tigers usually keep their hind feet on the ground. They kill their prey by lethally biting it at the nape of the neck or at the throat. Tigers mainly attack prey weighing 110-441 lb, but regularly take animals weighing up to 882 lb.

Before feeding, the prey is often carried or dragged to an area of dense cover. Tigers usually begin eating at the animal's rump. They can consume 44-77 lbs of food at one or sitting; but they usually eat about 33-40 lb of food a day, over several days. Due to their size and build, tigers can kill prey large enough to provide meals for several days. They don't seem to mind eating decaying flesh.

Tigers will gorge themselves at the kill and stay satisfied for days. In fact they may not need to eat again for several days. After meals, tigers cover the remains of the kill with vegetation or debris. This conceals the carcass from scavengers such as vultures and jackals. Tigers mainly rest and drink between meals, but may kill other prey if the opportunity arises.

**__Reproduction __**
The mating season for tigers is usually around November to April in tropical climates, and during the winter months in temperate regions. The gestation period is 100 to 112 days ( 3 to 3 1/2 months), and the cubs are born live. The female may have up to 7 cubs but the usual litter consists of 2 to 3 cubs. The cubs stay with their mother until they are approximately 2 to 2 1/2 years old.

__ Habitat __
All wild tigers live in Asia. They don't like open grasslands. Most kinds of tigers live where it is warm but some tigers live where it gets very cold. The tiger is found in a variety of habitats: from the tropical evergreen and deciduous forests of southern Asia to the coniferous, scrub oak, and birch woodlands of Siberia. It also thrives in the mangrove swamps, dry thorn forests, and tall grass jungles. Tigers need vegetation cover, a water source, and good sources of prey. Tigers have lost 93% of their historic range.

Tigers are found in a wide range of habitats in Asia and the Russian Far East, in increasingly fragmented and isolated populations. Less than 100 years ago, tigers roamed in almost all parts of Asia. Historically tigers ranged from the forests of eastern Turkey and the Caspian region of Western Asia, all the way to the Indian sub-continent, China, and Indochina, south to Indonesia, and north to the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East.

Today, their range has been reduced to just 7% of its former size. Tigers are now found in only 13 range states: A few may still persist in North Korea. Growing human populations, particularly since the 1940s, have both contracted and fragmented the tiger’s former range. While extensive habitat remains in some places, in most areas agriculture, clearing of forests for the timber trade, and rapid development – especially road networks – are forcing tigers into small, scattered islands of remaining habitat. Today, tigers only occur in scattered populations. All tigers need dense vegetation, the presence of large ungulate prey, and access to water to be able to survive. Different tiger subspecies live in very different habitats with these features – including tropical rainforests, evergreen forests, mangrove swamps, grasslands, savannas, and temperate forests. Tigers have dens in caves, tree hollows and dense vegetation. They are mostly nocturnal, some may also be active during the day in winter.
 * Bangladesh
 * Bhutan
 * Cambodia
 * China
 * India
 * Indonesia (Sumatra)
 * Lao PDR
 * Malaysia
 * Myanmar
 * Nepal
 * Russia
 * Thailand
 * Viet Nam

There is evidence to indicate that tigers have a migratory pattern. This is so that they are able to keep up with the food sources. Their prey is in herds and move to different locations and as such the tigers must do so as well. Their migratory movements may get wider and wider as their natural habitat is destroyed and the environment offers less prey as a food source. This means they may not rest in the same area for more than a couple of days. Females are more likely to remain closer to their primary location than males.

Tigers live above ground and they do not hibernate. Tigers are predators.

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Causes **of Endangerment:**__


Since 1900, the endangered tiger's habitat and numbers have been reduced by up to 95 per cent. Possibly as few as 3,200 left in the wild Tigers are endanged for several reasons: 1. Poachers who kill tigers in order to sell their skins as well as their body parts for use in traditional Chinese medicine. 2. Hunters 2. Loss of habitant due to human encroachment Tigers increasingly compete with the expanding human population and industry for land and food, and many are killed by poachers who sell their skins and body parts as ingredients for traditional Chinese medicines.
 * 3. Diminished prey**

__Endangerment Solutions:__
//The first step in getting the tigers off the endangered species list is by educating the public on this critical issue through outreach programs. Creating an awareness of this endangerment//**.** Universal laws have been enacted, such as the endangered species act, to stop hunting of all tigers. It is now illegal to hunt and kill a tiger. Penalties are stiff, up to and including jail time. Public Law 103-391 [H.R.4924]October 23rd 1992-Rhinoceros and Tiger conservation Act of 1994 was enacted to provide financial assistance with conservation efforts of Tigers and Rhinoceros. Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 5306)-authorizes funding for projects that assist in the conservation of Tigers and Rhinoceros. Reserves and sanctuaries have been created for tigers to allow them to breed in captivity without the issues they face in the wild. If something is not done immediately the danger and/or threat of this species becoming extinct is very real. Recently representatives of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam, meeting in Hua Hin, Thailand committed to try harder to reverse the continuing decline in tigers in the wild.International organizations and donor institutions also attending the meeting included the World Bank, Global Tiger Initiative, WWF, Save the Tiger Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, USAID, FREELAND, and TRAFFIC. Hopefully with these laws in place, enfocement, financial assistance and awareness the numbers of the Tiger species will increase.

__References__
[|__http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/tiger/physical-characteristics.htm__] [] [] [] [] [] []