The Tiger

Topics: Tiger, Tigers, Siberian tiger Pages: 4 (1129 words) Published: October 8, 1999

Tigers are the largest members of the cat family. They live in Asia and belong to the same genus as the lion, leopard, and jaguar. Two major subspecies of the tiger are the Siberian tiger and the Bengal tiger. The tiger is thought to have originated in northern Asia during the Pleistocene Epoch.

Scientific classification:
Tigers belong to the family Felidae. The scientific classifications of each tiger are listed in the "Types of Tigers" section of this report.
Appearance
The Siberian tiger measures 4.6 to 9.2 ft long, excluding the tail, which is 27 to 37 in long. The Siberian Tiger weighs 400 to 675 lb. It has thick yellow fur with dark stripes. The Bengal tiger is about 10 ft long, including the tail, and weighs around 400 to 569 lb. It is found in southeastern Asia and in central and southern India. Its coat is flatter than the Siberian tiger's coat, it has a darker color, and the stripes are darker. The Sumatran tiger is even smaller and darker.

Ears
The tiger's ears are its main advantage when hunting. Tigers have white spots behind their ears to help identify one another in the jungle. Hearing is the tiger's sharpest sense.
Eyes
The tiger's night vision is six times greater than ours. They have a mirror like layer at the back of the eye that reflects extra light. Tigers also have very good colorful eyesight.
Mouth
Tigers have long, canine teeth that they use to stab and kill their prey. The molars behind them are like scissors. They slice strips of flesh from the carcass. The tigers tongue has a rough surface. This sandpaper like surface allows the tiger to drink, groom themselves, and it helps them remove the last little bit of meat from their kill.

Legs
The tiger's legs are very powerful. The tiger can leap up to 30 feet.
Paws
The tiger's paws are like a soft pad. They are not rock hard as they...

Continue Reading

Please join StudyMode to read the full document

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

Tigers Essay

...Tigers One of my most favorite things to do when going to the zoo is to see the big cats, most especially the tigers. The tiger is the largest of all big cats, and as of right now they are on the verge of extinction. The tiger is the top of the food chain in its natural habitat. They are a revered animal among many cultures and are considered to be one of the most beautiful animals on the planet. Due to poaching, illegal trade and the encroachment of their habitats, the tiger is now one of the most threatened species on earth and on the verge of extinction. There are six subspecies of tiger today and all are on the endangered species list: the Amur better known as the Siberian, the familiar Bengal, the Indochinese, Malayan, South China, and Sumatran. Sadly, the Bali, Javan, and Caspian subspecies have all gone extinct in the last 70 years (WWF). Wild tigers today can only be found in the countries of: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Far East in Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam (WWF). Unfortunately not all of these subspecies can be found in the wild anymore, to put it bluntly there are about 47 South China tigers and they are all living in zoos in China (WWF). Tigers aside from being the largest and one of the most of beautiful of all big cats are also quite fascinating. They can grow...

Read More

919 Words 3 Pages
Essay on Endangered Tigers

...Endangered Species of Tigers Tigers are native too much of Asia, ranging from the coldest to warmest rainforests of the Indonesian islands. They are the top predator in every ecosystem they inhabit. The tiger is the largest of all the felid family; and Until the 20th Century there were nine tiger subspecies that probably numbered over 100,000 animals ranging from Bengal, Siberian, Indochinese, South Chinese, Sumatran, Malayan, Caspian, Javan and Bali. Sadly three of the subspecies have gone extinct and the rest are on the endangered list (Endangered 2013). The tigers in general though are very majestic in nature; a tiger’s color varies from orange-red to tawny yellow, with black stripes at different lengths and widths all around the body. Typically the cheeks, belly, throat, and insides of the ears and legs are white. They have a long body, with a short neck and muzzle. A well-fed tiger is bulky, broad in the shoulders, back, and loins. Male tigers are generally larger and heavier than the females, which are usually 6 to 12 inches shorter in body length (WWF Tigers). In order for a tiger to become large weighing anywhere from 220-675 depending of the subspecies they must have a high protein diet. Tigers are the top of the food chain and eat mainly large mammals such as water buffalo, deer, pigs, and gaur. Tigers...

Read More

931 Words 3 Pages
Tigers Research Paper

...species expert Dr. Barney said, “Saving tigers is simple. All they need is enough prey, space and protection. The difficult part is securing commitment from the world to save the species” (WWF, n.p.). 3 Actually there are six species of Tigers living in the wild. From the smallest species, the Sumatran tiger, to the largest one, the Siberian which can reach up to 10 feet long. They are all critically endangered. They live across Asia, in around 13 different countries. Places like Cambodia and Vietnam, have already lost their breeding populations (WWF n.p.). Tiger’s live from tropical rainforests, to the cold snowy lands of eastern Russia. So why is it that the biggest cat in the world can be in such danger of extinction? Well, the facts are that these animals, for some, are considered “special” and are hunted for body parts. From whiskers to tail everything is sold in the black market. Their skins can be bought around $200-$500 from the poacher. Skins can reach very high prices when sold in larger places like the U.S. Keeping track or trying to stop all these crimes is not an easy job. Since 1997 there has been only 4 convictions of tiger poaching (DSWF n.p.). Places where the tigers live are also home of poor human villages. The resources needed are limited, like having well-trained personnel can be really expensive and not affordable. Indonesia, a great example of this issue, it is a third-world...

Read More

1517 Words 6 Pages
Evolution of Tigers Essay

...Evolution of Tigers The tiger (Panthera tigris), a member of the Felidae family, is the largest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera include: The tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard. Native to much of eastern and southern Asia, the tiger is an apex predator and an obligate carnivore. 1, The origin and evolution of the tiger. Carnivorous mammals evolved from Miacids small pine marten-like insectivores that lived 60 million - 55 million years ago. The miacids split into two lines: Miacidae and Viverravidae. Miacidae gave rise to Arctoidea/Canoidea group (bears and dogs) while Viverravidae gave rise to Aeluroidea/Feloidea group (cats, hyenas, civets, mongooses) around 48 million years ago. The Viverravidae also gave rise to a group called Nimravidae. The Nimravids were cat-like creatures that evolved in parallel with true cats; they are not part of true cat lineage and have left no living descendents. The first true cat to arise from Viverravidae was Proailurus (first cat) around 30 million years ago. The best-known species was P lemanensis, found in France. Proailurus was a small weasel-like cat with relatively short legs and a long body. It had one more premolar on each side of its bottom jaw than do modern cats. About 20 million years ago, Proailurus gave rise to Pseudaelurus. Pseudaelurus were Miocene ancestors of cats. Pseudaelurus lorteti was about the size of a...

Read More

1148 Words 4 Pages
Save Tigers Essay

...majestic animal to the verge of extinction. ABOUT TIGERS The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to 3.3 metres (11 ft) and weighing up to 306 kg (670 lb). They are the third largest land carnivore (behind only the Polar bear and the Brown bear). Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur. There are nine subspecies of tiger, three of which are extinct. Their historical range in Bangladesh, Siberia, Iran, Afghanistan, India, China, and southeast Asia, including three Indonesian islands is severely diminished today.  The Bengal tiger  The Indochinese Tiger  The Malayan Tiger  The Sumatran Tiger  The Siberian tiger  The South China tiger EXTINCT SPECIES  The Bali tiger  The Caspian tiger  The Javan tiger Colour variations White tigers Formed by the intermixing of various subspecies and genes of various tigers Golden tiger Maltese tiger which is blue or slate colored Fast facts Tigers that live in cold northern areas are usually bigger and heavier than those that live in tropical habitats. No two tigers have exactly the same pattern of stripes. A tiger retracts its claws as it...

Read More

1241 Words 4 Pages
Tiger Siberian Tiger Essay

...------------------------------------------------- REPORT ON TIGERS The tiger (Panthera tigris), a member of the Felidae family, is the largest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera.[4] The tiger is native to much of eastern and southern Asia, and is an apex predator and an obligate carnivore. The larger tiger subspecies are comparable in size to the biggest extinct felids,[5][6] reaching up to 3.3 metres (11 ft) in total length, weighing up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds), and having canines up to 4 inches (100 mm) long.[7] Aside from their great bulk and power, their most recognisable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes that overlays near-white to reddish-orange fur, with lighter underparts. The most numerous tiger subspecies is the Bengal tiger, while the largest is the Siberian tiger. Tigers have a lifespan of 10–15 years in the wild, but can live longer than 20 years in captivity.[8] They are highly adaptable and range from the Siberian taiga to open grasslands and tropical mangrove swamps. ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Range and habitat In the past, tigers were found throughout Asia, from the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea to Siberia and Indonesia. Today the range of the tiger is only 7%...

Read More

6105 Words 17 Pages
Endangered Tigers Essay

...Endangered Tigers Today wild tigers exist in Eastern Russia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, North Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bhutan, India and Nepal. In order to live in the wild, tigers need water to drink, animals to hunt, and vegetation in which to hide. As the mountains, jungles, forests, and long grasses that have long been home to tigers disappear, so too, do tigers. Agricultural expansion, timber cutting, new roads, human settlement, industrial expansion and hydroelectric dams push tigers into smaller and smaller areas of land. These small areas of forests are surrounded by rapidly growing and relatively poor human populations, including increasing numbers of illegal hunters. Tigers compete with an expanding human population and industry for land and food, many tigers are killed by poachers who sell the tiger’s body parts as ingredients for traditional Chinese medicines. If these trends continue, the wild tiger may evolve from being an endangered species and off the endangered species list to become an extinct species. Without wilderness, the wild tiger will not survive. If the world is not careful, one of the beautiful creatures on the planet will become extinct. Everyday more and more tigers are being slaughtered for their skin, bones, meat, and other organs to produce clothes, home décor,...

Read More

1049 Words 3 Pages
Essay on Siberian Tiger

...Siberian Tiger Panthera Tigris Altaica Alejandra Benavides Biology Class Period 7 • September 26, 2012 1 Introduction The Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur tiger, is a tiger subspecies inhabiting mainly in the mountain region of Primorski Krai in eastern Russia. The population has been stable more more than a decade due to intensive conservation efforts. Surveys from 2005 indicate that the tiger population is declining, showing the species is still endangered. Unlike the Bengal tiger, the Siberian tiger very rarely eats humans. Despite their fearsome reputation, they try to avoid humans. However, the ones that do attack humans are often sick, or live in areas where their prey has vanished. Table of Contents: Description and Taxonomy p. 3 Population Status and Distribution p. 4 Ecology, Habitat, and Niche p. 4 Threats to Survival p. 5 Conservation and Recovery Strategies p. 6 Goals and Benefits p. 7 Importance to People p.7 Works Cited p. 8 2 Description and Taxonomy Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers, are the world’s largest felines. They can grow up to 13 feet in length and weight up to 700 pounds. Female Siberian tigers measure approximately 8.5 feet in length and grow up to 400 pounds on average. The Siberian tiger’s orange skin color is paler than that of other tiger...

Read More

1690 Words 7 Pages

Popular Essays

Join millions of other students and start your research

Become a StudyMode Member

Sign Up - It's Free