tigers

How Are Tigers Unique?

Tigers, Panthera tigris, are the biggest cats of all, and they're the only large cats with stripes.

Most other members of the feline family are small, weighing 20 kg (44 lb) or less. Only lions and tigers reach weights of 225 kg (500 lb).

Once, eight subspecies of tigers roamed the forests of Asia. Now there are only five. Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers were driven to extinction in just the past 50 years.

What Do Tigers Need to Survive?
Space	An area the size of the District of Columbia with plenty of prey could support seven female tigers and two males.
Prey	Tigers average a large kill every eight days or so, consuming more than 50 prey animals a year. In a single night, they can eat 27 kg (60 lb) of meat.
Water	Tigers never live too far from water. Particularly in the tropics, water offers a cooling break from the heat.
Cover	Tigers are solitary hunters, stalking and then killing in a blinding flash. Without cover, the stealthy approach doesn't work.

Growing Up Against the Odds Danger awaits young tigers at every turn. Even under the best conditions, only 20 percent live to establish their own territories. But tigers are adapted to offset such high natural mortality: Females breed early, deliver cubs after just 103 days, and bear litters of two to four cubs. Tigers Are Built for Predatory Life Dagger-sharp claws, enormous jaws and teeth, massive forelegs-in an instant, all are in motion to deliver a killing bite. An experienced adult can kill prey four times its size.