TIGER FACTS

There are fewer than 3,500 wild tigers left in the world. In the past, tigers were found throughout Asia, from the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea to Siberia and the Indonesian islands of Java, Bali and Sumatra. Sadly, poaching for fur and body parts, and destruction of their natural habitat have massively reduced tiger populations in the wild. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was estimated there were over 100,000 tigers in the wild. Today there are no longer wild tigers in western Asia and are restricted to isolated pockets in the remaining parts of their range.

Tiger facts

1. Over the past 100 years, tigers have lost 3 subspecies to extinction and 93% of their historic range. and are now locally extinct from south-west and central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali, and from large areas of south-east and eastern Asia.

2. A tiger's stripes are like a human fingerprint, no two tigers have the same pattern.

3. Driven by its need for meat, a tiger can kill the equivalent of 30 buffaloes a year.

4. A tiger's roar can carry for over 2 km at night.

5. The largest cat in the world is the Siberian tiger, weighing over 100 kg more than the Bengal tiger.

Tiger facts

6. Tigers purr. Domestic cats purr on the in-breath and the out-breath while tigers purr only on the out breath.

7. Unlike most other cats, tigers often eat meat that has begun to putrefy.

7.5 About half of all tiger cubs die before they reach maturity.

8. After running down and catching its prey, the tiger always starts feeding from the rump first.

9. Tigers are so strong that they are capable of dragging prey that is so heavy that it would take several grown men to move.

10. Legend has it that tigers can attract deer by mimicking their calls. Unfortunately, this is not true. In fact, any deer sounds that tigers utter are now believed to be completely incidental.

Tiger facts

11. A healthy diet for the tiger consists of 7-10 kg of meat a day. In fact, a Siberian tiger is capable of eating up to 50 kg in a single sitting! A skill worth having when you need to sustain yourself in a climate that can be as cold as - 45 degrees Celsius.

12. The heaviest Siberian tiger on record weighed in at an incredible 385 kg. To deter intruders, all tigers mark their territory with strong smelling urine and secretions which serve as a warning to other tigers nearby. Shredding the bark of trees is another way to mark territory.

13. Tigers usually cover their faeces with earth. They will also drag the remains of a kill to a thicket and loosely bury it with leaves, then return to it later.

Click here for related articles:
ALL ABOUT LIONS
CHEETAH FACTS, VIDEOS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
Lion Facts
MEERKAT FACTS
Peacock Facts
TIGERS
Tiger Facts
THE ASIATIC LION
THE BENGAL TIGER
THE SABER-TOOTHED TIGER
THE TASMANIAN TIGER
WHAT ARE THE NINE SUBSPECIES OF TIGER?
WHAT DO JAGUARS EAT?
WHAT IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST SPECIES OF TIGER?
WHY DID THE SABER-TOOTHED TIGER BECOME EXTINCT?