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Sunday, November 11, 2012
Scientific Classification of tiger
Pictures of tiger
Tigers
are the largest and most powerful of all cats. They are extremely agile
despite their bulk and can leap between 8 and 10 meters in a single
bound. They are also among the most recognizable of cats thanks to their
distinct orange coat, black stripes and white markings.
Images 1-12 of 12
 Tiger Swimming |  Tiger Drinking |  Tiger |  Sumatran Tiger | ||
 Siberian Tiger |  Siberian Tiger |  Siberian Tiger |  Siberian Tiger | ||
 Malayan Tiger |  Malayan Tiger |  Tiger |  TigerSource: wikipedia |
Tigers Reproduction
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Tiger Species
Tiger Subspecies Overview
There are 6 remaining subspecies of tigers in the world. Protecting them is very important both in the wild and in captivity. It isn’t enough for these animals to merely survive only in captivity. We need to make sure they are able to continue surviving out there in the wild as well.Tigers have evolved for almost two millions years and are able to adapt to a variety of different things in their environment. Yet when their environment is destroyed and large numbers of them are killed they don’t have a chance.
The South China Tiger
The South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) is the one that most researchers are the most worried about. This particular species is believed to possibly be extinct over the next decade or even earlier. Hopefully the efforts in place will help to prevent that from happing. Right now this animal is listed on the top ten of endangered animals which isn’t a good sign as to their future though.
The Siberian Tiger
The largest and most well known is the Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). This particular subspecies is only found in far east Siberia where they are protected.
The biggest problem for them is their own genetics. They are closely related even with those that aren’t decedents of each other. This makes effective breeding even in captivity difficult and that can be a natural threat to this particular species of tiger.
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Tiger Species Facts
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The Sumatran Tiger
The Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is the smallest of all tiger subspecies. There are about 500 or less of them left in the world.
There are aggressive efforts in place to help protect them and to get their numbers back up. However, these efforts have really only been in place since 2007. The fact that they are only found in Sumatra also means that they continue to be victims of poachers and hunters because the laws can’t always be enforced there as strictly as they should be.
The Bengal Tiger
One of the larger subspecies of tigers is the Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). They have the highest numbers when it comes to them in the wild too with about 1,400 of them. While they have two or three times more population than the other species they are still at a very high risk of being extinct so they are currently classified as being endangered as the other subspecies.
The Malayan Tiger
The Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) is one that we know the least about. Until 2004 they weren’t even recognized as their own species. They too are endangered with only about 600-800 of them remaining in the wild. They often conflict with humans due to the fact that they prey on livestock when it is readily available.
The Indochinese Tiger
The last subspecies is the Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) and only few hundreds of them remain in the wild. Their main diet consists of wild pigs, deer, and even cattle thanks to the many people that have invaded their natural habitat to make their own living quarters. In the 1930’s there were more than 2,000 of them but open hunting for them as well as the destruction of their habitat has changed all of that.
Conservation Efforts
There are many efforts around the world in place to help protect these different subspecies of tigers. Educating people of all ages about them as well as their role in the ecosystem is very important. That way people can discover why keeping these tigers alive is extremely important. While there are not precise information, there are approximately between 3,062 and 5,066 tigers remaining alive out there in the world today.
This includes both those in the wild and in captivity. Reaching out to do your part will help to ensure that these animals are able to continue being part of our world. We definitely need to see these species of tigers living for millions more years not less than a decade which is possible if changes don’t occur now because we simply are running out of time.
Source: wikipedia
Diet of tiger
Adult elephants are too large to serve as common prey, but conflicts between tigers and elephants, with the huge elephant typically dominating the predator, do sometimes take place.[76] A case where a tiger killed an adult Indian Rhinoceros has been observed, although adult rhinoceros are often ignored as potential prey due to a combination of very large size, a short temper and very thick skin, which render them a laborious and very difficult kill.[77] Young elephant and rhino calves are occasionally taken. Tigers also sometimes prey on domestic animals such as dogs, cattle, horses, and donkeys. These individuals are termed cattle-lifters or cattle-killers in contrast to typical game-killers.[78]
Old tigers, or those wounded and rendered incapable of catching their natural prey, have turned into man-eaters; this pattern has recurred frequently across India. An exceptional case is that of the Sundarbans, where healthy tigers prey upon fishermen and villagers in search of forest produce, humans thereby forming a minor part of the tiger's diet.[79] Tigers will occasionally eat vegetation for dietary fiber, the fruit of the Slow Match Tree being favoured.[78]
Tigers are thought to be nocturnal predators, hunting at night.[80] However, in areas where humans are typically absent, they have been observed via remote controlled, hidden cameras hunting during the daylight hours.[81] They generally hunt alone and ambush their prey as most other cats do, overpowering them from any angle, using their body size and strength to knock the prey off balance. Successful hunts usually require the tiger to almost simultaneously leap onto their quarry, knock it over and grab the throat or nape with its teeth.[36] Even with their great masses, tigers can reach speeds of about 49–65 kilometres per hour (35–40 miles per hour), although they can only do so in short bursts, since they have relatively little stamina; consequently, tigers must be relatively close to their prey before they break their cover. If the prey catches wind of the tiger's presence before the moments of the pounce, the tiger will usually abandon the hunt rather than chase prey or battle it head-on. Tigers have great leaping ability; horizontal leaps of up to 10 m (33 ft) have been reported, although leaps of around half this amount are more typical. However, only one in twenty (or 5–10%) hunts, including any instances of stalking in proximity to potential prey, ends in a successful kill.[36][80] An adult tiger can go up to two weeks without eating but then can gorge on up to 34 kg (75 lb) of flesh at one sitting. In captivity, adult tigers are fed 3 to 6 kg (6.6 to 13 lb) of meat a day.[36] Due to their low hunting success rate, ability to go prolonged periods without food and naturally low population densities, tigers typically have little to no deleterious effect on the populations of the species they prey on. Several other large carnivores, such as gray wolves, spotted hyenas and lions, live in groups and need to capture relatively greater quantities of prey in order to feed and maintain stability in their respective packs, clans or prides.[36]
When hunting large prey, tigers prefer to bite the throat and use their extremely powerful forelimbs to hold onto the prey, often simultaneously wrestling it to the ground. The tiger remains latched onto the neck until its prey dies of strangulation.[17] By this method, gaurs and water buffalos weighing over a ton have been killed by tigers weighing about a sixth as much.[82] Although they can kill healthy adults of large bovids weighing at least 1,000 kg (2,200 lb), tigers often select the calves or infirm of very large species.[19] Large prey can be quite dangerous to tackle, with the great bulk and massive horns of large bovids, the strong legs and antlers of mature deer and the long, powerful tusks of boars all being potentially fatal to the tiger. No other extant land predator routinely takes on prey this large on their own.[83][84] Whilst hunting sambars, which comprise up to 60% of their prey in India, tigers have reportedly called out a passable impersonation of the male sambar's rutting call in order to attract them.[71][78] With small prey such as monkeys and hares, the tiger bites the nape, often breaking the spinal cord, piercing the windpipe, or severing the jugular vein or common carotid artery.[85] Though rarely observed, some tigers have been recorded to kill prey by swiping with their paws, which are powerful enough to smash the skulls of domestic cattle,[78] and break the backs of sloth bears.[86] After killing their prey, tigers sometimes drag their prey to conceal it in vegetative coverage, usually pulling it by grasping with their mouths at the site of the killing bite (on the throat in large prey, on the nape in smaller prey). This too can require great physical strength. In one case, after it had killed an adult gaur, a tiger was observed to drag the massive carcass over a distance of 12 m (39 ft). When 13 men simultaneously tried to drag the same carcass later, they were unable to move it.[36]
During the 1980s, a tiger named "Genghis" in Ranthambhore National Park was observed frequently hunting prey through deep lake water,[87] a pattern of behaviour that had not been previously witnessed in over 200 years of observations. Moreover, he appeared to be extraordinarily successful for a tiger, with as many as 20% of hunts ending in a kill.
Source:wikipedia
Behavior and Characteristics of tiger
The pattern of stripes is unique to each animal, these unique markings can be used by researchers to identify individuals (both in the wild and captivity), much in the same way that fingerprints are used to identify humans. It seems likely that the function of stripes is camouflage, serving to help tigers conceal themselves amongst the dappled shadows and long grass of their environment as they stalk their prey. The stripe pattern is also found on the skin of the tiger. If a tiger were to be shaved, its distinctive camouflage pattern would be preserved.
The tiger are the most variable in size of all big cats, even more so than the leopard and much more so than lions.[18] The Bengal, Caspian and Siberian tiger subspecies represent the largest living felids, and rank among the biggest felids that ever existed. An average adult male tiger from Northern India or Siberia outweighs an average adult male lion by around 45.5 kg (100 lb).[18] Females vary in length from 200 to 275 cm (79 to 108 in), weigh 65 to 167 kg (140 to 370 lb) with a greatest length of skull ranging from 268 to 318 mm (10.6 to 12.5 in). Males vary in size from 250 to 390 cm (98 to 150 in), weigh 90 to 306 kg (200 to 670 lb) with a greatest length of skull ranging from 316 to 383 mm (12.4 to 15.1 in).[19] Body size of different populations seems to be correlated with climate—Bergmann's Rule—and can be explained from the point of view of thermoregulation.[4] Large male Siberian tigers can reach a total length of more than 3.5 m (11.5 ft) "over curves", 3.3 m (10.8 ft) "between pegs" and a weight of 306 kg (670 lb). This is considerably larger than the size reached by the smallest living tiger subspecies, the Sumatran tiger, which reach a body weight of 75 to 140 kg (170 to 310 lb). Of the total length of a tiger, the tail comprises 0.6 to 1.1 m (2.0 to 3.6 ft).[20][21] At the shoulder, tigers may variously stand 0.7 to 1.22 m (2.3 to 4.0 ft) tall.[5] The accepted record weight, per the Guinness Book of World Records, for a wild tiger was 389 kg (860 lb) for a Bengal tiger shot in 1967, though its weight may have been boosted by the fact that it had eaten a water buffalo the previous night.[22][23]
Tigresses are smaller than the males in each subspecies, although the size difference between male and female tigers tends to be more pronounced in the larger tiger subspecies, with males weighing up to 1.7 times more than the females.[24] In addition, male tigers have wider forepaw pads than females. Biologists use this difference to determine gender based on tiger tracks.[25] The skull of the tiger is very similar to that of the lion, though the frontal region is usually not as depressed or flattened, with a slightly longer postorbital region. The skull of a lion has broader nasal openings. However, due to the amount of skull variation in the two species, usually, only the structure of the lower jaw can be used as a reliable indicator of species.[26]
Adult tigers lead solitary lives and congregate only on an ad hoc and transitory basis when special conditions permit, such as plentiful supply of food. They establish and maintain home ranges. Resident adults of either sex tend to confine their movements to a definite area of habitat, within which they satisfy their needs, and in the case of tigresses, those of their growing cubs. Those sharing the same ground are well aware of each other's movements and activities.[62]
The size of a tiger's home range mainly depends on prey abundance, and, in the case of male tigers, on access to females. A tigress may have a territory of 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi), while the territories of males are much larger, covering 60 to 100 km2 (23 to 39 sq mi). The range of a male tends to overlap those of several females.[65]
Tigers are strong swimmers, and are often found bathing in ponds, lakes, and rivers. Among fellow big cats, only the jaguar shares with the tiger a similar fondness for and capability in the water.[66] They may also cross rivers up to 6 to 7 km (3.7 to 4.3 mi) across and can swim a distance of up to 29 km (18 mi) in a day.[36] During the extreme heat of the day, they often cool off in pools. They are able to carry prey through or capturing it in the water.
The relationships between individuals can be quite complex, and it appears that there is no set "rule" that tigers follow with regards to territorial rights and infringing territories. For instance, although for the most part tigers avoid each other, both male and female tigers have been documented sharing kills, usually with others of the opposite sex or cub. George Schaller observed a male tiger share a kill with two females and four cubs. Females are often reluctant to let males near their cubs, but Schaller saw that these females made no effort to protect or keep their cubs from the male, suggesting that the male might have been the father of the cubs. In contrast to male lions, male tigers will allow the females and cubs to feed on the kill first. Furthermore, tigers seem to behave relatively amicably when sharing kills, in contrast to lions, which tend to squabble and fight. Unrelated tigers have also been observed feeding on prey together. The following quotation is from Stephen Mills' book Tiger, as he describes an event witnessed by Valmik Thapar and Fateh Singh Rathore in Ranthambhore National Park:[67]
A dominant tigress they called Padmini killed a 250 kg (550 lb) male nilgai – a very large antelope. They found her at the kill just after dawn with her three 14-month-old cubs and they watched uninterrupted for the next ten hours. During this period the family was joined by two adult females and one adult male – all offspring from Padmini's previous litters and by two unrelated tigers, one female the other unidentified. By three o'clock there were no fewer than nine tigers round the kill.
When young female tigers first establish a territory, they tend to do so fairly close to their mother's area. The overlap between the female and her mother's territory tends to wane with increasing time. Males, however, wander further than their female counterparts, and set out at a younger age to mark out their own area. A young male will acquire territory either by seeking out a range devoid of other male tigers, or by living as a transient in another male's territory until he is old and strong enough to challenge the resident male. The highest mortality rate (30–35% per year) amongst adult tigers occurs for young male tigers who have just left their natal area, seeking out territories of their own.[67]
Source:wikipedia
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