Facts About Tigers

Tiger is an animal that is deadly and incredibly beautiful at the same time. It was the status symbol of kings and high-class people in ancient times. Tiger is a symbol of royalty and bravery to this day. There are no. of interesting facts about tigers which you would find spellbinding.

Its scientific name is Panthera tigris. Panthera meaning leopard and Tigris being Latin for tiger. Tiger is a member of the Mammalia class belonging to the Felidae family. It is the largest species of wild cat in the world, with males weighing up to 170 kg and females up to 130 kg. This beautiful yet deadly creature has an eye-catching reddish-orange coat with dark stripes.

The tail of the tiger is almost three feet long. It might get three feet tall in height and 5 to 6 feet in length, with four inches long teeth and claws. The average life span of tigers is 8 to 10 years and they eat meat only. This herculean predator prefers to hunt alone at night, with deer, antelope being their main meal. The bigger prey is killed by biting the throat and the smaller prey by breaking its neck.

Interesting Facts About Tigers

One of the interesting facts about tigers is that, once the tiger kills its prey, it feeds until its tummy is full and then covers the carcass with dirt and leaves. After it digests the food, the tiger comes back to feed some more from the buried carcass. The tiger usually eats about 12 pounds of meat during a meal, occasionally known to consume whopping 60 pounds of meat in one night.

Although there are nine subspecies of tiger found all over the world, still is an endangered animal and is now under about to extinct classification. The species include Siberian, Malayan, Sumatran, South China, Bengal, Caspian Tiger, Javan, Bali, and Indo-Chinese. Sadly Caspian, Bali, and Javan being under extinct classification.

Here are some more uncommon interesting facts about tigers:

• Tiger is the largest cat species in the world.

A tiger can weigh up to 670 pounds and can be up to 3.3 meters in length, hence known as the largest cat species in the world and the third-largest carnivore on land.

• Eating only meat, Tigers are carnivorous animals.

Tiger mostly feeds on large animals such as deer, buffalo, antelope, and wild pigs.

• Tigers are loners and generally hunt alone for food at night.

They are not packed hunters, they stalk their prey and wait for the right moment to pounce on them. They kill their prey by biting the neck or back of the head. Ouch!

• Tigers are good swimmers.

Tigers love the water which is unlike most of the members of the cat family, that is why they cool off in streams or pools whenever they get the chance.

• A Tiger can run at a full speed of 65 km/hr.

You read it right! They may seem heavy, bulky, and big, but by no means tigers are slow movers.

• Tigers have a mighty roar.

A tiger’s roar is audible up to 3 kilometers. So, when they wish to be heard you’ll know about it. Gang!

• It is believed that this ferocious feline has walked the earth for a very long time.

On the basis of the fossils found in China, researchers believe that they exist for the last 2 million years. Yikes!

• Unique stripes.

No two tigers have the same stripes. They have their own pattern; they are all unique.

• Tigers could be found throughout Asia not less than 100 years ago.

The range of tigers has reduced about 7% of its former size because of hunting and habitat loss. Therefore, we must do all we can to save these beautiful creatures.

• Tiger cubs are born blind.

At the time of birth, the cub is blind, and it opens its eyes 1-2 weeks after birth.

• Cub starts to learn hunting at six months of age.

The tiger cub stays with its mother until it is 18-month-old, however, the mama tiger starts teaching the cub at 6 months of age.

• Communication is everything.

Tigers communicate and express their emotions by snarls, moan, grunts, hisses, mews, growls, and roar, they also communicate using scent markings.

• A group of tigers is called ambush or streak.

Although tigers prefer to hunt alone, in some occasional cases they are to stay together, that’s when they are referred to as an ambush.

• Tiger can mate with other big cats.

It has been discovered that the tiger also mates with big cats such as the lion and the cub is called a tigon, the largest species even bigger than the tiger.

• Stripes on skin.

The stripes on the tiger are not just on its fur, it’s on the skin as well.

• Deadly yet humble.

A tiger rarely roars and is humble towards its group. Often it is seen that a tiger offers food to the females and cubs of the group.

• Imitating the calls.

Studies have shown that tigers can imitate the call of another animal. It is said that the tiger makes a ‘pook’ sound similar to sambhar which draws the animals into the trap. Now this is one of the interesting facts about tigers

• Tiger has antiseptic saliva

Finally, something good comes from the tiger! As they have antiseptic saliva, so when you get a bruise and want it to be disinfected just visit the doctor tiger, JUST KIDDING! Generally, what they do is they lick their bruise in order to prevent any kind of infection.

• Tiger’s urine smells like buttered popcorn

I know most of you will think Ewww! But this is also a signal to the trespassers to keep out of the tiger’s territory.

• The penis of the tiger does not erect even when it is aroused.

Evidently, a tiger’s penis does not erect when it is ready to mate, this is because an internal extra-skeletal baculum or a penis bone does all the work. Baculum locks the male mid-sex with a female so that she absorbs the sperm completely. This prevents the female from mating with other males. You must have seen dogs!

•  Tigers cannot purr

As we have seen cats purr but not this species of cat. Tigers cannot purr they make loud noises.

Conclusion

What we as people can do is, spreading the word and protecting the tigers. They are under attack due to human activities which have resulted in hunting and habitat loss. Because of this, tigers sometimes enter the human territories and people for the sake of their life shoot them(occasionally).

This is why we shared interesting facts about tigers with you. Phew! So much information to learn and talk about animal rights, so make sure to read our posts and blogs and we’ll make sure you get more engaging animal-related topics to read about.