A Small Collection Of Facts About Tigers
Facts about tigers tend to interest most of us, as the tiger has long been a favorite animal of many, if one doesn't get too close, and is probably one of the most visited animals in the zoo. The tiger's stripes have a lot to do with setting it apart from other wild animals, even setting it apart from the other members, of the cat family.
On of the lesser known facts about tigers has to do with its size. The tiger is a big cat, but it is often assumed that the King of Beasts, the lion, is the largest. The truth is, the tiger is larger than the lion, and the largest of the cats. Lions and tigers are very closely related, and would be difficult to tell apart if it weren't for the tiger's stripes, and the male lion's mane.
Stripes Tell A Story - There is something to the saying "you can always tell a tiger by its stripes". Not only do the stripes set the tiger apart from most other animals, though we mustn't forget the zebra, but each tiger has its unique pattern of stripes. We could identify tigers in the wild and assign a name to each one by observing its stripes. This might be possible in a zoo, but next to impossible if the tiger is in the wild, and moving through the brush, where the pattern of its 100 or so stripes would tend to look similar to the pattern of any other tiger. The stripes, by the way, are formed in the tiger's skin. If you shaved it fur off, you'd have a very upset tiger, but one that still has its stripes.
Subspecies Of Tigers - There are 5 living subspecies of tigers in the world today. They live mostly in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, in India, and in a few places in the Middle East, plus China and Siberia. All 5 species are quite similar. The best known and most common of the tiger species is the Bengal tiger, found in India. The Bengal tiger is usually considered to be the largest of the species, though the Siberian tiger is in most respects just as large. The Southeast Asian tigers are usually somewhat smaller. There are 3 species of tigers which over the past hundred years or so have become extinct. All the species are considered endangered, with the total tiger population in the wild probably under 10,000, and possibly not much more than 5,000.
Old Mr. Saber-Tooth - Some of the most fascinating facts about tigers have to do with the Saber-toothed tiger. The Saber-toothed tiger has of course long been extinct. Unfortunately this fascinating creature was not a true tiger, and at best a very distant relative of today's tigers. It was a true cat, but belonged to the sub-family Felidae, whereas the modern tiger belongs to a different sub-family of true cats, Panthera, and the species Panthera tigris.
Cats Can Swim! - One of the unusual facts about tigers has to do with their swimming ability. The tiger, unlike your pet house cat, loves the water, and is an excellent swimmer. In hot weather tigers will often seek out water to take a plunge cool down. They can, and occasionally do, swim long distances, and have been observed swimming across rivers and lakes, with prey in their mouths.
There are many more interesting facts about tigers if you wish to study them. They are powerful animals, fierce fighters that will take on most anything except the very largest animals. They can hold their own against a lion, and will usually win a fight against one. Fortunately for the lion, most lions are found in Africa, while the tiger makes Asia its home. Tigers can be trained and tamed, and a few are even kept as pets, but there is always a danger there. Hopefully, the dwindling habitat of these beautiful animals, and the tigers themselves, can be protected and preserved.