A hybrid of a lion and a tigress is called a liger, and a hybrid of a tiger and a lioness is called a tiger lion, or in the English manner tigon (tiger + lion = tigon). For a long time it was believed that such hybrids were sterile, but later it turned out that only males are sterile. And females of both hybrids can mate with both lions and tigers. The descendants from them even have their own names: for example, a hybrid of a lion and a female tigon - li-tigon, others - by analogy - ti-tigon, li-liger and ti-liger.
There is an opinion that rare white tigers are albinos, but this is not true. White fur with dark stripes, coupled with blue eyes, appears in Bengal tigers as a result of a mutation that occurs in one case in 10,000 individuals. White tigers breed well in captivity; there are now more than 100 of them in zoos around the world, and they are all descendants of one tiger cub found by a hunter in 1951.
Not only does a tiger have striped fur, but it also has striped skin underneath.
In Thailand, there is the Tiger Monastery, where Buddhist monks and tigers live side by side. This monastery was founded in 1994 by Abbot Phra Acharn Kanthitharo as a forest monastery and also a refuge for wild animals.
There are many legends about the tiger. And one, which arose again and again, told the story of the “ghost of the jungle” - the white tiger. In 1951, the legend turned into reality - a white tiger was caught in the Indian district of Riva. He was offered an ordinary tigress as a girlfriend, who then gave birth to four normal, orange-black kittens. Mating with one of his daughters, the white tiger fathered three cubs, two of which were born white, with characteristic bluish stripes. This unusual family gave rise to a number of interesting mutants.
The only cat that loves to swim. All cats can swim, although the vast majority prefer to stay away from water and only approach it to drink. Some - particularly the jaguar and jaguarundi - do not hesitate to dive into the water to grab a capybara or fish. But only the tiger seems to bathe for pleasure. When tigers crossed the Himalayas and settled in the tropics many thousands of years ago, they discovered that water was an excellent coolant. Now, in the stuffy and hot jungles of India, tigers sit or lie for hours, immersed up to their necks in the water of a lake or river, and enjoy the coolness.
Look at these graceful, powerful animals! Isn’t it true that just looking at the pictures takes your breath away!!!
After tiger censuses in India showed an alarming decline in the population of these magnificent beasts, the Indian government, together with several international conservation organizations, launched “Operation Tiger” and established several special tiger reserves. In these relatively small areas the question of whether a tiger will exist or not will be decided.
Sorry for some confusion of information. The site was created for a child - so that the daughter, by reading and even trying to write articles about nature on her own, would learn something new and useful. My daughter has grown up, but I continue to write columns on the site - it’s a pity to leave this small corner of nature on the Internet.
To be honest, I don’t have writing talents. You may have noticed this yourself if you read some of the articles. I'm just retelling what I know myself. And, sometimes, what I recently read.
If you know anything about artists. whose paintings we used in the design of the article - we would be grateful for any information.
It’s not that all cats are afraid, they just don’t like water to begin with. And if they accidentally step into the water, they immediately begin to shake their paws in disgust, even tigers, even lions, even domestic cats - everyone has the same reaction. But, I say again, they all have no fear of water, they just don’t like it. Therefore, if necessary, they can use it. Tigers and lions are children of nature, and their struggle for survival can force them, for example, to move to the other side of the river. Both the tiger and the lion can cross the river if necessary, but you will never see them swimming for pleasure, as other animals can do. A domestic cat can also be trained to drink water. I remember my friends had a cat that they trained to take a bath every evening. And if, for example, the next evening they forgot to give him a bath, he would start yelling angrily, throwing himself at everyone and...
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Only cats can answer this question, but, unfortunately, they do not speak. It is known that some species of large cats are not at all afraid of water. Lions, tigers, jaguars, ocelots enjoy swimming. Cats in cold climates would prefer to avoid getting wet, and this makes perfect sense. A cat's fur serves as an insulating layer, retaining body heat; getting the fur wet reduces the thermal insulation effect.
Probably, the type of prey of a domestic cat also plays a role in this. The cat eats mice and small land animals, so there is no need for it to enter the water.
Cats are very clean animals and spend several hours a day grooming their fur. Unlike other species of animals (humans, for example), which keep their bodies clean with water, cats do not need to bathe. A tongue is all a cat needs to keep its fur clean.
This is just speculation on the topic....
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Most people, without thinking, will answer the question: “What are cats most afraid of?” Of course, water! Can they answer why cats are afraid of water? Genetics, evolution, personal dislike, phobia? What is the reason for the seemingly irrational fear inherent in these brave creatures?
Zoologists at one time paid close attention to this issue. Probably just out of curiosity, but it was worth it: it turned out that the mustachioed hunters are not afraid of water at all, and do not want to get wet for completely rational reasons.
Risk of hypothermia
Between the top layer of fur and the cat’s skin there is a “layer” of air - the so-called air cushion. This is a protective layer that is heated by the warmth of the cat's body and prevents the pet from freezing. When wet, wool loses its insulating properties. But why are cats afraid of water and dogs are not? To understand, you need to remember the lifestyle of these two animals.
A dog is a pack animal; if it gets cold, it will cling to...
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Can cats swim? Of course they can! Any animal can swim and in extreme situations swims out with ease. Another question is whether they like this activity. Most domestic cats do not like water, and when they find themselves near a body of water, they become noticeably nervous and try with all their might to avoid an unpleasant bath.
Do cats swim?
Start small - taking a bath. I often hear from friends that even the most harmless bathing of a clawed friend causes a lot of trouble. The whole secret is in the water temperature. The water must be equal to the cat's body temperature. Too cold or too hot water causes unimaginable discomfort to the cat.
Measure the cat's temperature and pour the same water into the basin. From the very first time, you will notice how much less problems there will be with bathing. Then, pour a larger container for bathing so that the animal has room to turn around. Afterwards, you can move on to bathing in a full bath. Gradually, having accustomed the animal to such water procedures...
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Cats have a fairly strong instinct of self-preservation, so although they know how to swim, they never do this in order not to get their fur wet.
Our pets are interesting in their own way; if dogs are people’s best friends, then cats are creatures that are created for love. They are important participants in our lives and attract even the most avid non-animal lovers. A cat is a cute creature that loves itself and its owners. Cats are unique pets that are very mysterious and interesting at the same time. Although cats are excellent swimmers, they will never get into a body of water on their own for fun. The cat is constantly wary of moisture and she does this not only because she does not like to swim, but because she has an absolutely objective reason for this. The fact is that these creatures have their own coat structure and thanks to this they never freeze or suffer from the heat. A cat's undercoat has an air cushion that retains heat in winter and gives...
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What do cats hate most? Of course, water - you will answer and you won’t be wrong. Our pets are terrified of the bath: as soon as you bring them to an open door, the animals immediately begin to panic, break free, and sometimes even bite and scratch. Why don't cats like water?
It turns out they have good reasons for this, due to genetic memory. A cat's undercoat contains a special layer of air that protects it from overheating and freezing. When the fur gets wet, the layer is destroyed and the cat begins to freeze. Water procedures are not so scary for dogs, because they run around a lot, chasing prey, and lead a pack lifestyle - they can warm their sides against their fellow tribesmen. But the cat is a loner, with no one to cuddle up to, she motionlessly guards her prey in ambush, her territory is much smaller and the predator rarely runs. Therefore, a wet cat will become a victim of frost very quickly.
Can cats swim? They know how - and how! Little kittens that have just learned to more or less...
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Why are cats afraid of water? Cats have a fairly strong instinct of self-preservation, so although they know how to swim, they never do this in order not to get their fur wet. Our pets are interesting in their own way; if dogs are people’s best friends, then cats are creatures that are created for love. They are important participants in our lives and attract even the most avid non-animal lovers. A cat is a cute creature that loves itself and its owners. Cats are unique pets that are very mysterious and interesting at the same time. Although cats are excellent swimmers, they will never get into a body of water on their own for fun. The cat is constantly wary of moisture and she does this not only because she does not like to swim, but because she has an absolutely objective reason for this. The fact is that these creatures have their own coat structure and thanks to this they never freeze or suffer from the heat. A cat's undercoat has an air cushion that...
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These amazing wild cats
These amazing wild cats
The cat family (Felidae) is already 35 million years old. Wild felines are absent only in Australia and Antarctica. There are 36-35 species in total, grouped into 4 genera.
The largest and the smallest
The largest wild cat is the tiger: its weight reaches 270 kilograms, but this is not the limit. Hunters have killed tigers weighing 320 kg. Lions in the wild rarely weigh more than 200 kg, their weight category is 125-250 kg. The experience of zoos and circuses convinces us: if a lion fights with a tiger, the first remains defeated. If the animals are not separated in time, the tiger will kill the lion.The largest tiger
...Amur. The smallest is the Sunda, he used to live on the island of Bali and now continues to live in Sumatra.
The biggest teeth
Of all the predatory animals, the tiger has the largest teeth, its jaws are so powerful that...
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Why are ligers called exotic cats?
A liger is a hybrid of a lion and a tigress. This animal is the largest cat in the world, as it reaches a height of three meters. However, such “nuggets” do not appear in the wild often, because the habitats of lions and tigers differ. That is why such hybrids are pure exoticism! They appear relatively infrequently and for the reason that between these representatives of different species of the cat family, “love attraction” rarely arises in nature, if it arises at all.
At the moment, there are no more than two dozen ligers in the world.
Ligers, for the most part, appear in those zoos where often both tiger cubs and lion cubs are in the same enclosure. Little liger cubs are adorable and rare creatures that quickly turn into real crowd favorites!
Neither a tiger nor a lion
The appearance of the liger is not so clear. This hybrid incorporates features of both mother and father....
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Why is it believed that cats are afraid of water?
The objective reason for fear of water may be the structure of the coat. Cat fur allows the animal not to become overcooled in cold weather and not to suffer from heat in hot weather. The air layer of the undercoat is an excellent thermoregulatory “device”.
Wet fur loses this layer, so cats instinctively try to avoid getting their fur wet.
On our website you can also read an article about other big cats - about white tigers. There you can also see unusual photos of white cats.
Another reason for "hydrophobia" in cats is that wet fur smells much stronger. Big cats (and our beloved pets) hunt by lying in wait for game, and the enhanced smell will certainly scare off the prey.
It becomes clear that the vast majority of cats are afraid not of water, but of the consequences...
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Cats are afraid of water
Can cats swim? Of course, they can, but they never do it so as not to get their fur wet. If a cat finds itself in an extreme situation, it will definitely swim out. However, most domestic cats do not like water, and when they find themselves near a pond or in a bathtub filled with water, they become noticeably nervous and try with all their might to avoid an unpleasant bath. Why are cats afraid to get their fur coat wet? The fact is that cat fur has a special structure thanks to which they never freeze or suffer from the heat. The undercoat of cats, especially developed in British cats, has an air cushion that retains heat in winter and prevents heat from penetrating the animal’s body in summer. If the fur gets wet, then the air cushion disappears, so cats quickly freeze. Cats do an excellent job of cleaning themselves, so they don’t need water treatments.
Of course, a domestic cat has to be bathed sometimes. How to do this correctly, read the article:...
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Domestic cats generally avoid contact with water. Many owners, when trying to bathe their furry pet, are faced, to put it mildly, with a negative reaction from their furry pets. Bathing, as a rule, is unsuccessful, and its result is abrasions and claw marks on the owner’s back, victory and flight of the pet away from this terrible “wet” place. And this despite the fact that cats can swim and catch fish quite deftly. Paradox?
Fear of water or something else?
Since cats are excellent swimmers, their dislike of bathing cannot be explained by a fear of water. What is a cat afraid of? There is a possibility that she is afraid to get her fur, which has a peculiar structure, wet. As you know, these animals are not hot in summer and not cold in winter. Their undercoat has an air cushion that allows them to retain heat and prevent heat or cold from penetrating the body. When it comes into contact with water, the wool becomes wet and the air cushion disappears. As a result, the cat instantly freezes...
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The cat is one of the most popular pets along with dogs. Historians claim that all domesticated cats descend from one of the five representatives of the “steppe cat” subspecies, which in turn appeared approximately 130 thousand years ago. As for the domestication of the animal, this happened around 9500 BC. in the East, where the first human civilizations had just begun to emerge. And not so long ago, a joint burial of a man and a cat was discovered in Cyprus, which dates back to 7000 BC.
Many of us have pets and most often they are cats. Have you ever wondered how long they live? If you ask this question to Wikipedia, we will get the following answer - the average life expectancy of an animal is about 14 years, in some cases these cute animals can live up to 20, or even 25 years. However, in life there are completely surprising cases. So, a cat named Lucy, who lives in one of the British families,...
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Ask who the largest predator is, and most people will tell you the lion, which is generally considered the king of beasts. Meanwhile, this is just a widespread mistake. The tiger's body length reaches three meters, and its weight reaches 320 kilograms. The lion weighs almost a hundredweight less.
Tiger (lat. Panthera tigris) is a species of predatory mammal of the cat family, one of the four large cats of the genus Panther (lat. Panthera). 
Among the representatives of this species there are the largest animals of the cat family. The tiger is also one of the largest land predators, second in mass only to the polar and brown bears. 
Nine subspecies of the tiger have been identified, of which only six survived by the beginning of the 21st century (the total population is about 4000-6500 individuals). It is under international protection (listed in the IUCN Red List). 
One of their strongest external features is their skin with black or brown bold vertical stripes on a reddish-yellow or reddish-orange background. 
The lower part of the body of tigers is usually white or slightly cream. 
The tiger species is absolutely exclusively Asian. It appeared somewhere in northern China about 2 million years ago. Also at the end of the last century, tigers could be seen in eastern Turkey and from northern Iran to the East Indies and even in southeastern Siberia. 
The advance of civilization into forests and their wild inhabitants has forced tigers in India to attack herds of livestock. As a result, they acquired a reputation as bloodthirsty and vicious creatures, and they were hunted with such zeal that they were almost completely exterminated. 
In fact, tigers kill to live, and nothing more. 
The main conditions necessary for the survival of tigers in a given territory are the presence of dense vegetation cover, a high number of ungulates, which are the main object of hunting, and access to water bodies. 
Throughout most of their range, tigers live in forests of various types, from dense tropical jungles to the taiga forests of the Russian Far East. 
They hunt alone deer, wild boars, even gaur bulls weighing up to one ton, and sometimes, in hungry years, they attack bears in dens. 
Tigers hypnotize prey with their voice. Scientists have discovered that tigers use infrasound to scare their prey. It turned out that these striped predators are capable of producing very low frequency sounds that put the prey into a trance state. 
A tiger's roar can instantly put another animal, and even a person, into a state of temporary catalepsy. 
A tiger's roar can be so low in frequency that the human ear is unable to hear it. 
However, at the same time, the animal emits infrasound, which affects the psyche of the victim. 
And as a result, the victim falls into a state similar to paralysis. And although the effect lasts only a few seconds, the predator manages to pounce on the prey and kill it.
The predator overtakes the pursued animal with several huge jumps - this is the fastest way of running for a tiger. Being an excellent walker, the tiger will not pursue its prey for long. If the animal leaves, the tiger stops chasing.
A number of factors prevent a tiger from successfully attacking. These are sensitive paw pads that do not allow the predator to run over hot stones and rough terrain without getting burns and wounds. A successful hunt is also hampered by the tiger's inability to continue the chase. While a cheetah can run a greater distance and at greater speed, a tiger takes two, or at most three, leaps before giving up. 
A tiger, when he is hungry, is ready to devour almost everything that gets in his way. 
A study of Bengal tigers alone revealed a menu of three species of deer, wild bulls, domestic cows, buffalo, monkeys, wild boars, bears, lynxes, badgers, wolves, lizards, snakes, frogs, crabs, fish, locusts, termites, carrion, grass, and in rare cases, and soil.
There are known cases of tiger attacks on crocodiles, pythons, leopards, and even, if he has been starving for a long time, on other tigers. 
Of course, the diet of the Amur and Indian tigers is very different, but for all, the main prey is various ungulates. Animals, if not disturbed, spend several days near the killed victim until they eat the entire carcass. 
Some animals, mostly those that have received some kind of injury, become cannibals.
Described by Jim Corbett, a famous tiger hunter, such cases show how dramatic and bloody encounters this predator can have with people. Indeed, when one mentions cannibals, it is the tiger that first comes to mind. These words - man-eater and tiger in Asia have become almost synonymous. The problem of man-eating tigers is still relevant today for the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Sundarbans (in the latter, about a hundred people die from man-eating tigers every year).
True, it seems that scientists, after studying the behavior of killer tigers, have managed in recent years to find a way to combat cannibals. The thing is. that tigers that have become “professional” cannibals, that is, specially tracking down people, almost always attack the victim from an ambush from behind, from the back. The simplest and most effective means of protecting people in such a situation turned out to be a mask with a person’s face painted on it. Worn on the back of the head, this simple “toy” helps to significantly reduce the likelihood that an animal will attack a person. 
Tiger is the only cat that loves to swim. 
All cats can swim, although the vast majority prefer to stay away from water and only approach it to drink. Some - particularly the jaguar and jaguarundi - do not hesitate to dive into the water to grab a capybara or fish. 
But only a tiger bathes for pleasure. 
When tigers crossed the Himalayas and settled in the tropics many thousands of years ago, they discovered that water was an excellent coolant. 
In the stuffy and hot jungles of India, tigers sit or lie for hours, immersed up to their necks in the water of a lake or river, and enjoy the coolness. 
The Amur tiger (Panthera tiger altaica), also known as the Ussuri, Siberian, Manchurian or North Chinese tiger, is primarily found in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions of Russia, and in very small numbers in northeastern China and North Korea. 
The Amur tiger is considered the largest subspecies of the tiger: a tiger cub at the age of six months is comparable in size and weight to an adult leopard. This subspecies is distinguished by thick, long (compared to other subspecies) and fluffy fur, with a duller red background and fewer stripes than other subspecies. 
This is the average width of the paw of a young Amur tiger. 
In the south of the Russian Far East there is a northern. border of the tiger's range. The Sikhote-Alin Mountains currently contain the world's only viable population of Amur tigers. 
Currently, the range consists of three relatively isolated and unequally important areas: the large Sikhote-Alin, located in the west. and east macroslopes of the Sikhote-Alin south of the river. Gur (Hungari) and r. Koppi, respectively (95% of tigers are concentrated in it), and two small ones - southwest, located in the south of the Khasansky district of the Primorsky Territory and stretching from the Shufan (Borisov) plateau along the spurs of the ridge. Black Mountains to Bass. R. Close (Cherukhe), and west, located in the basin. upper reaches of the river Komissarovka (Sintuha). In the latter, tigers appeared again relatively recently - in the late 80s, having been absent here since the early 70s. At present, tigers are practically not found on the left bank of the Amur, with the exception of rare visits of individual individuals below the mouth of the Ussuri. A small group of tigers that lived in the Bass. R. Bidzhan (the southeastern part of the Bureya Range) ceased to exist until the early 70s. 
In recent decades, poaching has become widespread and has become commercial in nature in recent years. Tiger products are sold in most countries of East Asia as valuable medicinal raw materials. In Russia, the tiger was taken under protection in 1947, when a complete ban on hunting it was introduced. 
Every year on the fourth Sunday of September, Vladivostok celebrates one of the largest environmental holidays - Tiger Day. The purpose of the holiday is to remind people of the unique nature of the Primorsky Territory and the need to preserve the Amur tiger not only on flags and coats of arms, but also in real life for our future generation, as well as to attract the attention of the world community to the problems of tiger conservation. 
The last two censuses (1996 and 2005) showed the presence of 480-520 individuals of Amur tigers in the wild, living in a single habitat, which makes this population the largest in the world. 
The Bengal tiger (lat. Panthera tigris tigris or lat. Panthera tigris bengalensis) is a subspecies of tiger that lives in Northern and Central India, Nepal and Burma, as well as in the vicinity of the mouth of the Ganges River and in Bangladesh. It is smaller than its northern cousin and more brightly colored. 
The Bengal tiger living in India also falls into the rare category. There are currently approximately 3,500 individuals living in the country. The reasons for the disappearance are still the same - hunting and reduction of forest area. 
On average, the weight of males ranges from 180 to 275 kg. The length of the body without a tail can reach three meters. And the height at the withers is 0.6 to 1.1 m. 
In general, the tiger's tail is worthy of mention - the well-furred, striped appendage can grow a whole meter! 
Although in a zoo or circus the bright stripes attract all eyes to the tiger, they make it completely invisible in the thickets of elephant grass and bushes where it usually hunts. The orange and black colors are deeper and darker in tropical tigers, which are smaller in stature than their more northern relatives. 
Among the Bengal tigers there is a real miracle - white tigers. Brownish or black stripes are visible on the white background of the skin. And the eyes of such individuals are blue! 
Experienced hunters also talk about the existence of melanistic tigers (they have black fur, it is difficult to judge the presence of stripes against such a background). 
Tiger twins were born at the Tianjin Zoo in China. They have completely different colors - yellow and white. The mother was a mixed tiger, so her offspring inherited each of her different colors. 
Since it is difficult for the white Bengal tiger to hunt in the jungle world due to its white color, a new subspecies is being bred in nurseries. The white Bengal is crossed with the Siberian species. 
The white tiger is by no means a mistake of nature and not an albino. 
According to experts, this not very large population was bred to decorate zoos by foreign scientists in the mid-70s. 
Professionals explain the rare color by the low content of melanin - that is, the enzyme responsible for the color of the skin. 
However, the tiger's black stripes were not damaged at all. 
White tigers also differ from their red-skinned counterparts in eye color. 
Their eyes are blue, and, according to zookeepers, they are freezing. 
True albino tigers are white with pink stripes and pink eyes, but such amazing animals are very rare. 
The zoo in Vallejo, California, has a local favorite - a unique white tiger named Odin. 
Literally everyone adores the animal, because in addition to being a very rare animal, it loves to swim in the water. 
One can bask in the water all day long. For this purpose, he was even given a separate pool. 
The tiger's trainer states that his charge is very smart. 
And that all its severity is just a first impression, in fact, “it’s just a big domestic cat”... 
This type of tiger was seen only on the island of Sumatra, now about 400-500 individuals of Sumaran tigers are in the wild and about 235 individuals in zoos; Various national parks and zoos were organized for the Sumatran tiger; this subspecies of tigers is the smallest surviving one: for example, the weight of such an adult male is small, only about 100-140 kg. 
The Sumatran tiger is not very similar to its relatives from the Amur region, India, etc. 
These tigers are not as big as, for example, Indian (Bengal) or Amur tigers. 
Sumatran tigers are quite aggressive: maybe because he had an unpleasant experience meeting people. 
The nearly extinct Indonesian subspecies of tigers are even smaller and darker than their mainland relatives. 
The Malayan tiger is found exclusively in the southern (Malaysian) part of the Malay Peninsula. The Malayan tiger is the smallest of the tiger subspecies. Its coloring and stripes are very similar to the Indochinese tiger, but its size is closer to the Sumatran tiger. The weight of males is 120 kg, females - up to 100 kg. The length of males is up to 237 cm, and females - up to 200 cm. 
The Bali tiger is an extinct subspecies of tigers that lived only on the island of Bali. 
The Javan tiger is an extinct subspecies of tigers native to the Indonesian island of Java. The subspecies presumably became extinct in the 1980s due to hunting and habitat destruction. 
The Turanian tiger (also Mazandaran or Caspian) is an extinct subspecies of tigers that lived in Central Asia. 
I would not like tigers and other animals to remain only on paintings, such as in Rubens’s painting “The Hunt for Tigers and Lions.” 
Many nurseries are working on programs to maintain the population and breed these animals in zoos in order to one day release them into the wild into their habitat. 
Fights occur between males for the right to mate with a female. 
The tigress is capable of fertilization only a few days a year, during which mating occurs several times a day and is accompanied by loud sounds. 
The tigress makes her lair in the most inaccessible places: in crevices among stones, in caves, among windbreaks, and reed supports. 
The tigress brings offspring - usually two to four cubs, occasionally six - once every two years. Tiger cubs live with their mother for two to three years, sometimes up to five years. It should be noted that all of them do not have time to grow up; some, for various reasons, die very young. 
The cubs grow up under the supervision of their mother, who does not allow the male to approach the offspring, since wandering males can kill the cubs. 
For the first two months, the tigress feeds the cubs with milk, but then gradually begins to accustom them to meat. And when the cubs become strong enough, the mother begins to take them hunting with her and teach them how to master the prey. 
At the age of 8 weeks, tiger cubs become able to follow their mother and leave the den. 
In the wild, a tiger lives no more than twenty years, but now, when the pressure is rapidly increasing, only a superbly physically developed tiger with very fast reactions can live up to this period. 
This is not a photo montage. It’s just that one day a tigress was fed by a pig. All this confusion occurred in a Thai zoo located near Bangkok. 
A Bengal tigress born in captivity was raised by a common pig. 
Over the course of four years, she became attached to both “mommy” herself and her own children. 
For four months the wild cat did not tear itself away from the pig's chest. 
In gratitude for the patience of her “mother,” the tigress took upon herself the voluntary protection of her foster brothers and sisters. 
And the zookeepers dressed them in faux fur caftans. 
A hunting dog nursed three white tiger cubs born at a zoo in southern Kansas who were left without care after their mother abandoned them. 
If a person picks up a cub, the animal may reject it, sensing foreign odors. In addition, some animals suffer mental damage in captivity. Any stress can lead to failure, especially in very cautious animals. To save the newborns, who represent the rarest breed in the world, zoo staff had to be smart. 
The coming Year of the Tiger 2010 will officially begin on 02/14/2010 according to the change of dates according to the eastern lunar calendar. Therefore, it is not at all necessary to celebrate the European New Year in striped suits a la the Year of the Tiger.
The tiger, as one of the oldest and largest predators, has always been a dual, incomprehensibly mysterious image for humans, arousing the horror of the beast and admiration for its wild power and grace. Therefore, he ended up in the pantheon of animal deities among shamanists, Hindus, Taoists, Buddhists and even Shintoists (although in the entire history of Japan no one has seen a tiger there in a single year!).
When the East discovered 12-year bio-lunar cycles, it designated the 3rd year as the Year of the Tiger, because large groups of people began to behave extremely emotionally at this time, overwhelmed by a thirst for activity and a thirst for power, which increased the number of accidents and conflicts between people.
Therefore, the Year of the Tiger 2010 is seen as a year of “deep reform”, or rather, the collapse of the economy. But perhaps you will be saved by the feng shui souvenirs offered for the Year of the Tiger 2010 by our great “yellow neighbor”: White Tiger 2010 figurines, drawings and calendars with the symbols of the Year of the Tiger.
Depending on the “element of the year,” a person in the Year of the Tiger acquires different colors of emotions. For example, the Year of the Tiger 2010 has the element Metal, which means coldness and stubbornness in achieving goals. On the other hand, Tiger 2010 carries Yang energy, which implies activity and positive goal settings.
The tiger is the largest and most formidable representative of the cat family. There are legends about the fierce temper of the predator; even lions are inferior to its cruelty and pressure. The vibes of wild, uncontrollable power emanating from the large and majestic body of the tiger cause unmotivated anxiety and panic fear among the inhabitants of the forest long before the beast appears within sight. A person who is close to an approaching predator experiences the same intense emotions.
Myths and legends
In the mythology of many peoples of the world, the tiger is the owner of the forest, the king of animals, the owner of magical qualities and powerful energy. In ancient China, the predator was considered a threat to demons and a protector from disease; in Korea, it was known as the spirit of caves and mountains.
The Nivkhs, living in Japan and Russia, considered the beast to be a special breed of “human tigers.” When meeting him, it was necessary to bow and make a welcoming speech, but it was strictly forbidden to injure or kill the tiger. Many Indian tribes considered and still consider the animal to be their ancestor, who stood at the origins of the family.
The hunters of Transbaikalia called the tiger “fierce” and avoided the paths trodden by it. If by chance they came across the trail of an animal walking forward, they tried not to leave it, but to move with their backs in the opposite direction, while making frequent bows. This way, in their opinion, it was possible to avoid the tiger’s wrath and inevitable disaster. Kyrgyz shamans, in the process of ritual actions, turn to the kind white tiger for help.
In Chinese Buddhism, the beast represents anger. For Indians, it is a symbol of military valor. According to Japanese tradition, the predator in the bamboo grove symbolizes human evil.
In Eastern medicine, the tiger was considered as a source of valuable material for the manufacture of medicinal potions. To cure infertility, women were recommended to eat the meat of a predator or jump over its skin. Chinese healers made antipyretics and aphrodisiacs from various parts of the animal’s body.
Despite all sorts of prohibitions, products from tiger organs are in demand and are sold on illegal markets.
Carefully! Cannibals!
Collisions between an animal and an unarmed person end in bloodshed and a dramatic ending. Man-eating tigers pose a particular danger. Usually these are sick or old individuals who are not capable of attacking a stronger opponent. They purposefully hunt people, set up ambushes near rural roads, and always attack from behind. Quite healthy individuals can become cannibals. Animals quickly get used to the taste of human meat and are no longer able to deny themselves this pleasure.
To prevent a tiger attack, residents of dangerous areas resort to various tricks and tricks. One of these tricks is a mask in the form of a face with big eyes, worn on the back of the head. The “look” of the mask scares away the predator and it does not risk attacking, but retreats back into the jungle.
Many notorious facts about tigers once again remind us of the bloody and insidious nature of the predator. Some of such evidence, such as the serial killings of people by a man-eating tigress in the Indian district of Nainital (1925 - 1930), are particularly cruel. According to confirmed data, the beast managed to kill 64 people.
The Champawat tigress is considered the most bloodthirsty predator of the 20th century. According to researchers, she is responsible for 436 murders, of which 200 people were killed in Nepal and 236 in the Kumaon region. The animal hunted people for several years. Even the Nepalese army could not cope with the dangerous predator - it always managed to evade pursuit. The famous hunter of cannibalistic predators Jim Corbett put an end to this tragic story. He covered the seasoned beast in 1911.
The mango forests of Sundraban, Uttar Pradesh state in India, still pose a mortal danger to humans. According to local scientists, every fourth tiger living in these regions is a potential man-eater.
Features of hunting
For many centuries, the tiger has been a coveted trophy. Hunting for it, regardless of the region of its habitat, was widespread, becoming more of an entertainment and sporting pleasure than a way of protecting against attack by a predator.
In ancient Korea, animal hunters were highly revered and occupied a very high status in society. Their clothing was different from that of their fellow tribesmen, consisting of a blue turban, a jacket of the same color and an unusual necklace. The daily diet of trappers necessarily included the meat of a killed animal.
The great conqueror Alexander the Great hunted tigers in Central Asia. For her, he used darts sharpened in a special way.
The English colonialists entertained themselves with this dangerous and cruel activity. They used local residents as beaters. They themselves moved on elephants or followed the victim on foot. The skins of killed animals became carpets or stuffed animals in the homes of the English aristocracy, and the meat became a delicacy during feasts.
History of the species
Since 1929, the animal belongs to the genus Panthera (panther). The Latin name of the species is Panthera tigris, where “tigris” translated into Russian means fast or sharp. The first information about the predator can be found in the works of the physician and naturalist Carl Linnaeus; zoologist George Robert Gray also studied this species; naturalist Nikolai Severtsov contributed to scientific research.
Fossil remains of wild tigers dating back to the Pleistocene period were found on the island of Java, northern China, Sumatra, Siberia, and India. According to molecular genetic studies, the predator is directly related to the genus Panthera and separated from the common ancestral branch more than two million years ago.
At the same time, the saber-toothed tiger, despite its name, according to DNA results has no relation to living tigers.
Distribution and population status
Previously, the living space of the predator covered vast territories: from Indonesia to Transcaucasia and Central Asia, from the Far East to Iran. At the beginning of the 20th century, up to 100 thousand animals lived on Earth, 40 thousand of which lived in India.
The growing invasion of civilization into virgin nature and poaching contributed to the catastrophic decline of the species. Now the tiger's habitat is limited to several regions of Asia, divided into separate populations, the total number of which does not exceed 5 thousand.
On the islands of Bali and Java, in Transcaucasia and Central Asia, animals disappeared in the second half of the last century. In Korea and Manchuria, from 20 to 30 individuals have survived, up to 550 predators live in the Far East, and in Sumatra there are no more than 500 of them. The largest number of tigers remain in Indochina and India - about 3.5 thousand.
Security measures
The predator is under international protection and is listed in the Red Book. Hunting for it is prohibited. To preserve the species and maintain the population size, specialized protected areas are created.
In the Far East there are several state-protected zones - Sikhote-Alinsky, Lazovsky and Ussuriysky national parks, the Kedrovaya Pad nature reserve. To observe tigers, scientists most often use camera traps, the tracking method, GPS tracking, and radio tracking.
Appearance
The tiger cat is massive in appearance, but incredibly flexible and agile animal.
- Its weight exceeds all conceivable limits and is the most impressive among the representatives of the cat family. The average-sized tiger weighs 190 - 250 kg. A large individual can reach a body weight of up to 300 - 320 kg.
- An adult animal has a length, excluding the tail, of about three meters, and a height at the withers of up to 1.2 meters.
- The front legs are more powerful and tall than the hind legs. The feet are very wide, the claws are retractable. The hind paw has only four toes, the front paw has five toes.
- The massive, rounded head of the tiger is set on a wide, powerful neck. The muzzle is decorated with sideburns on both sides.
- The eyes are yellow with round pupils.
- The forehead is convex.
- The nose is large, the bridge of the nose is wide.
- The jaw is strong, the length of the fangs is up to 8 cm.
- The ears are small, without tufts.
Thanks to its color, the tiger looks very colorful in life and in photos. The southern subspecies have a short, sparse and fairly hard coat. Northern individuals have a fluffy skin with long, medium-hard hair. The striped tiger may have a rusty brown or rusty red base color. The throat, belly and paws are white-gray on the inside. There are light spots on the face and ears.
The stripes on the coat are located uniquely in each individual. The predator has up to 100 such stripes. The color palette includes all shades of brown and black, depending on the subspecies. In the neck and on the body they are located in the transverse direction, reaching the belly, where they end with sharp ends, like a bayonet.
On the front half of the body, the stripes are rare, their frequency increases towards the beginning of the tail. In the pelvic area, the stripes go down halfway to the hips. The tiger's tail has up to ten transverse stripes and a black spot at the very end.
Color options
- The white tiger is a successful result of a gene mutation, occurring once in 10 thousand individuals. In life and in photos, a white tiger looks amazingly beautiful - absolutely white fur sparkling in the sun, heavenly purity blue eyes, clearly defined black and brown stripes. The first such tiger cub was taken from its mother by a trapper in 1951. Since then, scientists have been breeding them in captivity, and all individuals are descendants of the found animal. Tigers with unusual colors reproduce well and constantly replenish their mini-population.
- The golden tiger owes its color to a recessive gene responsible for its unusual coat color. The history of the appearance of the animal goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, it was then that the first animal with this color was discovered. At that time, many theories were put forward in this regard, but none of them were confirmed. An explanation for this phenomenon was found after a genetic study, as a result of which a recessive gene was found. There are 30 golden-colored individuals in zoos around the world, and almost all of them are the result of crossing adults with their offspring.
- The population contains completely black tigers and animals with a bluish-gray color.
Habitat and lifestyle
The landscapes where these animals live are very diverse. The predator adapts well to any climate and terrain, be it mangrove or bamboo thickets, tropical forests, bare rocks, harsh Siberian taiga or dry savannah with sparse vegetation. Found at altitudes up to 3 thousand meters.
The animal tiger is a loner by nature. During the day it sleeps in the den, and in the evening it goes in search of prey. Hiking sometimes lasts until the morning.
At the age of a tiger cub, he deftly and quickly climbs trees; an adult predator does not climb trees - his weight does not allow him. He loves and knows how to swim, is not afraid of severe frosts, and tolerates hot weather well. Usually the tiger is silent. It makes dull growling sounds only during the mating season, at the moment of rage and when it attacks the victim.
Wherever a tiger lives, its personal territory is saturated with an individual scent. It abundantly irrigates rocks, bushes, and tree trunks with urine. Leaves urine marks on vertical surfaces. To remind himself even more, he rubs his back against the trees, scratches the bark, loosens the snow or earth.
The size of hunting grounds depends on the region inhabited, the amount of food available and gender. Males occupy large territories - from 60 to 100 km 2. In search of prey, they cover from 9 to 41 km per day. Females are limited to more modest boundaries; the area of their personal territory does not exceed 20 km 2. The areas of a male and several females can intersect with each other. Animals always move along the same paths.
It behaves aggressively towards other males, when it sees them it takes a threatening pose and makes no less threatening sounds. If mutual understanding is not reached, he enters into a brutal, bloody battle to the bitter end. The tiger is more favorable towards females; it can live with them in the same territory and share its prey.
Hunting and food
The predator hunts alone. It waits for prey near trails or stalks. The choice of hunting method depends on the time of year. In the summer, it follows the scent in search of prey; in the winter, it hunts near the trails. For an ambush he chooses the leeward side. Sneaks up on the victim quietly and unnoticed.
The tiger attacks with lightning speed, making incredible leaps (up to 10 meters). The victim is grabbed by the throat and breaks her neck, sometimes simply strangled. It can eat up to 30 kg of meat per day. Stays near large prey for several days.
The daily diet includes all the game that lives in the same region. As a rule, these are ungulates, hares, birds, and monkeys. Loves nuts and fruits, eats grass.
Reproduction and care of offspring
The mating season occurs in December - January and is accompanied by stormy courtship. Males find a female ready for fertilization by the smell of marks left by the chosen one. Other males, if they appear on the tiger’s path, meet with a decisive rebuff and are driven away.
The female's estrus lasts several days and repeats after some time if pregnancy has not occurred. Animals mate several times a day. The process is accompanied by a loud, heartbreaking roar.
The female is ready to have offspring when she reaches three to four years of age, but not more often than once every two to three years. Pregnancy lasts on average three months (98 - 112 days). Before the birth of her babies, the tigress sets up a warm den in hard-to-reach and safe places - in windbreaks, distant caves, dense mangroves, rock crevices. The male is not allowed to the den, as he has a ferocious disposition and may well kill newborn tiger cubs; he does not participate in the upbringing of his offspring.
The litter appears in late March - early April and consists of two, three or four kittens. Cubs are born blind, have a significant weight (1.3 to 1.5 kg), and require constant maternal care. Eyes open one week after birth.
They feed on breast milk for up to one and a half months. Upon reaching two months, they can leave the den and accompany their mother on short trips. The female gradually accustoms them to eating meat, teaches them all the intricacies of hunting, and serves as a reliable support and protection during the entire period of their stay together.
By the age of two, young tigers are ready to live independently. Young females tend to establish their own den near their mother's hunting grounds. Males have to go in search of new, unoccupied territories. Often they come across old predators on their way, and here they cannot do without a fight that is fatal for one of the individuals.
Females reach sexual maturity at three to four years, males at four to five years.
The lifespan of animals in natural conditions does not exceed 26 years.
Life in captivity
They live in many zoos around the world and reproduce well. In some US states, according to experts, 12 thousand predators are kept as pets. They are tamed and trainable, but keeping them outside an enclosure is very dangerous. With age, the animal becomes aggressive and poses a real threat to life. You can find out how much a tiger costs in a specialized nursery.
Hybrids
The desire for profit by owners of private zoos has led to the emergence of tiger hybrids. The most famous of them are the tiger lion and the liger.
- The tiger lion was the result of crossing a male tiger and a female lion. The animal has a short mane, stripes and spots on the body. Its weight does not exceed 150 kg. Females can give birth, males are sterile.
- The liger is an unusual hybrid that grows throughout its life. In old age, its body reaches three meters in length. The liger's mother is a tigress, and his father is a male lion. Female ligers can interbreed with individuals of the original species.
Subspecies
This species has nine subspecies, three of which are completely exterminated by poachers.
- lives in the Ussuri taiga, owns huge hunting grounds (up to 800 km 2). This is the largest tiger known to science. No more than 500 individuals of this subspecies survive in the wild. The weight of a tiger can reach 320 kg, body length - 2.5 meters. The animal has thick, long hair and a thick layer of fat on its belly. It is distinguished by a dull color and a smaller number of stripes than its relatives. The beast is depicted on the coat of arms of the Primorsky Territory.
- - endemic to the island of Bali. The last individual was exterminated by poachers in 1937. The animals had short, stiff fur of a bright orange hue and a small number of black stripes. Local residents did not like the animal; they considered it a dark and destructive force.
- – is part of the largest population (3 - 4.5 thousand individuals). Lives in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan. In some countries it is considered the national animal. The average weight of females is about 150 kg, males - 230 kg. It has a light orange or yellow color, brown stripes. The menacing roar of the predator can be heard at a distance of three kilometers. This subspecies has become notorious due to numerous attacks on people.
- lived in the southern territory of Russia, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia, Armenia, Turkey. Another name for the subspecies is the Caspian tiger. The predator was exterminated in the sixties of the last century. He had a bright color with dark, numerous stripes and long, thick hair. The largest tiger weighed 240 kg.
- It is distinguished by its dark color and lives on the Indochina Peninsula. The weight of adult males reaches 190 kg, females – 140 kg. The population size is about 1.8 thousand individuals. Animal organs are illegally used by Eastern healers.
- - one of the smallest subspecies. The weight of females does not exceed 120 kg, males 180 kg. The body length of animals is in the range of 2.3 – 2.6 meters. These animals most likely no longer exist in the wild. The South China tiger is kept in zoos in China, where only 59 individuals live.
- chose the Malacca Peninsula as his place of residence. It was classified as a separate subspecies only in 2004. The population numbers almost 800 individuals. The animal is depicted on the coat of arms of Malaysia.
- lives on the island of Sumatra. The number of subspecies is 400 - 500 individuals. The animal is relatively small in size compared to the Indian and Amur subspecies. The weight of males does not exceed 130 kg, females - 90 kg. The beast is very aggressive and often attacks people.
- - endemic to the island of Java. The beast was completely destroyed in 79 of the last century. The animal had a small weight category - the minimum weight of a female reached 75 kg, a male - 100 kg.
Myth 1: Cats hate swimming
Unlike most cat species, tigers thrive in water. These rare animals love to swim and sometimes even engage in “cat diving” - diving under water. However, they do not neglect the traditional cat method of washing - licking the fur.
In hotter climates, tigers lie in the water to escape the heat and annoying insects. They prefer fresh water; it is believed that salt water can irritate the liver.
Photo: Photo: Gore Fiendus (Jerry Frausto) /flickr.com
Myth 2: Cats are nocturnal animals
Tigers, unlike the domestic cat, are crepuscular animals. This means that they practically do not hunt at night, and the active phase of their life occurs during dawn and dusk. A consequence of this is the special structure of the eyes of tigers - their pupils are round, not oblong. And although tigers are not particularly adapted to night life, their vision is very decent: in the dark, a person sees about 6 times worse than striped cats.
Myth 3: Cats lap up water.
The process of fluid absorption in tigers is noticeably different not only from other cats, but also from many other animals. Tigers do not curl their tongues and lap up water. Instead, they throw up liquid with their tongue and quickly close their mouth.
Pet tiger Enzo
Myth 4: Leo is the king of beasts
In Chinese culture, it is not lions at all, but tigers that have real royal status. It's all about a specific mark on the tiger's skin. Although the stripes of each member of the species are completely unique, like human fingerprints, each of them has an almost identical pattern on their face, which is very similar to the Chinese character for "king". However, despite its important mythological and cultural role in the life of the Chinese, it was there that the animal suffered most from its use in traditional medicine: it was believed that tiger organs have a powerful healing effect and can even act as an aphrodisiac.
Myth 5: Big cats hunt herbivores
The tiger's diet is very diverse and includes not only large ungulates, like lions and other big cats, but also a variety of animals of much smaller size. Tigers often hunt other predators, even crocodiles and adult bears! Moreover, “clubfoot” can make up up to 8 percent of a tiger’s diet. As a result, Amur tigers and brown bears pose a serious threat to each other's populations.
This is a hug to confuse you :)
Tigers usually have yellow eyes, only white ones have blue eyes. This is due to a mutation in the gene that is responsible for both coat color and eye color. In addition, the same gene is responsible for the presence of strabismus, so blue-eyed tigers usually suffer from strabismus.
To mark their territory, tigers scratch and urinate on tree trunks. The smell of tiger urine is very similar to popcorn. . [If you're in India, don't buy food at movie theaters. You never know...]
An ordinary tiger can determine the age, sex and reproductive capabilities of another tiger by smelling the urine of another tiger.
Male tigers usually mark larger territories than females, and male tigers' territories never overlap those of other males. The same situation applies to females. However, the territories of males often overlap the territories of females, so they have the opportunity to meet and have offspring.
A tiger usually does not growl at another animal; the growl of these striped predators plays the role of speech. If a tiger needs to scare its prey, it usually hisses and snorts.
When a group of tigers shares the kill, the females usually feed first (unlike lions). Tigers rarely fight over prey, preferring to wait.
The stripes on a tiger's skin are unique; they are a kind of “fingerprint.”
As is the case with ordinary cats, tigers have stripes not only on their fur, but also on the surface of their skin, so if a tiger is shaved, it will still be spotted.
Female tigers are most fertile (the ability to give birth) for only 4-5 days a year. During this time, they mate intensively, after which they bear offspring for three months and usually give birth to two or three cubs.
During the first week of life, tigers are completely blind.
No more than half of the cubs survive to adulthood.
Pugs feed tiger cubs abandoned by their mother.
A tiger's penis, unlike a human's, does not harden during mating. It has a special bone (baculum), which serves to maintain the “connection”
The most common method of hunting for tigers is an ambush, so if you suddenly see a tiger in the savannah, then you are lucky - it is not hunting at the moment, but resting. In some areas of India, when moving through areas where tigers live, aborigines wear special masks on the back of their heads with a face on them. Tigers attack owners of such masks less often - for them the most important element of surprise disappears.
Tigers usually do not attack people and do not consider them as prey. They are driven to cannibalism by extreme hunger due to changes in living conditions.
There is a known case when a female tiger, protecting her offspring, killed a man. She liked the taste, and in the subsequent period she killed at least 430 people.
Tigers in a relaxed state do not purr like cats, but close their eyes. For them, reduced visibility is a serious vulnerability that they can only afford in the safest moments.
At short distances, tigers can run at speeds of up to 60 km/h
The tiger is capable of jumping over obstacles up to 6 meters long, as well as jumping up to 5 meters in height. Their paws are so strong that sometimes the tiger remains standing even when dead.
Kitty begs
Only one out of ten attempts to hunt tigers is successful, so they usually have a break between meals of several days. But if the hunt is successful, the tiger eats more than 30 kg of meat in one sitting.
Despite their speed and strength, tigers tire much faster than people. A tiger can live without food for two to three weeks, while the average person can live for 30 to 40 days.
Tigers can imitate the voices of their victims to lure them. [Personally, I have great doubts about this fact. Or shock.]
Bears sometimes become victims of tigers, as they overlap with them in habitat and food preferences. Tigers imitate the roar of a bear and lie in wait for unwary bears, waiting until one of them wanders far enough into the thicket.
The most common way a tiger kills its victims is by strangulation or cutting through an artery. If it is not immediately possible to reach a large blood vessel, the tiger hangs on the victim, clutching its neck, causing it to die from suffocation.
The tiger's most deadly weapon is its 10-centimeter teeth, and less commonly, its paws. One blow from a tiger's paw is enough to cut off a bear's head or break its spine.
The tiger can freely bite through the bone of the prey with the help of its sharp teeth and strong jaws. He damages the cervical vertebrae simply by biting them.
Tigers are very inventive in their methods of killing if the usual method does not bring success. When hunting a crocodile, a tiger rarely tries to bite through its powerful neck; instead, with blows of its paws, it blinds the reptile, after which it turns it over and gets to the vulnerable skin on its stomach.
A tiger's saliva has antiseptic properties, so he literally licks his wounds for speedy healing.
Like other cats, the tiger's tongue is covered with special hard tubercles, with which it “combs out” matted areas of fur.
Over the past 80 years, at least three species of tigers have disappeared - the Balinese (it was exterminated by the aborigines, believing that it was a devil), the Javan (exterminated due to hunting and changes in environmental conditions) and the Caspian (extinct due to lack of food and excess hunters).
Research has shown that felines, on average, have much more tenacious memories than humans. Tigers' short-term memory is thirty times longer than that of humans.
The mass of a tiger's brain is 300 grams, which is almost a record among predators, second only to the polar bear.
There are about 3,500 tigers left in the wild, and a little more in zoos.
Tigers are individualistic animals; they group together only for hunting or as children.
Tigers have color vision, just like humans. [I never understood this moment. how can you check what color animals see?]
In captivity, tigers can mate with other felines, such as lions or leopards.
Tigers can't stand the smell of cinnamon and love the smell of pepper. [So if you're afraid of tigers, sprinkle some cinnamon on your threshold. No pie, threshold! :)].
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