Difference between revisions of "Tiger"
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|conservation=Endangered<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15955/0</ref> | |conservation=Endangered<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15955/0</ref> | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | The '''Tiger''' is a large, striped [[feline]], a member of the | + | The '''Tiger''' is a large, striped [[feline]], a member of the [[Genus]] Panthera, and the largest big cat found in the wild. Formerly found across much of [[Asia]], its habitat is now much more restricted. Several tiger species are endangered, including the Siberian and South China tigers. The Javan, Balinese, and Caspian tiger varieties are now [[extinction|extinct]]. The largest habitat is [[Malaysia]], where many wild tigers still roam. |
== Habits == | == Habits == | ||
| − | Tigers are solitary [[predator]]s, capable of easily killing prey as large as a [[buffalo]] or a [[yak]], or as small as a [[rabbit]] or [[lemur]]. They can sometimes kill domestic livestock, including [[cattle]]. These predatory acts are a common justification for | + | Tigers are solitary [[predator]]s, capable of easily killing prey as large as a [[buffalo]] or a [[yak]], or as small as a [[rabbit]] or [[lemur]]. They can sometimes kill domestic livestock, including [[cattle]]. These predatory acts are a common justification for hunting tigers to near extinction. |
| − | Tigers are almost unique among the great cats in that they | + | Tigers are almost unique among the great cats in that they enjoy swimming. Though not as arboreal as the [[leopard]], they can climb trees. They can make horizontal leaps of up to 33 feet (10 meters), although half that distance is more typical, and can sprint in short bursts of 35 to 40 mph, depending on subspecies.<ref>http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Panthera_tigris.html</ref> |
| + | |||
| + | Like almost all other cats, tigers are solitary except when they mate and have cubs. The father usually plays no role in raising the cubs, though he sometimes encounters them and lets them scavenge from their kills. | ||
==Subspecies== | ==Subspecies== | ||
| Line 53: | Line 55: | ||
:Found in far-eastern Russia near the border of Manchuria (China). Current population estimates are 360 adult individuals as of 2005.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15956/0</ref> | :Found in far-eastern Russia near the border of Manchuria (China). Current population estimates are 360 adult individuals as of 2005.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15956/0</ref> | ||
*Bengal tiger, ''Panthera tigris tigris'' | *Bengal tiger, ''Panthera tigris tigris'' | ||
| − | :Found in India, with a range extending into Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, and Nepal. The most recent surveys estimated the number of Bengal tigers in these countries to be | + | :Found in India, with a range extending into Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, and Nepal. The most recent surveys estimated the number of Bengal tigers in these countries to be no more than 2,500.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/136899/0</ref> |
*Indochinese, or Corbett's tiger, ''Panthera tigris corbetti'' | *Indochinese, or Corbett's tiger, ''Panthera tigris corbetti'' | ||
| − | :Found in | + | :Found in Southeast Asia, extending north into southern China; current estimates number up to 650 tigers alive in the wild. This subspecies was named for former big-game hunter and British Army Colonel Jim Corbett around 1910, who turned to conserving tigers and their habitat.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/136853/0</ref> |
*Malayan tiger, ''Panthera tigris jacksoni'' | *Malayan tiger, ''Panthera tigris jacksoni'' | ||
:Found in Thailand and the Malay Peninsula; current estimates number around 493-1,480 tigers as of 2003.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/136893/0</ref> | :Found in Thailand and the Malay Peninsula; current estimates number around 493-1,480 tigers as of 2003.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/136893/0</ref> | ||
*South-China tiger, ''Panthera tigris amoyensis'' | *South-China tiger, ''Panthera tigris amoyensis'' | ||
| − | :Found in eastern China. Demand for Chinese traditional medicine reduced the number of these tigers to an estimated 150-200 individuals in the wild in 1982; since that time no official sighting has been confirmed apart from tracks and scrapings. | + | :Found in eastern China. Demand for Chinese traditional medicine reduced the number of these tigers to an estimated 150-200 individuals in the wild in 1982; since that time, no official sighting has been confirmed apart from tracks and scrapings. Approximately 72 of these tigers are in zoos and captive breeding facilities. The subspecies is considered ecologically extinct, meaning there is no effective breeding population in the wild.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15965/0</ref> |
*Sumatran tiger, ''Panthera tigris sumatrae'' | *Sumatran tiger, ''Panthera tigris sumatrae'' | ||
:Found on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Hunting and habitat loss reduced these tigers to approximately 342-509 individuals in six protected areas as of 2006; current estimates suggest the number could be higher.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15966/0</ref> | :Found on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Hunting and habitat loss reduced these tigers to approximately 342-509 individuals in six protected areas as of 2006; current estimates suggest the number could be higher.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15966/0</ref> | ||
====Extinct subspecies==== | ====Extinct subspecies==== | ||
*Bali tiger, ''Panthera tigris balica'' | *Bali tiger, ''Panthera tigris balica'' | ||
| − | :Found only on the island of Bali, Indonesia, this subspecies had to | + | :Found only on the island of Bali, Indonesia, this subspecies had to coexist with humans on a small island of about 2,175 square miles; increased contact led to hunting, and the last was killed in 1937.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41682/0</ref> |
*Caspian, or Turanian tiger, ''Panthera tigris virgata'' | *Caspian, or Turanian tiger, ''Panthera tigris virgata'' | ||
| − | : | + | :The only tiger found in western Asia near the Caspian Sea, as far west as eastern Turkey and northern Iran. The last one was spotted near the Aral River in 1968. Genetic information reveals a very close relationship to the Amur tiger.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41505/0</ref> |
*Javan tiger, ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' | *Javan tiger, ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' | ||
| − | :The last wild tiger on the island of Java, Indonesia, was seen in the Meru Betiri National Park | + | :The last wild tiger on the island of Java, Indonesia, was seen in the Meru Betiri National Park in 1976; it was declared extinct four years later.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41681/0</ref> |
==Threats== | ==Threats== | ||
| − | Tigers face numerous threats, all at the hands of man; apart from | + | Tigers face numerous threats, all at the hands of man; apart from humans, they have no natural enemies. Tigers require large tracts of territory to hunt and breed, but current studies indicate they have lost 91% of their former range due to swelling human populations in southern and southeast Asian countries, especially China and India. Logging, settlements, and agriculture eliminated viable habitat, and replacing large game animals with livestock naturally caused additional tiger deaths as humans sought to protect their domestic animals. The pressure brought to bear on tigers caused some to find an unnatural replacement for their diet - man. In one instance, tigers killed 41 people in 18 months (2001–03) in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh.<ref>http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-outcasts-bangladesh-s-tiger-widows-fight-exclusion-a-744594.html</ref> |
| − | Illegal trade in traditional | + | Illegal trade in traditional Asian medicine has also taken a toll. Products made from tiger parts have been traded for over 1,000 years, as Asian cultures believe in the healing power they claim the cats have, despite no evidence supporting those claims.<ref>http://www.singlevisioninc.org/tiger_body_parts_sold.html</ref> |
==Tigers in popular culture== | ==Tigers in popular culture== | ||
| − | The 1894 Rudyard Kipling novel ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' features an antagonistic tiger named Shere Khan (whose name means "king of tigers"). He is said to have been born lame and thus hunts domestic cattle, even getting his paws burned during a hunt; he also shows little respect for the Law of the Jungle, | + | The 1894 Rudyard Kipling novel ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' features an antagonistic tiger named Shere Khan (whose name means "king of tigers"). He is said to have been born lame and thus hunts domestic cattle, even getting his paws burned during a hunt; he also shows little respect for the Law of the Jungle, quoting it only when it suits his own wants. He also kills a human couple and tries eating their baby (Mowgli), but a wolf pack defends him. As Mowgli grows up, Shere Khan stirs up rebellion against Akela among the younger wolves, but Mowgli defends Akela by chasing the tiger and the wolves away with fire. Shere Khan ultimately meets his end when Mowgli drives a herd of water buffalo into the gorge that he is resting in, the herd trampling him to death. The 1967 Disney film depicts Shere Khan as a more sophisticated and affable yet equally arrogant hunter, and its 2016 remake shows him as a more savage beast, murdering Akela to draw Mowgli into fighting him. |
| − | The newspaper comic ''Calvin and Hobbes'' stars the titular duo: a hyper imaginative boy named Calvin and his "stuffed" tiger Hobbes; Hobbes appears as a stuffed animal to many people, but | + | The newspaper comic ''Calvin and Hobbes'' stars the titular duo: a hyper-imaginative boy named Calvin and his "stuffed" tiger Hobbes; Hobbes appears as a stuffed animal to many people, but as a talking anthropomorphic tiger to Calvin. Hobbes gets into the same mischief as Calvin, but he's also his voice of reason, telling him when that mischief will get them into trouble. He also takes pride in being a tiger; he pounces on Calvin as a greeting and loves tuna sandwiches. |
| − | While tigers | + | While tigers do not appear in the Erin Hunter book series ''Warrior Cats'', the wild cat Clans revere tigers as mythical beings, believing they inherited their love of the night and fierce nature from tigers. A few cats in the series are named after them, including Tigerclaw and his grandson Tigerheart. |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 20:02, September 23, 2026
The Tiger is a large, striped feline, a member of the Genus Panthera, and the largest big cat found in the wild. Formerly found across much of Asia, its habitat is now much more restricted. Several tiger species are endangered, including the Siberian and South China tigers. The Javan, Balinese, and Caspian tiger varieties are now extinct. The largest habitat is Malaysia, where many wild tigers still roam.
| Tiger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Bengal tiger Panthera tigris tigris | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Sub-class | Theriiformes |
| Infra-class | Holotheria |
| Order Information | |
| Superorder | Preptotheria |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Sub-order | Feliformia |
| Family Information | |
| Family | Felidae |
| Sub-family | Pantherinae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Panthera |
| Species Information | |
| Species | P. tigris |
| Population statistics | |
| Conservation status | Endangered[1] |
Habits
Tigers are solitary predators, capable of easily killing prey as large as a buffalo or a yak, or as small as a rabbit or lemur. They can sometimes kill domestic livestock, including cattle. These predatory acts are a common justification for hunting tigers to near extinction.
Tigers are almost unique among the great cats in that they enjoy swimming. Though not as arboreal as the leopard, they can climb trees. They can make horizontal leaps of up to 33 feet (10 meters), although half that distance is more typical, and can sprint in short bursts of 35 to 40Â mph, depending on subspecies.[2]
Like almost all other cats, tigers are solitary except when they mate and have cubs. The father usually plays no role in raising the cubs, though he sometimes encounters them and lets them scavenge from their kills.
Subspecies
- Amur, or Siberian tiger, Panthera tigris altaica
- Found in far-eastern Russia near the border of Manchuria (China). Current population estimates are 360 adult individuals as of 2005.[3]
- Bengal tiger, Panthera tigris tigris
- Found in India, with a range extending into Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, and Nepal. The most recent surveys estimated the number of Bengal tigers in these countries to be no more than 2,500.[4]
- Indochinese, or Corbett's tiger, Panthera tigris corbetti
- Found in Southeast Asia, extending north into southern China; current estimates number up to 650 tigers alive in the wild. This subspecies was named for former big-game hunter and British Army Colonel Jim Corbett around 1910, who turned to conserving tigers and their habitat.[5]
- Malayan tiger, Panthera tigris jacksoni
- Found in Thailand and the Malay Peninsula; current estimates number around 493-1,480 tigers as of 2003.[6]
- South-China tiger, Panthera tigris amoyensis
- Found in eastern China. Demand for Chinese traditional medicine reduced the number of these tigers to an estimated 150-200 individuals in the wild in 1982; since that time, no official sighting has been confirmed apart from tracks and scrapings. Approximately 72 of these tigers are in zoos and captive breeding facilities. The subspecies is considered ecologically extinct, meaning there is no effective breeding population in the wild.[7]
- Sumatran tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae
- Found on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Hunting and habitat loss reduced these tigers to approximately 342-509 individuals in six protected areas as of 2006; current estimates suggest the number could be higher.[8]
Extinct subspecies
- Bali tiger, Panthera tigris balica
- Found only on the island of Bali, Indonesia, this subspecies had to coexist with humans on a small island of about 2,175 square miles; increased contact led to hunting, and the last was killed in 1937.[9]
- Caspian, or Turanian tiger, Panthera tigris virgata
- The only tiger found in western Asia near the Caspian Sea, as far west as eastern Turkey and northern Iran. The last one was spotted near the Aral River in 1968. Genetic information reveals a very close relationship to the Amur tiger.[10]
- Javan tiger, Panthera tigris sondaica
- The last wild tiger on the island of Java, Indonesia, was seen in the Meru Betiri National Park in 1976; it was declared extinct four years later.[11]
Threats
Tigers face numerous threats, all at the hands of man; apart from humans, they have no natural enemies. Tigers require large tracts of territory to hunt and breed, but current studies indicate they have lost 91% of their former range due to swelling human populations in southern and southeast Asian countries, especially China and India. Logging, settlements, and agriculture eliminated viable habitat, and replacing large game animals with livestock naturally caused additional tiger deaths as humans sought to protect their domestic animals. The pressure brought to bear on tigers caused some to find an unnatural replacement for their diet - man. In one instance, tigers killed 41 people in 18 months (2001â03) in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh.[12]
Illegal trade in traditional Asian medicine has also taken a toll. Products made from tiger parts have been traded for over 1,000 years, as Asian cultures believe in the healing power they claim the cats have, despite no evidence supporting those claims.[13]
Tigers in popular culture
The 1894 Rudyard Kipling novel The Jungle Book features an antagonistic tiger named Shere Khan (whose name means "king of tigers"). He is said to have been born lame and thus hunts domestic cattle, even getting his paws burned during a hunt; he also shows little respect for the Law of the Jungle, quoting it only when it suits his own wants. He also kills a human couple and tries eating their baby (Mowgli), but a wolf pack defends him. As Mowgli grows up, Shere Khan stirs up rebellion against Akela among the younger wolves, but Mowgli defends Akela by chasing the tiger and the wolves away with fire. Shere Khan ultimately meets his end when Mowgli drives a herd of water buffalo into the gorge that he is resting in, the herd trampling him to death. The 1967 Disney film depicts Shere Khan as a more sophisticated and affable yet equally arrogant hunter, and its 2016 remake shows him as a more savage beast, murdering Akela to draw Mowgli into fighting him.
The newspaper comic Calvin and Hobbes stars the titular duo: a hyper-imaginative boy named Calvin and his "stuffed" tiger Hobbes; Hobbes appears as a stuffed animal to many people, but as a talking anthropomorphic tiger to Calvin. Hobbes gets into the same mischief as Calvin, but he's also his voice of reason, telling him when that mischief will get them into trouble. He also takes pride in being a tiger; he pounces on Calvin as a greeting and loves tuna sandwiches.
While tigers do not appear in the Erin Hunter book series Warrior Cats, the wild cat Clans revere tigers as mythical beings, believing they inherited their love of the night and fierce nature from tigers. A few cats in the series are named after them, including Tigerclaw and his grandson Tigerheart.
References
- â http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15955/0
- â http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Panthera_tigris.html
- â http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15956/0
- â http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/136899/0
- â http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/136853/0
- â http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/136893/0
- â http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15965/0
- â http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15966/0
- â http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41682/0
- â http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41505/0
- â http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41681/0
- â http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-outcasts-bangladesh-s-tiger-widows-fight-exclusion-a-744594.html
- â http://www.singlevisioninc.org/tiger_body_parts_sold.html