10 Amazing Tiger Facts

Interesting information that you may or may not know about Tigers.

Tigress
1

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest of the big cat family. Once there were 9 sub-species roaming the wild, however 3 have all become extinct during the last century.

The 6 modern day surviving sub-species are: Amur (Siberian) Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica); Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris); Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti); Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni – identified in 2004); Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae); and the South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis).

The 3 extinct sub-species are: Javan Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica); Caspian Tiger (Tigris virgata); and the Bali (Balinese) Tiger (Panthera tigris balica).

2

Globally there are estimated to be 3900 wild tigers in existence (July 2019) which encompasses all of the 6 surviving sub-species. More than two thirds of these are found in India.

3

All tigers need dense vegetation, the presence of a large ungulate prey base and access to water to survive. The different tiger species live in diverse habitats from tropical rain forests to mangrove swamps and temperate forests and from sea level to 4000 metres.

4

The primary cause of the decline of the tiger population in the main to the destruction of its natural habitat and habitat fragmentation, although hunting and poaching are also factors.

5

Historically, the tiger’s range was from Mesopotamia and the Caucasus throughout most of southern and eastern Asia. Today the tiger range has been reduced to approximately 7% of the range of 100 years ago with tiger populations limited to small isolated areas in:

India, Bangladesh, Indonesia (Sumatra), China, Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam

6

Tigers can reach a length of up to 3.3 metres (11 feet) and weigh as much as 300 kilograms (660 pounds).

7

Around half of tiger cubs don’t live beyond two years of age.

8

The life expectancy of Tigers is between 14-18 years in the wild, and in captivity around 20.

9

Tiger stripes are like human fingerprints – the stripes are unique to each individual, and like most of the cat species have stripes on their skin as well as on their fur.

10

Tigers need large territories, Male territories are around 100 sq.km and females are 10 sq.km.  A male tiger’s territory will overlap the territories of multiple females.