Cheetah

Cheetah ( fastest land animal)

The cheetah is a big cat in the subfamily Felinae that inhabits most of Africa and parts of Iran. It is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx. The cheetah can run as fast as 109.4 to 120.7 km/h, faster than any other land animal. 

The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, reaching speeds of up to 113km/h. They can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 3 seconds.

Scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus
Speed: 110 – 120 km/h (In Short Bursts, Running)
Conservation status: Vulnerable (Population decreasing)
Mass: 21 – 72 kg (Adult)
Trophic level: Carnivorous
Height: 66 – 94 cm (Adult, At Shoulder)

Status: Vulnerable
Type: Mammal
Diet:Carnivore
Average life span in the wild: 10 to 12 years
Size: 3.5 to 4.5 ft (1.1 to 1.4 m); Tail, 25.5 to 31.5 in (65 to 80 cm) 
Weight: 77 to 143 lbs (35 to 65 kg)

Speed and Hunting

                              Before unleashing their speed, cheetahs use exceptionally keen eyesight to scan their grassland environment for signs of prey—especially antelope and hares. This big cat is a daylight hunter that benefits from stealthy movement and a distinctive spotted coat that allows it to blend easily into high, dry grasses.

When the moment is right a cheetah will sprint after its quarry and attempt to knock it down. Such chases cost the hunter a tremendous amount of energy and are usually over in less than a minute. If successful, the cheetah will often drag its kill to a shady hiding place to protect it from opportunistic animals that sometimes steal a kill before the cheetah can eat. Cheetahs need only drink once every three to four days.

Breeding and Population
                                                                Female cheetahs typically have a litter of three cubs and live with them for one and a half to two years. Young cubs spend their first year learning from their mother and practicing hunting techniques with playful games. Male cheetahs live alone or in small groups, often with their littermates.

Most wild cheetahs are found in eastern and southwestern Africa. Perhaps only 7,000 to 10,000 of these big cats remain, and those are under pressure as the wide-open grasslands they favor are disappearing at the hands of human settlers.

acts about cheetahs

* The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, reaching speeds of up to 113km/h. They can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 3 seconds. 

* When running, cheetahs use their tail to steer, like a rudder for a boat.

* Cheetahs are the only big cat that can turn in mid-air while sprinting.

* Cheetahs do not roar like lions, however they do have a range of other meaningful vocalisations such as purring, growling and a variety of contact calls which resemble bird-like chirping sounds.

* Female cheetahs select a lair, either a rocky outcrop or marshy area with tall grass, before giving birth to their cubs. Mothers only leave the cubs to hunt, before returning to nurse the young. Males do not help with the rearing of young.

* Females are solitary, whereas males tend to live in small groups of 2-3 individuals, usually brothers. 

* Cheetahs make distinct facial expressions to signal their mood.

* In Native American symbology, the cheetah represents swiftness, insight and focus.

* The cheetah originated over 4 million years ago. That’s long before any of the other big cats of today.

* Cheetahs are caring, affectionate and dedicated mothers. They spend a long time caring for their cubs and teaching them essential survival skills like hunting. Cubs typically stay with their mothers for one and a half to two years.

* Cheetah are the only one of the big cats that has semi-retractable claws.

* They prefer to live in open areas like savanna because its easier for them to hunt.

* The mother cheetah will teach her cubs how to hunt by bringing back small prey that is still alive so the cubs can case and catch it.

leopard / Black Panther

leopard / Black Panther

                               

The leopard is one of the five "big cats" in the genus Panthera. It is a member of the family Felidae with a wide range in regions of sub-Saharan Africa, West Asia, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia to Siberia.

Scientific name:  Panthera pardus

Status:   Near threatenedSpeed:  58 km/h (Running)

Type:  Mammal
Diet:  CarnivoreLifespan:  12 – 17 years
Conservation status:  Near Threatened (Population decreasing)
Higher classification:  Roaring cats
Mass: Male:  31 kg (South Africa's coastal mountains population), Female: 23 – 27 kg (Somalia population)

Size:   Head and body, 4.25 to 6.25 ft (1.3 to 1.9 m); tail, 3.5 to 4.5 ft (1.1 to 1.4 m)

Bite force : PSI: 300-310

Leopards are graceful and powerful big cats closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa.

Hunting


The leopard is so strong and comfortable in trees that it often hauls its kills into the branches. By dragging the bodies of large animals aloft it hopes to keep them safe from scavengers such as hyenas. Leopards can also hunt from trees, where their spotted coats allow them to blend with the leaves until they spring with a deadly pounce. These nocturnal predators also stalk antelope, deer, and pigs by stealthy movements in the tall grass. When human settlements are present, leopards often attack dogs and, occasionally, people.

Leopards are strong swimmers and very much at home in the water, where they sometimes eat fish or crabs.

Breeding

Female leopards can give birth at any time of the year. They usually have two grayish cubs with barely visible spots. The mother hides her cubs and moves them from one safe location to the next until they are old enough to begin playing and learning to hunt. Cubs live with their mothers for about two years—otherwise, leopards are solitary animals.

Most leopards are light colored with distinctive dark spots that are called rosettes, because they resemble the shape of a rose. Black leopards, which appear to be almost solid in color because their spots are hard to distinguish, are commonly called black panthers

Facts about leopards

* Leopards are astoundingly strong. They are pound for pound the strongest of the big cats. They are able to climb trees, even when carrying heavy prey, and often choose to rest on tree branches during the day. One reason why leopards sometimes take their prey up in the trees is to ensure lions or hyenas can’t steal them.

* Leopards are renowned for their agility. They run up to 58km/h and can leap 6m horizontally and 3m vertically. They are also very strong swimmers. 

* The leopard is the most elusive and secretive of the large fields. They are extremely difficult to trace and locate in the wild.

* Leopards are predominantly solitary animals that have large territories. While male territories are larger than females and tend to overlap, individuals usually only tolerate intrusion into ranges for mating. They mark their ranges with urine and leave claw marks on trees to warn others to stay away.

* Like cats kept as companions, leopards will growl when angry and purr when content. They have various vocalisations such as a rasping cough which they perform to announce their presence to other leopards.

* Leopards tend to have two or three cubs per gestation. Mothers refrain from wandering their territories after giving birth until their young are capable to come with them. Cubs suckle for around 3 months and are kept hidden for about the first 8 weeks to protect them from predators.

* Leopards tend to have distinctive dark spots called rosettes, which create beautiful patterns against their otherwise light fur. Black leopards however have dark fur which makes it difficult to see the spots. They appear almost solid black and are often called black panthers.  

* During the National Geographic programme ‘Eye of the Leopard’, a wild leopard killed a baboon in order to feed herself. However upon noticing an infant baboon clinging to the dead baboon, the leopard amazingly carried the infant up to the safety of the tree to guard her from hyenas. She groomed and cuddled the baby throughout the night, caring for him/her as she would her own cub.

* Leopards have the widest range of habitats of all the big cats. This adaptability has allowed them to survive in various different geographic areas. Perhaps the most extreme example is the amazing snow leopard which lives in the Himalayas.

Throughout history, leopards have been depicted in artwork, mythology and folklore in numerous countries. They are also now commonly used as an emblem in sports in much of Africa.

1.) When female leopards are ready to mate they will mate with many of the dominate males near her territory. This takes away the risk of the cubs being killed by one of the rival dominate males because they will think that the cubs are theirs.

2.) When female leopards are ready to mate they will mate with many of the dominate males near her territory. This takes away the risk of the cubs being killed by one of the rival dominate males because they will think that the cubs are theirs.

3.) The cubs are also born without a clear coat of spots, the spots begin to develop after a few days.

4) A leopards spots are not solid and are called rosettes because of the particular pattern they form.

5) Leopard cubs will stay with their mothers for over two years, this is how they learn to hunt and survive on their own.

6) There are also black leopards which get confused with panthers, but panthers are completely black where as black leopards still have rosettes which can be seen from a certain angle.

7) Leopards sometimes hunt from trees, they are very opportunistic animals and will hunt any kind of prey they can find from small birds, lizards and mice to eagle chicks and impalas.

8) A leopards call is called ‘rasping’, it is a rough, deep call that announces their presence.

9) Pound for pound leopards are the strongest big cat. This means if all the big cats where the same size and weight, the leopard would be the strongest.

10) It is thought that when leopards are old and preparing to die they return to the place where they were born.

Cougar

Cougar

The cougar, also commonly known as the mountain lion, puma, panther, or catamount, is a large felid of the subfamily Felinae native to the Americas. 

The mountain lion goes by many names, including cougar, catamount, panther, red tiger, deer tiger, and puma. This cat can be found throughout much of South and North America.

The mountain lion used to be found all over the United States, but now is primarily seen in the western U.S. An endangered subspecies of mountain lion also remains in Florida. These felines are comfortable in many different habitats and, aside from humans, have the widest geographic range of any land mammal in the Western Hemisphere.

In North America, mountain lions eat mainly deer, but they also eat smaller animals, such as mice and rabbits. These cats have a poor sense of smell, but have excellent vision and hearing that help them hunt in the early morning and evening hours. Their powerful
hind legs enable them to jump as far as 40 to 45 feet (12 to 13 meters).

This carnivore stalks its prey until an opportunity arises to pounce. Mountain lions “cache” their prey, or hide it under leaves and soil, where they can come back and feed on it over the course of several days.

Mountain lions don’t roar, but females have a loud scream, which is believed to attract males.

Females have an average of two to four cubs per litter and give birth in a den. The cubs are born with spots, which usually disappear by the time they are roughly nine months old. Their eyes also change from blue to yellow by the time they reach 16 months old. By 18 months, the young cats leave their mom to go fend for themselves.

Scientific name: Puma concolor
Higher classification: Pumas
Speed: 64 – 80 km/h (Running)
Height: 60 – 90 cm (Adult, At Shoulder)
Conservation status: Least Concern (Population decreasing)
Mass: Male: 53 – 100 kg (Adult), Female: 29 – 64 kg (Adult)
Bite force : PSI: 300-310

Puma concolor

The cougar, which is also commonly referred to as a puma, mountain lion or panther, is the second largest cat in North America. Unlike other big cats, however, the cougar cannot roar. Instead, the large feline purrs like a house cat.

Cougars also have similar body types to house cats, only on a larger scale. They have slender bodies and round heads with pointed ears. They vary between 1.5-2.7 m (5-9 ft.) from head to tail. While males can weigh up to 68 kg (150 lb.), females weigh less, topping out at nearly 45 kg (100 lb.).

The coat of the cougar is a grayish tan to reddish color with lighter parts on the underside. The tail has a black spot on the end.

Inhabiting various ecosystems from mountains to deserts to sea-level, the cougar’s established range includes western North America, a small region in Florida, and most of South America. They make their home anywhere that there is shelter and prey.

Generally they prey on deer but also feed on smaller animals if necessary, including domestic animals and livestock. Cougars have even been known to eat insects. Skilled and cunning hunters, cougars stay hidden from their prey until they can pounce with claws out-stretched. Cougars can also climb with ease and leap over 6 m (20 ft.). After killing a large animal, a cougar hides the carcass and eats in the coming days.

For the most part, the cougar has no natural enemies and sits atop the food chain. However, they occasionally compete with other predators such as bears and wolves for food.

During most of their lives, cougars are solitary creatures. They interact only to mate, which can happen at any time of year. Females can breed as early as 2-3 years old and give birth to 2-3 kittens at a time. They raise the young while the males return to their solitary lifestyles.

At around two years old, cougar offspring will leave their mother to start their own life. Some travel far to establish their own territory as cougars need a lot of room to roam.

A healthy cougar in the wild can live to around 10 years of age. In captivity, cougars can live as long as 20 years.

Conservation Status

                                  Cougars have been long been killed by both sport hunters and farmers protecting their livestock. Other threats to cougar populations include habitat loss and fragmentation and automobile accidents. As a result, the cougar population has significantly decreased. There are still, however, several thousand cougars in the wild, and as a result, they listed as being of least concern on the IUCN Red List.

Although they once ranged widely throughout North and South America, cougars were largely wiped out from the eastern portion of the United States and Canada by European settlers in the 1700s. There is a small population in Florida, a subspecies known as the Florida panther. The Florida panther is considered to be critically endangered, and agencies are working to maintain the current population.

Furthermore, in recent years, sightings of cougars in the northeast United States and eastern Canada have been on the rise. Although many are the result of former captive cougars who escaped or were released, there is a possibility of recolonization of cougars in the east.
What You Can Do To Help

It is difficult to stop habitat loss or reverse its effects, but there are some ways you can help. You can help persuade your congressperson to designate the cougar as a protected animal. This legally prevents the taking or injuring of cougars, unless they pose a threat. This law has been in effect in the state of California since the approval of Proposition 117 in 1990.

You can also appeal to your congresspeople advocating the preservation of open land in order to maintain a livable habitat for cougars. In addition, you can donate directly to the Mountain Lion Foundation.
Cougar Distribution

Inhabiting various ecosystems from mountains to deserts to sea-level, the cougar’s range includes western North America, a small region in Florida, and most of South America.

Cougar Resources

Mountain Lion Foundation
National Geographic – Mountain Lion
The San Diego Zoo – Mountain Lion (Puma, Cougar)
IUCN Red List – Puma concolor
Barringer, Felicity, “Eastern Cougar is Considered Extinct, With an Asterisk”, March 2, 2011, New York Times

Jaguar

Jaguar

                                       The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only extant Panthera species native to the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Americas. guars are the largest of South America's big cats and the third largest cats in the world. Their fur is usually tan or orange with black spots, called "rosettes" because they are shaped like roses. Some jaguars are so dark they don't seem to have spots. Unlike many other cats, jaguars do not avoid water; in fact,
they are quite good swimmers. Rivers provide prey in the form of fish, turtles, or caimans—small, alligatorlike animals. Jaguars also eat larger animals such as deer, peccaries, capybaras, and tapirs. They sometimes climb trees to prepare an ambush, killing their prey with one powerful bite.

The name Jaguar comes from the ancient Indian name “yaguar” which meant “the killer which overcomes its prey in a single bound.”

Common name : Jaguar
Scientific name: Panthera onca
Conservation status: Near Threatened (Population decreasing)
Bite force :  PSI: 700Mass: 56 – 96 kg (Adult)
Lifespan: 12 – 15 years (In the wild)
Trophic level: Carnivorous
Height: 63 – 76 cm (Adult, At Shoulder)Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata)
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Pantherinae Panthera
Species: onca
Misc: The Jaguar and the Leopard are often confused with one another in zoos. Their coloring and markings are so similar that it is difficult for people to distinguish them. The difference lies in the center of the Jaguars rosettes, because unlike the leopard, the Jaguar has spots inside of its rosettes! The Jag is also a much stockier animal than its cousin, with shorter legs and tail – giving it more of a pit bull type appearance.

Size and Appearance

                              Jags are the largest felines in the Americas. Adult males can reach an overall length of more than 7 feet, and can weigh anywhere from 150 to 200 pounds. As mentioned above, its coat color and markings are very similar to the leopard, with a rich tawny or yellow background with large black rosettes and spots. It has a larger head, more compact body, and much more powerful paws! The Jaguar also occurs with an all black (melanistic) coat, and like the leopard, the spots can still be seen on black individuals. Albino individuals have been reported as well.

Habitat

            The Jaguar is commonly found in rain forests, savannahs, and swamps, but at the northern end of its territory it may enter scrub country and even deserts. The Jaguar still has a stronghold in the Amazon basin, but has been nearly wiped out of all drier regions. Wherever it is found, it requires fresh water as the Jaguar is an excellent swimmer.

Distribution

                 Once found here in the United States (California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Florida), this cat was hunted to extinction here in the late 1940s. Today, it is found in Mexico, but swiftly declining and Central America, and the strongest populations being found in the Mato Grosso, Brazil; The Pantanal, bordering Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay; Chiapas State, Mexico; and the Yucatan Peninsula/northern Guatemala/Belize.

Reproduction and Offspring

                                         Jaguars have no defined breeding season and will mate any time of year. After a gestation period of about 100 days, the female will give birth to a litter of 2-4 cubs. Mothers will continue to feed and protect her young until they are about 1 year old, and they will continue to stay with her until they are about 2 years old. They will reach sexual maturity between 2-3 years for females, and 3-4 for males.

In captivity, jags lived over 20 years, as compared to 11 – 12 in the wild.

Social System and Communication

                                                   The Jaguar is solitary and terrestrial, although it is an adept tree climber. It marks its territory with urine and tree scrapes, in the same fashion as the other great cats. It has a variety of vocalizations, including, roars, grunts, and meows.

Hunting and Diet

                           Jaguars will pursue almost any kind of animal prey within its range, with its favorite being the peccary (a type of wild pig) and the capybara (the worlds largest rodent). Other food items are caiman, tapirs, and fish. Jaguars differ from all the other cats in their method of killing. Once they’ve caught their prey they pierce the skulls with their canines, demonstrating the amazing strength of their powerful jaws. They were once presumed to be nocturnal, but recent studies have shown that they are active during the daytime, with high peaks of activity during dawn and dusk. Jaguars are also more energetic than their larger cousins, and are active for 50-60% of a 24 hour period.

Threats

              Deforestation rates are high in Latin America and fragmentation of forest habitat isolates jaguar populations so that they are more vulnerable to the predations of man. People compete with jaguars for prey, and jaguars are frequently shot on sight, despite protective legislation. Jaguars are also known to kill cattle, and are killed by ranchers as pest species. The vulnerability of the jaguar to persecution is demonstrated by its disappearance by the mid-1900’s from the south-western US and northern Mexico. Commercial hunting and trapping of jaguars for their pelts has declined drastically since the mid-1970’s, when anti-fur campaigns and CITES controls progressively shut down international markets.

Status

          CITES: Appendix I. IUCN: Near Threatened. The jaguar is fully protected at the national level across most of its range, with hunting prohibited in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela, and hunting restrictions in place in Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. The species also occurs within protected areas in some of its range.

Lion

Lion

                   The lion is one of the five big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. The commonly used term African lion collectively denotes the several subspecies found in Africa. For all of their roaring, growling, and ferociousness, lions are family animals and truly social in their own communities. They usually live in groups of 15 or more animals called prides. Prides can be as small as 3 or as big as 40 animals. In a pride, lions hunt prey, raise cubs, and defend their territory together. In prides the females do most of the hunting and cub rearing. Usually all the lionesses in the pride are related—mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and sisters. Many of the females in the pride give birth at about the same time. A cub may nurse from other females as well as its mother. Each pride generally will have no more than two adult males.

Common name: Lion

Scientific name: Panthera leo
Higher classification: Roaring cats
Conservation status: Vulnerable (Population decreasing)
Mass: Male: 190 kg (Adult), Female: 130 kg (Adult)
Height: Male: 1.2 m (Adult, At Shoulder), Female: 1.1 m (Adult, At Shoulder).

Bite force :  PSI: 691

Characteristics:

Weight: Males 150-250 kg and females 120-180 kg.

Length: Males 170-250 cm and females 140-175 cm.

Longevity: Free lions 15 and 20 years and captivity lions 20- 30 years.

Habitat: Savanna.

Population: The lions are disapearing. The most lions live in Africa and Asia, or in national parks and reserves. The best known are Etosha National Park (Namibia), Serengeti National Park (Tanzania) and the Kruger National Park (South Africa).

Feeding: Lions are carnivores. They need to hunt for food. Lions eat primarily herbivorous mammals such as zebras, gazelles, wild boar, wildebeest, giraffes, impalas, buffalo and deer, depends on the area where they live.

Reproduction: The gestation has 110 days. Lion cubs are born blind and can not see until a week passes. They weigh 1200-2100 grams.

Relationships:

Intraespecific:

Lions are very family. They live in groups from 3 to 40 animals.

An adult male is the leader and the rest are females and young puppies male descendants of the leader. In a herd all lionesses are mothers, daughters, grandmothers and sisters and the lionesses of other herbs are considered intrusive. The famale lionesses give birth to their pups at the same time (3-4 lioness) for help with raising children.

When the male cub gets older must leave the group and if the male becomes leader, it kills all the cubs of the pack to eliminate his predecessor and ensure that all puppies have their own genes.

                                                                                         The males lions in a herd defends the territory.

The lion is a calm animal that spends more than 20 hours a day resting. They are very social animals and showing affection. In addition to the ferocious roar and growl also they purr to communicate.

Interspecific:

Lions relationship with other animals is that they are predators.
The lionesses hunt and the males defend the territory.
Lionsses hunt at night or early morning. As the lion is not a very fast or stays very still waiting for its prey distracted or hiding in bushes to attack by surprise animal.

Depending on their prey lions kill biting, strangulation, or even with a kick.
Although females go hunting the male lion is always the first to eat and what he is left will be for the lionesses.

                                                                                                    The lion is endangered and they are inside the red list of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The reason is their habitat destruction, people are making their homes in areas of agriculture and livestock and are invading their territory, the hunting because the skin and flesh are valuable and humans kill them because they are afraid they kill their livestock or themselves.

Fun facts:

*Female lionesses hunt because the male lions can not hide their hair.

*A lion can be between 5-6 days without drinking.

*The roar of a lion can be heard at 8 km away.

*They eat 7 kilograms of meat per day for males and 5 females.

*They can run up to 58 kilometres per hour but are considered slow.

*In South Africa there is a type of white lion.

Other fun facts:

# Why the lion is the king of the jungle: In the Holy Bible the lion was the animal of kings and is a symbol of Christ. It becomes part of the attire of gentlemen. It is the most common animal in the banners and shields of knight of the Middle Ages.

# In the past many people thought that eating meat lion was more courageous.

# The lion has been represented in painting, literature and actualy in cinema the lion usually represents the courage and strength. For example the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz is convinced that is not brave and ask the magician that value.

# Disney Lion King was the first film in which no human does not appear.
Simba is a Swahili word of lion and its means king, strong, and aggressive.

Tiger

Tiger 

Scientific Name: Panthera tigris

Conservation status: Endangered (Population decreasing)
Higher classification: Roaring cats
Lifespan: 20 – 26 years (In captivity)
Speed: 49 – 65 km/h (Adult, In Short Bursts)
Mass: Male: 90 – 310 kg (Adult), Female: 65 – 170 kg (Adult) .

Bite force : Siberian tiger PSI: 950, Bengal Tiger PSI: 1,050

                 

The heaviest known Bengal was 388.7 kg (857 lbs).

                                                                                           The largest wild cat on earth, and the largest member of the Felidae (cat) family, is the tiger. Tigers are an Endangered species. In addition to having lost over 90% of their original habitat, they have been aggressively hunted and poached. The current population of tigers in the world is believed to be between 3,000 and 4,000. Tiger “farms” currently exist in Asia and Africa, where they are being bred for body parts.

Physical Appearance

Tigers are known for their black stripes. Their fur varies in color from white to golden. A white tiger is not an albino. Their white appearance is the result of a genetic variation – a recessive gene. White tigers are either pure or part Bengal tiger, and usually bred in zoos. It is rare to see a white tiger in the wild. They do not live as long as golden-colored tigers and many have crossed eyes.

Male Siberian tigers can grow up to 12 ft. long and weigh as much as 675 lbs. Female tigers are between 6.5 to 9 feet long and weigh between 140 to 370 lbs. A tiger’s tale is 2 and 3.6 ft. in length.

Range

Tigers could once be found throughout Asia. During the past 100 years, their numbers have plummeted from approximately 100,000 to less than 4,000. Within the past 15 to 20 years, their range has also decreased by over 40%. Many tigers live in the forest, but you can also find them in grasslands and places where there are hills and rocks. They are also excellent swimmers and like being near water. Tigers generally lead solitary lives in established territories, although they are also considered “social.”

The largest population of wild tigers is in India.

Hunting & Prey

Tigers have been seen hunting during the day and night. They prefer medium to large hoofed animals such as deer, boar and buffalo. They will also eat domestic livestock, and on occasion leopards, dogs, crocodiles and bears A tiger will also eat vegetation from time to time.

Reproduction

Males and females will typically mate from November to April. There are generally 2 to 3 cubs in a tiger litter, with a range of 1 to 6. Cubs will usually stay with their mother until they are 2 to 2 ½ years old. Tigers live between 20 and 26 years, both in captivity and in the wild.

Conservation Issues

The tiger has been hunted relentlessly for its skin and body parts. Most black marketers involved in the tiger parts trade are based in China. There are also “farms’ where the tigers are being bred for their parts. It is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 tigers currently living on these farms – more than the current wild tiger population.


Classification/taxonomy


Nine subspecies of tiger are recognized; however, three of them are extinct, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

The taxonomy of tigers, according to ITIS, is:

Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Bilateria
Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclass: Tetrapoda
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Theria
Infraclass: Eutheria
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus & species: Panthera tigris


Subspecies:

Panthera tigris altaica (Siberian tiger, Amur tiger)
Panthera tigris amoyensis (South China tiger)
Panthera tigris balica (Bali tiger, Balinese tiger)
Panthera tigris corbetti (Corbett's tiger, Indochinese tiger, Indo-Chinese tiger)
Panthera tigris jacksoni (Malayan tiger)
Panthera tigris sondaica (Javan tiger)
Panthera tigris sumatrae (Sumatran tiger)
Panthera tigris tigris (Bengal tiger)
Panthera tigris virgata (Caspian tiger)

Three subspecies are now extinct:

Bali tiger (Panthera t. balica)
Javan tiger (Panthera t. sondaica)
Caspian tiger (Panthera t. virgata)

The Javan tiger was last recorded in the 1970s, the Caspian tiger was lost in the 1950s, and the Bali tiger became extinct in the 1930s, according to Panthera, a wild cat conservation organization.



Other facts


Tigers are fantastic swimmers. They can forge rivers and lakes that are 3.7 to 5 miles (6 to 8 km) wide, according to Woodland Park Zoo.

Lions and tigers are closely related. If you shaved them you wouldn't be able to tell them apart because their body structure is so similar, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Their teeth can be very long, as well. Some tigers have teeth as long as 3 inches (7 cm).