TIGER FACTS

TIGER FACTS

Laketempest 2010/07/14 11:10

~ the tiger is the biggest species of the cat family.

~ tigers can reach a length of up to 3.3 metres (11 feet) and weigh as much as 300 kilograms (600 pounds)

~ subspecies of tiger include the Sumatran Tiger, Siberian Tiger, Bengal Tiger, South China Tiger, Malayan Tiger and Indochinese Tiger.

~ many subspecies of the tiger are either endangered or already extinct. Humans are the primary cause of this through hunting and the destruction of habitats.

~ around half of tiger cubs dont live beyond two years of age.

~ tiger cubs leave their mother when they are around 2 years of age.

~ a group of tigers is known as an 'ambush' or 'streak.'

~ tigers are good swimmers and can swim up to 6 kilometres.

~ rare white tigers carry a gene that is only present in around 1 in every 10000 tigers.

~ tigers usually hunt alone at night time.

~ tigers have been known to reach speeds up to 65 kph (40 mph)

~ less that 10% of hunts end successfully for tigers.

~ tigers can easily jump over 5 metres in length.

~ various tigers subspecies are the national animals of Bangladesh, India, North Korea, South Korea and Malaysia.

~ there are more tigers held privately as pets than there are in the wild.

~ tigers that breed with lions give birth to hybrids known as tigons and ligers.