Tigers (and all other carnivores) have descended from
miacids that lived during the ice-age. Approximately 37 cat species exist
today, including Panthera tigris, the tiger. All throughout the world the
tiger holds fascination for many people. Certain cultures retain the tiger
as a symbol of strength, which has a mysterious aura surrounding it. But the
fact remains that the tiger is in danger of extinction. Welcome, you are
about to enter the world of the tiger...
The oldest known felids including tigers are believed to have
evolved over 1 million years ago in Asia. From there the tiger spread north
to the Amur region of eastern Russia, south to the islands of Indonesia, and
southwest to Indochina and the Indian subcontinent, eastern Turkey, and the
Caspian Sea. The tiger has distinct traits & at times is grouped as a
separate sub genus.
It is widely distributed over the forests
of India ranging from the sub-alpine Himalayas to down south and across
east-west, but excluding Kashmir valley and the desert and arid portions of
Rajasthan and Kutch.
The tiger (panthera tigris) is one of the
biggest and most fearsome predators in the world. The body bears black
stripes against a brownish yellow to rufous background with a white
underside. The adult animal is solitary and strongly territorial when
inhabiting better habitats having fair prey density. The territory of the
male in such cases encompasses smaller territories of two or more females.
The distinctive colour scheme of the tiger allows it to camouflage unseen in
the forest.
The life span of tigers in the wild on an average
is around 8 to 15 years. Tigers in zoos live longer (between 16 and 20
years).
Tigers have round pupils and yellow irises (except for the blue eyes
of white tigers). Due to a retinal adaptation that reflects light back to
the retina, the night vision of tigers is six times better than that of
humans. It can adjust to sudden darkness at once unlike the human eye. The
presence of rods & cones in the eye indicates the possibility of colour
vision.
Tiger hairs are used as tactile receptors helping it to
know more about its immediate surroundings The fur hair length varies
geographically. In the southern subspecies the hairs are short
(approximately 7 to 20 mm on the back and 15 to 35 mm on the stomach). The
density of fur is dependent on seasonal and geographical factors.
A tiger's forefeet have five toes and the hind feet have four toes. All
toes have claws. The claws are sickle shaped and are important for offence
and defence. The claws are retracted during walking and extended during
attack
.
The diploid Chromosomes are 38 in number.
Tigers are
meat eaters and their teeth design is adapted for this purpose. There are 30
teeth & the tiger bites with the side of its mouth. Its long, powerful
canines are used to kill & grab the prey. The length of the canine teeth
can be between 2.5 to 3 inches (74.5 to 90 mm.).
It is
extremely well-developed in tigers. The Tail is 3 to 4 feet long, about half
as long as its body. Tigers use their tails for balance when they run
through fast turns. They also use their tails to communicate with other
tigers.
Paw prints: A tiger's paw prints are called pug marks,
which are individualistic like human finger prints. No two tigers have the
same pug marks.
Tigers are the largest of all big cats- the body
length of the male ranges from 275-290 cm, and for the females it is around
260 cm. The size and colouration varies according to the climate.
Mating follows a definite courtship period, the mother carries total
responsibility of bringing up the young. Cubs stay with their mother for as
long as 18-30 months. Males are generally intolerant of cubs, though
exceptions are there.
Stripes act as camouflage, and help tigers
hide from their prey. The Sumatran tiger has the most stripes of all the
tiger subspecies, and the Siberian tiger has the fewest stripes.
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