Tiger - born to be free. Tiger - description, species, where it lives, what it eats, photo Tiger cub

Tiger - largest representative cat family. The length of its body can reach more than three meters, and its weight can be more than two and a half centners. The length of the tail is about 90 cm. In appearance, the tiger resembles a domestic cat, only very large sizes. The tiger has a long and flexible body, a rounded head, relatively short legs and a long tail. Despite its large size, the tiger's movements are light and graceful.

Coloring

The tiger's coloring is unique: there are black transverse stripes on the main orange background. This coloring helps the tiger to remain unnoticed among the tall grass and bushes in which it hides while hunting. In India, in addition to individuals with the usual tiger coloration, there are tigers white with brown stripes and blue eyes.

Spreading.

The tiger's habitat is very wide and includes tropical, subtropical and, to a lesser extent, temperate latitudes Asian continent. The tiger is found in the south and northeast of China, Nepal, Thailand, Burma, Hindustan, Indochina, Afghanistan, the islands of Bali and Java, Malacca and Korean peninsulas, on Far East.

Varieties.

The habitat of tigers in various natural and climatic conditions determined the diversity of external and behavioral characteristics of individuals of this species of predator. Scientists identify nine subspecies of the tiger, which differ in size, color and some features of their lifestyle and behavior. The Amur subspecies of the tiger is the largest, distinguished by very thick and long hair, which allows it to live in harsh Siberian conditions, and a smaller number of stripes on the body compared to other subspecies. The Bengal tiger is also large in size, darker in color than its northern relative, and lives in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. The Chinese tiger is the smallest subspecies. In addition, small populations of Malayan, Indochinese and Sumatran tiger subspecies have survived to this day. The Javan, Balinese and Transcaucasian subspecies of the tiger have been completely exterminated by humans.

Lifestyle.

The tiger leads a solitary lifestyle. He marks his hunting grounds with peculiar marks, making marks on tree trunks with his claws. The tiger hunts its prey, hiding in dense thickets. Unlike most others wild cats The tiger loves water very much and swims superbly in reservoirs.

Food.

The tiger is a predator that rarely eats carrion, preferring to independently obtain fresh food by hunting various animals. The basis of a tiger's diet is different kinds ungulates The tiger hunts roe deer, deer, wild boar, musk deer and wapiti, and also does not miss any other large and small living creatures, from bear, wolf, monkey to hares, birds, turtles and fish. And even a formidable crocodile often becomes prey for this ferocious predator. The tiger is not averse to eating plant foods; he happily eats berries, fruits, and nuts.

Reproduction.

Tigers reach sexual maturity at the age of four. A tigress's pregnancy lasts about three and a half months. The tigress breeds her offspring in a cave or secluded den. Most often there are from two to four cubs in a brood, less often – up to six. Tiger cubs are born helpless and blind. Only the tigress cares for the offspring. She is very good mother, constantly takes care of his cubs, feeds and protects them, teaches them various wisdoms of life. Tiger cubs stay with the tigress for a very long time, approximately until three years old, after which they leave their mother and lead a solitary lifestyle.

Brief information about tigers

Estrus, pregnancy and childbirth in tigers of the northern subspecies, according to the latest observations in the Far East and in zoos, are not confined to any specific period. Newborn tiger cubs are found at any time of the year. For example, in December 1932, in Primorye, in the area of ​​the Beitsukhe River, the right tributary of the Ima, a month-old tiger cub weighing about 2.5 kg was caught. In January 1933, four dead tiger cubs weighing from 4 to 6.5 kg were found on Iman. In May 1933, near the Sanchihezy River, a tigress was captured and five fully developed embryos were found in her uterus. In the winter of 1937/38, three tiger cubs aged three to four months were caught in the upper tributaries of the Iman (Salmin, 1940). According to other sources, small tiger cubs were found in the same area on January 9, April 13, July 22, October 19, December 7 and 13 (G.F. Bromley, oral communication). In March 1957, a litter of four tiger cubs aged 1 - 1.5 months was found in the Sudzukhinsky Nature Reserve (K. G. Abramov, oral communication). The female, caught on March 30, 1950 in South-Western Tajikistan on Pyanj, was in a state of heat and had recently been mated by a male, since sperm were found in a smear from the cervix. The second female, caught in the same direction on the Kyzylsu River on June 26, 1950, turned out to be lactating (Chernyshev, 1958). For Kazakhstan, N.A. Severtsov (1861) indicated that tiger cubs appear in June - August. “At the end of October, I carried two-month-old tiger cubs in my arms,” wrote this researcher. At the same time, V.N. Shnitnikov (1936) reported that at the beginning of February 1909, a litter of four tiger cubs about a month old was found in the lower reaches of the Ili River. At the beginning of April 1908, three tiger cubs were caught on the coast of Balkhash in the lower reaches of Ayaguz.

Observations made in nature are confirmed by data obtained in our zoos, where tigers also go into heat at any time of the year, repeating every two to three months, but sometimes every month or only twice a year. The time of appearance of tiger cubs by Ussuri tigresses in the Moscow Zoo can be judged from the data in Table 1 given in the work of R. I. Afonskaya and M. K. Krumina (1956).

From the data in this table we can conclude that tigresses in the zoo most often give birth in two periods - in spring and late autumn, but usually cubs appear in May (46% of all cases). Thus, the rutting dates that were previously indicated for various regions of the USSR (January-February - Transcaucasia, December - January - Kazakhstan, end of December - January - Far East) are only partly correct.

In tigers living in the northeastern part of China, newborn cubs are usually found in April-June, most often in May. In the Beijing Zoo, a Ussuri tigress gave birth to two tiger cubs on May 21, 1958. In Southern China, small tiger cubs were found not only in spring and summer, but also in winter. For example, two small cubs were found near Xingguang in Guangdong Province in December (Allen, 1938). In southwest China, in Yunnan province, in Simao district, tiger cubs most often appear in April - June, then in September - October. Thus, like in our country, the appearance of tiger cubs in this country is observed mainly in two periods.

The fact that tigers do not have a specific breeding season has been known in India for a long time (Zherdon, 1874). The absence of strict seasonality in the appearance of litters in the tiger, in our opinion, indicates the southern origin of this animal, since this type of reproduction is characteristic of many tropical animals.

A tigress's estrus lasts 12 - 18 days, in rare cases - up to 25 days. In Ussuri tigresses in the Moscow Zoo, estrus lasted from 3 to 13 days (Afonskaya, Krumina, 1956). A female who has come “in heat” purrs and snorts in a peculiar way, often urinates, lies on her back, spreading her paws to the sides and flirting with the male. During heat, she eats little or refuses food completely. During this period, the female usually walks with one male, but where there are many tigers, one tigress is sometimes followed by two to six males. During the rut, the roar of tigers is heard more often than at other times. The female attracts males with her roar. Fierce fights occur between males; At this time they become less careful. The mating period for a pair of tigers lasts five to eight, sometimes up to 18 days. During matings during the day, up to 20 coitus are observed, on average - 11, with intervals from three to four minutes to several hours. In total, during the mating period there are from 43 to 123 coitus. During mating, the tigress lies on her chest, raising her butt up, and the male holds her by the skin of her neck.

According to observations in zoos, the duration of pregnancy is 98 - 112 days (Satunin, 1915; Baikov, 1925; Pocock, 1939; Shereshevsky, 1940). Most often, pregnancy lasts 105 days. In the Ussuri tiger, pregnancy lasts from 95 to 107 days, on average 103 days (counting from the first to the last mating). At the end of the estrus, the female separates from the male and stays close to the future den. In zoos, after the end of the mating period, the male must be immediately removed from the female, as violent fights begin to occur between the animals. The male does not take any part in raising the brood.

In the litter of tigresses in the USSR, there are usually two to four cubs, rarely one, and very rarely five or six. It is interesting to note that in the south of the range of the described predator, for example, the South Chinese tiger in Yunnan province, according to our data, usually has one or two tiger cubs, less often - three or more, although here too there is a known case of a pregnant female with six embryos being killed. G. M. Allen (1938) reported encountering litters with two (two cases) and four cubs (two cases) in the South China tiger. In India, most often two, less often three or four tiger cubs are found, and very rarely five or six (Zherdon, 1874; Pocock, 1939). A. Beriff (1932) reports the shooting of a female royal tiger with six embryos, and the editors cited the fact of shooting a tigress with seven embryos. And according to I.K. Rai (oral communication), in India they killed pregnant females in whom up to seven embryos were found.

Often in the first months of life, some of the tiger cubs die from various accidents, so later, two or three tiger cubs usually go with the tigress and, less often, one or four. For different areas of the range, the following number of tiger cubs in a litter is reliably known: in Transcaucasia - two litters of two tiger cubs each; in Kazakhstan - three by two, one by three and one by four; in Tajikistan - two one at a time; in the Far East - seven one, seven two, eight three, two four tiger cubs, in addition, a pregnant female with five embryos was killed there. A female with four two-year-old cubs was met in 1953 by members of I. Trofimov’s tiger catching team on Sikhote-Alin near the Tudo-Vaka River (Krasnoe Znamya newspaper, March 26, 1953, Vladivostok). V.K. Abramov (1962) provides information from Far Eastern tiger catchers that during the period from 1936 to 1957 they encountered five litters with two cubs, ten with three, and two with four. In 1957 - 1959 Four litters were counted with one tiger cub, eight with two, and three with three. The Ussuri tigers kept in the Moscow Zoo had the same number of cubs in the litter as in natural conditions, which can be judged from the data in Table 2. As we can see, most often there were two tiger cubs in the litter (50% of all cases), but the fertility of individual females turned out to be different. Tigress Chizhik usually gave birth to three cubs. In the Beijing Zoo in 1958, two Ussuri tigresses had two and three cubs in their litters.

Tiger cubs are usually born blind and helpless, but sometimes they are born sighted (apparently, during the longest period of pregnancy). The weight of newborns is 1300 - 1500 g (for Ussuri tigers from 785 to 1043 g). The dimensions of newborn Ussuri tiger kittens are as follows: body length 31.5 - 40 cm, tail length 13 - 16 cm, ear height 1.5 - 2.5 cm. Claws are unpigmented. Kittens born blind begin to see on the sixth to eighth day (according to other sources, on the fifth to tenth day). The ear openings open on the fourth or fifth day, and “after 12–15 days, the young begin to respond to noise coming from afar. There are no teeth at birth, but the places where they appear are already marked on the gums. On the 13th day, two middle incisors erupt. On the 23rd there are two incisors in the upper and lower jaws, on the 42nd there are six incisors on the upper and lower jaws, on the 53rd there are upper and lower canines.On the 63rd day there are two molars on the upper jaw, two canines, six incisors. On the lower jaw there are six molars, two canines, six incisors. At the age of 8.5 months, the middle pair of incisors changes in tiger cubs, and in nine-month-old cubs the other incisors fall out. Juvenile fur sheds at the age of 3.5 - 5, 5 months (Afonskaya, Krumina, 1956).

The color of juvenile fur in cubs is the same striped as in adults, but its main background is much lighter and the stripes are light brown.

It is interesting to note that even small tiger cubs have quite large ears. Their back side is bright black with a white spot in the middle. Apparently, this is a signal coloration by which the queen finds tiger cubs in the dark. This coloration of the ears persists in adult animals.

Tiger cubs grow and develop quickly. On the 12th - 15th day they begin to crawl around the den, and at the age of 20 - 30 days they leave it, walk in the snow and climb trees. Two-year-old young weighing up to 60 kg also climb trees; later, most animals lose the ability to climb trees.

The growth rate of young tigers can be approximately judged by the change in the weight of the tiger cub Orphan, who was artificially fed in the Moscow Zoo:

35 - 36 days after birth, the cubs begin to lick meat, and at the age of 43 days they try to eat, but the female takes it away from them. After 48 days, the babies are already tearing off pieces of meat.

At the age of about two months, tiger cubs regularly begin to eat meat, but continue to feed on mother's milk until five to six months inclusive. The tigress begins to transfer cubs that have reached two months of age from one den to another. Leaving the cubs in the den, she goes after the prey and, having caught it, brings the entire brood there. Then the brood remains with the meat, and the female goes hunting again, and while the cubs are still small, she brings them the prey to a new place. The mother does not leave cubs under six months alone for long, but she abandons larger young ones for five to six days, and leaves two-year-old cubs for up to 14 days. Due to the fact that the tigress is forced to leave the little kittens alone, they winter months sometimes they freeze (Salmin, 1940; G.F. Bromley, oral communication). When there is an abundance of prey, the brood makes few transitions and stays in a relatively small area.

According to our observations, tiger cubs are very active and playful. When the young are full, if they are not sleeping, they are always fiddling with each other and flirting with the tigress. Usually one of the cubs, hobbling to the side, clumsily hides and waits for the other to approach him, then he jumps up and begins to grab him by the hind legs or tail. They play the same way with the tigress. Sometimes one tiger cub, having caught up with another, grabs his tail with his teeth and does not let go for a long time, following him. Tiger cubs fight little. The young, playing near the prey, trample large areas and bite twigs from nearby trees and bushes. If there is little prey nearby and the tigress does not return for a long time, the cubs starve and begin to gnaw on rotten meat.

Tiger cubs stay with their female for two and sometimes three years, and only in the fourth year do they begin to live independently. This feature in the biology of tigers was first pointed out by P.I. Rychkov (1762), saying: “They say that old babr feed young ones for three years, at which time they are so docile that it is safe to catch them.” For example, in 1953, on Sikhote-Alin, a team of tiger catchers under the leadership of I.T. Trofimov met a litter consisting of a tigress and three three-year-old cubs, and caught all the young ones.

By the age of two, young tigers reach a weight of more than 100 kg. For example, in the winter of 1950/51, tiger cubs of “lonchaks” (in the second year) weighing 113 tags each were caught in the Far East (K. G. Abramov, oral communication). At the age of three, tiger cubs take part in hunting with the female. A young male at the age of three sometimes already weighs 150 kg. Occasionally, two litters accompany a female, and one or two tiger cubs are retained from the first litter.

Sexual maturity in female and male tigers usually occurs in the fourth year of life. For example, in the Moscow Zoo, three female Ussuri tigers became sexually mature at the age of three years four months - three years eight months, and the male - upon reaching three years eight months, although he first began attempting to mate at the age of two years seven months (Afonskaya, Krumina , 1956). In the Indian tiger, sexual maturity supposedly occurs in the third year of life (Blanford, 1888 - 1891), and one tigress gave birth even at the age of only two years (Pocock, 1939). Thanks to the fact that the tiger cubs for a long time remain with the female; the tigress has a litter once every two to four years. This feature of tiger biology was first noted by P.I. Rychkov (1762), who wrote that “babr... whelp in three years.” There was a case in the Moscow Zoo when one female gave birth to two litters in a year and became pregnant for the third time (Salmin, 1940). This female did not feed the cubs herself.

According to observations in captivity, the ability to reproduce in a tiger remains up to 20 years, and these animals live up to 40 - 50 years (Baikov, 1925); the Ussuri tigress Orphan, born in the Moscow Zoo, lived for 18 years. In India, one tiger lived in a relatively small area for 15 years and was killed in its prime. Another predator attacked the cattle of a certain district for 20 years, and when he was killed, he turned out to be quite young (Pocock, 1939).

During her life, a tigress gives birth to 20 - 30 cubs, of which usually half die before they even live six months (Bertin, 1954). According to our data, one female brings only 10 - 15 cubs.

Tiger ( Panthera tigris) - a predator of the class mammals, such as chordates, order Carnivora, cat family, panther genus, subfamilies big cats. It got its name from the ancient Persian word tigri, which means “sharp, fast,” and from the ancient Greek word “arrow.”

The tiger is the largest and heaviest member of the cat family. Some male tigers reach a length of 3 meters and weigh over 300 kg. Tigers are listed in the Red Book, and hunting these animals is prohibited.

Tiger: description and photographs

Tigers are distinguished by a flexible, muscular body and a round head with a convex forehead, expressive eyes and small but sensitive ears. Tigers see perfectly in the dark, and according to scientists, they can distinguish colors. Bengal and Amur tigers are the largest of their species. The size of these tigers can reach 2.5-2.9 meters in length (excluding the tail), and the weight of tigers of this species reaches 275-320 kg. The height of a tiger at the withers is 1.15 m. Average weight an adult male is 180-250 kg.

According to official data, the record recorded weight of the largest tiger (Bengal) was 388.7 kg.

Moreover, females are usually smaller in size than males.

Elastic white tiger whiskers grow in 4-5 rows, framing the tiger's muzzle. With sharp fangs up to 8 cm long, the tiger easily deals with its prey.

Special keratinized protrusions on the side of the movable tongue help to cut the carcass of a killed animal, and also serve as an auxiliary means of hygiene. Adult mammals have 30 teeth.

There are 5 fingers on the front paws of a tiger, there are only 4 on the hind paws, and retractable claws are located on each finger.

Tiger ears are small and round in shape. The animal's pupil is round, the iris is yellow.

Southern species of tigers have short and dense hair, while their northern counterparts are fluffier.

The color of the animals is predominantly rust with a red or brown tint; the chest and belly are much lighter, and sometimes even white.

The tiger owes its exceptional beauty to the dark brown or completely black stripes located throughout the body. The tiger's stripes have characteristic pointed ends, sometimes bifurcating, then joining again. Typically an animal has more than 100 stripes.

The long tail, covered with rings of stripes, is always black at the end. The tiger's stripes are uniquely positioned, like a human fingerprint, and serve as excellent camouflage for the animal.

The track of a male tiger is longer and more elongated than that of a female. The length of the male tiger's track is 15-16 cm, the width is 13-14 cm. The length of the female tiger's track reaches 14-15 cm, and the width is 11-13 cm.

The roar of a tiger can be heard at a distance of almost 3 kilometers.

Despite their considerable weight, tigers can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h regardless of the surrounding landscape.

The lifespan of an animal in captivity is approximately 15 years.

Who is stronger - a lion or a tiger?

This question worries and interests many. Unfortunately, there are very few recorded facts about battles between a lion and a tiger, so there is no reason to talk about the superiority of one representative of the animal world over another. It is only possible to compare a tiger and a lion according to their external parameters and lifestyle.

• So, as for the weight category, although a little, about 50-70 kg, the tiger is still heavier than the lion.
• In terms of jaw compression force when biting, both animals are in the same positions.
• The principle of killing the chosen victim is also identical - both the tiger and the tiger bite into the neck of their prey, piercing it with powerful fangs.
• But in terms of lifestyle, these two predators are radically different. The tiger is a born solitary hunter who prefers to get food in his own “lands”, that is, in a marked territory. Feuds between relatives are almost impossible, since tigers rarely intersect with each other during the hunt. Lions live in pride clans, so males often fight not only for the right to hunt, but also for the “lady of the heart” during mating games. Often such fights end with serious wounds and even the death of one of the lions.
• It is impossible to say with certainty who is more resilient - a lion or his striped brother from the cat family. Both animals run quite quickly, covering considerable distances, but such a criterion as endurance can be justified by the age of these predators, living conditions, or their state of health.

There are facts when trained lions fought with the same circus tigers. Mostly the lion emerged victorious from the battle, but again, this conclusion subjective, no one kept statistics, so you shouldn’t use such information as a 100% statement of superiority.

Both animals, the lion and the tiger, are very strong, powerful and perfectly adapted to natural environment its habitat.

Subspecies of tigers, names, descriptions and photos

The classification identifies 9 subspecies of the tiger, 3 of which, unfortunately, have already disappeared from the face of the earth. Today in nature live:

• Amur (Ussuri) tiger ( Panthera tigris altaica)

The largest and smallest representative of the species, distinguished by thick fur and a relatively small number of stripes. The color of the Amur tiger is orange with a white belly, the fur is thick. The body length of males reaches 2.7 – 3.8 meters. The weight of a male Amur tiger is 180-220 kg. The height of the Amur tiger at the withers is 90-106 cm.

A population of approximately 500 Ussuri tigers inhabits the Amur region of Russia. A number of individuals are found in North Korea and in northeast China. The Amur tiger is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

• Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris, Panthera tigris bengalensis)

Characterized by the largest numbers, representatives have a bright coat color from yellow to light orange. In nature, there are also white Bengal tigers that do not have stripes at all, but they are rather a mutated species. The length of the Bengal tiger reaches 270-310 cm, females are smaller and reach a length of 240-290 cm. The tiger's tail is 85-110 cm long. The height at the withers is 90-110 cm. The weight of the Bengal tiger is from 220 to 320 kg as a maximum.

According to various sources, the population of this tiger species includes from 2.5 to 5 thousand individuals, most of who live in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and South Asia.

Albino white tiger

• Indochinese tiger ( Panthera tigris corbetti)

It is distinguished by a dull red color and numbers a little more than a thousand individuals. The stripes of this species are narrower and shorter. This type of tiger is smaller in size than others. The length of the male is 2.55-2.85 cm, the length of the female is 2.30-2.55 cm. The weight of a male Indochinese tiger reaches 150-195 kg, the weight of a female tiger is 100-130 kg.

The area where Indochinese tigers live is Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Southeast Asia, and Southern China.

• Malayan tiger ( Panthera tigris jacksoni)

The third largest subspecies in the number of individuals, living in the Malaysian, southern region of the Malay Peninsula.

This is the smallest tiger among all species. The length of a male Malayan tiger is 237 cm, the length of females is up to 200 cm. The weight of a male Malayan tiger is 120 kg, the weight of females does not exceed 100 kg. In total, there are about 600-800 tigers of this species in nature.

• Sumatran tiger ( Panthera tigris sumatrae)

It is also considered the smallest representative of the species. The length of a male tiger is 220-25 cm, the length of females is 215-230 cm. The weight of male tigers is 100-140 kg, the weight of females is 75-110 kg.

About 500 representatives are found in nature reserves on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

• South China tiger (Chinese tiger) ( Panthera tigris amoyensis)

A small subspecies, no more than 20 of these tigers live in captivity in the south and center of China.

The body length of males and females is 2.2-2.6 meters, the weight of males does not exceed 177 kg, the weight of females reaches 100-118 kg.

Extinct species are Bali tiger, Caspian tiger And Javan tiger.

In addition to white tigers, species with yellow color, such animals are called golden tigers. The fur of such tigers is lighter and the stripes are brown.

Tiger hybrids

Hybrids, born from crossing the big tabby cat and other representatives of the panther genus, began to appear in captivity as early as the 19th century.

• Liger

Hybrid of a lion and a female tiger, has huge size and in mature age reaches three meters in length.

• Tigrolev (tigon)

A hybrid of a tiger and a lioness, always smaller than its parents and endowed with the characteristics of both: paternal stripes and maternal spots. Males have a mane, but it is smaller than that of a liger.

Tigers and ligers are born exclusively in zoos. IN wildlife tigers and lions do not interbreed.

Ussuri tigers live in the Amur region in Russia, Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories, about 10% of the population is found in North Korea and northeast China. Bengal tigers live in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and South Asia. The area where Indochinese tigers live is Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Southeast Asia, and Southern China. The Malayan tiger lives in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula. Sumatran tigers are found in nature reserves on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Chinese tigers live in south-central China.

These striped predators prefer a variety of zones for their habitats: rain forests tropics, shady jungles, semi-desert regions and savannas, bamboo thickets and steep rocky hills. The tiger is so able to adapt to conditions that it feels great both in hot climates and in the harsh northern taiga. Steep cliffs with numerous niches or secret caves, secluded reed or reed thickets near water bodies are the most favorite territories where the tiger makes his lair, hunts and raises restless and nimble offspring.

Tiger's lifestyle and habits

Possessing quite massive dimensions and enormous strength, tigers feel like absolute masters of the territory in which they live. Leaving his marks with urine everywhere, stripping the bark from trees along the perimeter of his property and loosening the soil with his claws, the male tiger clearly marks his “land”, not allowing other males there.

At the same time, tigers from the same “family” are quite friendly to each other and sometimes behave very funny during communication: they touch their muzzles, rub their striped sides, “snort” noisily and energetically, while exhaling air through their mouths or nose.

In nature, tigers are most often solitary animals, but in zoos with these cats everything looks a little different. After the birth of a pair of offspring, the tiger-father takes care of the babies no less reverently than the tigress-mother: he spends leisure time with them during games, licks them and gently trembles in the form of punishment for the scruff of the neck. Watching the tiger family is really interesting.

IN natural environment tigers do not limit themselves to the time of day during the hunt - when they are hungry and prey has turned up, then the fatal throw for the victim will be made. By the way, the tiger is an excellent swimmer and will never refuse to eat fish,

The tiger is a very beautiful and graceful animal. In the animal world, tigers are the embodiment of unreal strength, power and courage. IN Lately tigers are becoming very rare. In the whole world, there are only about 6.5 thousand striped predators left, whereas ten years ago there were twice as many. In a number of regions, tigers have completely disappeared. These animals have long been listed in the Red Book, but they still continue to be killed. Like any animal species, tigers have interesting features. How tigers are raised.

Time to start a family

Males usually become sexually mature at four years of age, females at three years of age. Adults, as a rule, do not have their own den, but for tiger cubs the mother tigress sets up a den in the most inaccessible and therefore safe place, on the way to which she tries not to leave traces each time.

Tiger cub. Upbringing

After a 3-month pregnancy, tiger cubs are born helpless and blind, and regain their sight in 5-8 days. Usually 3-4 tiger cubs are born. Very rarely – 1 or more than 4. A tiger cub feeds on mother’s milk for up to 5-6 months. In the third month of their life, tiger cubs begin to get used to meat. However, the tigress still continues to feed her cubs with milk for several months. The tigress does not leave her cubs alone for long during the year.

While the cubs are very small, the tigress does not allow the father to approach them. After short period After mating (usually a couple of days), the tiger leaves the female for a long time - until the cubs grow up and come to independent life, that is, for about two years. An interesting fact is that babies already in the tenth month of their life are able to track and even kill small prey.

Tigresses are very caring mothers, they do not leave the kids until they teach them everything they know and can do.

Tiger education is finally completed when the cubs reach 2 years of age and become fully capable of living independently, defending themselves and obtaining food for themselves.

In cases where a tiger cub loses its mother (for example, due to poachers), the cub very often becomes unable to fully exist and obtain food for itself in the wild taiga, so such tigers often come to people for easy prey.

It is them, along with wounded adults, that are called “conflict”, since they pose a particular danger to people.

How many tiger cubs are born on average per year? What measures are taken to protect tigers in the wild? and got the best answer

Reply from *@ Ekaterina @ *[guru]
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The tiger's body length is, as a rule, 160-290 cm (sometimes over 3 meters), tail 1.1 m, weight up to 270 kg. The head is round, the body is elongated, flexible, the legs are short, the tail is evenly pubescent. The cross-striped coloration of the tiger is extremely characteristic, the pattern of which varies significantly in different geographical areas and serves as the basis for identifying subspecies. There are 7 subspecies, in Western and Southeast Asia, Hindustan, China, the Malay Peninsula, Java, Bali. The largest tigers are Amur tigers, the smallest are Sunda tigers, those that used to live on the island of Bali and now live on Sumatra. In Russia, the tiger is found in Primorye. Until the 30s of the 20th century, the tiger was found in Transcaucasia, and until the 50s - in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya and Southern Tajikistan. Preserved mainly in nature reserves.
On average, a female brings 2-4 tiger cubs, less often 5-6. Tiger cubs are born blind and weigh about 1 kilogram. They feed on their mother's milk for 1.5 to 2 months before the female begins to feed them meat. Young tigers begin to hunt independently at 1.5 years of age.
The female makes a den for her cubs in hard-to-reach, and therefore safest places: dense thickets, caves, rock crevices. Adult males, as a rule, do not have a permanent den and usually rest close to their prey.
Young females leave their mother's territory at the age of 1.5 to 3 years, depending on whether the female has a new litter or not. Tigresses are more likely to stay close to their mother's territory than tigers. In the wild, a complete change of generations occurs in 15-20 years, if not in a shorter period
Many tiger cubs die in the first months of their life, especially since the tigress is forced to leave for hunting. She lives with young tigers for 2-3 years until they become independent (at the age of four they reach sexual maturity). From the above it follows that the fertility of tigers is very limited. It is believed that a female gives birth to 10 - 20 tiger cubs in her entire life, and of those, hardly half survive.
A tiger can live up to 40-50 years, but actually dies much earlier. Currently, the need for maximum careful attitude to such a wonderful animal as the tiger, to ensure its safety for the future. In a number of countries, hunting it is completely prohibited.
Zoos not only successfully breed these animals, but also resettle them...