White tiger. Lifestyle and habitat of the white tiger

The Bengal white tiger is an animal that is found in Central and Northern India, Burma, Bangladesh and Nepal. It should be noted that “Bengals” most often have a red color. But if in wildlife If a white tiger is born, it will be very difficult for him to survive due to the fact that with such a color he will not be able to hunt successfully, since he is too noticeable for his victims. There is an opinion that these predators come from Siberia, and their color is camouflage in snowy winter conditions. But this is a misconception, because white tigers appeared in India.

Description

This is the largest and heaviest cat in the world, despite the fact that different subspecies have slightly different body parameters. On average, the body length of a handsome striped cat is 1.5–2.6 m, but sometimes they can grow up to 3.1 m, and this does not take into account the length of the tail process, which is approximately 60–110 cm. The weight of one such cat ranges from 115 to 320 kg, depending on the subspecies and sex of the animal.

If we consider the whole body of the tiger as a whole, it impresses with its beauty, development muscle tissue, majesty and unrivaled flexibility. The anterior region of the body is slightly larger than the sacral zone, and it is much better developed, thanks to this the tiger’s posture is so graceful and proud that one involuntarily gets the impression that he is looking at the whole the world around us from above. Long beautiful tail decorated with evenly distributed wool. The forelimbs end in five fingers, the hind limbs have four, and the claws tend to retract, as in domestic cats.

Separately, the teeth of a predator should be noted; among them, the fangs stand out, not only for their development, but also for their length, which is approximately 7–8 cm; they help the animal take the life of its prey. But in the process of eating the victim, he uses his tongue, on which you can see epithelial outgrowths, thanks to which he easily separates the meat from the periosteum.

Wool

If we consider the coat of an animal, it varies greatly depending on the homeland of a particular representative of the cat family. Those wild cats who live in southern territories, the skin is covered with relatively short and not abundant fur, but in the northern subspecies the fur is quite fluffy, thick and long.

Mother Nature did a great job decorating these delightful little animals, choosing almost all shades of red as the main color. The projection of the abdomen and limbs are painted predominantly in light colors; it is also possible to see some light areas on the back of the ears. Special attention, of course, a worthy drawing on the gorgeous body of the tiger, which is presented a large number stripes These elements also have different colors, from brown to charcoal black. The stripes themselves are distinguished by their characteristic placement; along the entire body and neck they are drawn transversely vertically, sometimes they can reach the stomach, sometimes only to the side surface. All stripes end pointedly and may occasionally bifurcate. On the back of the mammal’s body, the pattern is thicker and more saturated, sometimes with a transition to the surface of the thighs.

The area of the muzzle, which is located below the nose, the area of tactile hair, the chin and the mandibular zone is painted white, only in the corners of the mouth and lower lip it is noted small quantity black spots. On the forehead, in the parietal and occipital parts, an original pattern is also observed, represented by various transverse stripes, most often having irregular shape. The front part of the ears is covered with white hair, but the back part is always painted black and has a characteristic large white spot on its upper half.

The tail is also not devoid of an original ornament, only at the base there is no pattern at all, and the tip is mostly painted black. Usually the tail process is painted with transverse stripes, which, when connected to each other, form solid rings, of which there are usually from 8 to 10. In general, there are at least 100 stripes on the body of a tiger, their sizes and the distance between them depend on the specific species, but here is the pattern that they form themselves - this is a certain business card a specific animal, like fingerprints or DNA in humans. The stripes on the body of a predator are, of course, very beautiful and original, but their function is by no means aesthetic. This war paint allows the predator to remain unnoticed by its prey during the hunt. The interesting thing is that the animal's skin has exactly the same pattern, and if the fur is shaved off, it will grow back with an identical pattern.

Origin

The famous white tigers are not a quirk of geneticists, but a naturally occurring variety of Bengal tigers. These are not albinos, as it might seem at first glance (although there are, of course, albinos among tigers) - Bengal white tigers have black stripes and blue eyes. White skin is caused by a lack of melanin. In the wild, it is quite rare for common red tigers to give birth to white cubs.

Since ancient times, these unusual creatures have been endowed magical abilities and were surrounded by numerous beliefs. They were revered in Kyrgyzstan, China and, of course, India - it was believed that by seeing a white tiger one could gain enlightenment (probably quite often posthumously). It was from India that white tigers spread throughout the world.

Among animals with normal coloring, there are white individuals called albinos. These animals have so little pigment that their eyes appear red due to visible blood vessels. Everyone knows white mice, rats, and rabbits. It is known that in 1922 in India (according to other sources - in Burma) two pure white tigers with red eyes were shot. Similar cases have been recorded in South China. The rest known to man white tigers cannot be called albinos in the full sense of the word: most of them are blue-eyed and have brown stripes on their skin. It would be more accurate to talk about a light (white) color variation of their color.

Bengal tigers of the usual red color sometimes give birth to cubs with white fur, which, however, retains dark stripes. In nature, they survive extremely rarely - such animals cannot hunt successfully, as they are too noticeable. White tigers are specially bred for circuses and zoos.

In captivity, they are bred as a separate species, because color is inherited genetically. White parents always give birth to white tiger cubs, but such offspring are rare from red tigers. It is not surprising that people prefer not to count on luck, but simply to cross white tigers with each other. Therefore, white tigers in captivity have poorer health than their free relatives. Although in nature the life of a white tiger, even the healthiest one, is not easy. He is more visible and difficult to hunt. So zoo relatives, surrounded by care, still live longer - up to 26 years.

Lifestyle and nutrition

White bengal tiger, like its relatives, is a predator. IN natural environment its food is ungulates. These can be deer, wild boars, Indian sambars, etc. But he can also eat a hare, pheasant, monkey and even fish. On average, he needs to eat about 60 ungulates per year.

At one time the animal can eat 30-40 kg of meat. But, at the same time, a tiger can go for a considerable time without food. This is due to the presence of fatty subcutaneous tissue, reaching in some individuals 5cm.

This animal hunts alone, using one of two hunting techniques - waiting for prey in ambush or sneaking up on it. The predator moves in short steps very carefully, often crouching to the ground. Approaches tracked prey from the leeward side. Then he makes several large jumps, reaching the desired object.

If the animal the tiger is hunting moves away from it by more than 100-150 m, the predator stops hunting. This mammal can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h and make a jump up to 10 m long and 5 m high. Having caught and killed the victim, he carries it, holding it in his teeth or dragging it along the ground. In this case, the weight of the killed animal may exceed it own weight 6-7 times.

The white Bengal tiger leads an active lifestyle in the morning and evening, preferring to lie down and sleep the rest of the time in some secluded, comfortable place. He carries it easily low temperature and is not afraid of winter, knows how to swim and hot weather loves to swim.

It is worth considering that white tigers are very rare in natural conditions, more prevalent in zoos where mating occurs between representatives of this species.

Reproduction

Mating of tigers most often occurs in December-January. In this case, only one male follows the female. If a rival appears, a fight occurs between the males for the right to mate with the female.

A female tiger is capable of fertilization only a few days a year. If at this time the female is not fertilized, then estrus repeats after a short time.

Most often, a tigress gives birth to its first offspring at the age of 3-4 years, and a female can give birth once every 2-3 years. Gestation of the cubs lasts approximately 97-112 days. Tiger cubs are born in March-April. In one litter there are most often 2-4 tiger cubs, offspring with one tiger cub are less common, and even less often - 5-6 cubs. The weight of born tiger cubs is 1.3-1.5 kg. The cubs are born blind, but after 6-8 days they begin to see.

For the first six weeks, the cubs feed only on the milk of the tigress. Tiger cubs grow only near their mother; tigresses do not allow male tigers near their offspring, since the male can kill the cubs that are born.

After 8 weeks, the cubs become capable of following their mother and leaving the den. The new generation becomes capable of independent life only at the age of about 18 months, but, as a rule, they continue to remain with their mother until they reach 2-3 years, in some cases - up to 5 years.

After young tigers begin to live on their own, females remain in close proximity to matter. Males, in contrast, go longer distances in search of their own unoccupied territory.

Over the course of their entire lives, females give birth to about 10-20 tiger cubs, and half of them die in a significant amount of time. at a young age. On average, the life expectancy of a tiger is 26 years.

Is it easy for white tigers to survive in the wild?

Many people believe that such an unusual coloring will not give white tigers the right to survive in nature, but this is not so. White tigers have long existed in the wild and are excellent survivors. Another thing is that people rarely see them, because people immediately start shooting at a white tiger in order to get a trophy in the form of its unusual skin.

In India, white tigers are shot very often - especially at the end of the 19th century - in the early twentieth century, their shooting was common. And the killed tigers were already adults, healthy and well-fed, which means they survived well in the jungle and were good hunters. It is not clear why, but white tiger cubs develop faster than their red counterparts and adults are larger and stronger than red tigers. And also more dexterous and faster.

Many killed white tigers were put on public display in Calcutta, while other stuffed animals were added to private collections and museums around the world. Today, white tigers can no longer be found in the wild - they all live in zoos.

How to breed white tigers in captivity?

Since it is known that white tigers began to breed by crossing between relatives (inbreeding), many white tigers now have developmental anomalies.

This is mainly a failure of the immune system, strabismus, kidney problems, allergies. And, note, these anomalies are not at all related to the white color of these animals.

However, now there are white tigers in almost every zoo in the world and gradually the need for their inbreeding disappears. Until now, no one knows how many white tigers actually live on the planet. After all, they are found not only in circuses and zoos, but also among private individuals. There are a lot of white tigers in American zoos. And the demand for white tigers is very much satisfied by these zoos. As a result, India is no longer the main supplier of white tigers. However, it is in India that they are planning to create a white tiger reserve, where tigers will be sent to live in the wild.

In each individual, the contours of the stripes have an individual configuration, and are never repeated, like fingerprints in humans.
White tigers rarely growl, but their voice can be heard not at a distance of three kilometers.
While exploring graves in Henan province in the late 1980s, archaeologists found a drawing of a tiger. It was a shell talisman lying near the body, about 6 thousand years old. Today is the most ancient amulet, depicting a white tiger.
In Kyrgyzstan they say about this animal that it can solve any difficulties and problems. While dancing a ritual dance, the shamans fell into a trance and asked the tiger for help.
In India, there is a belief that by seeing a white tiger with your own eyes, you can find complete happiness and enlightenment.
The director of the New Delhi Zoo in the 60s of the last century, Kailash Sankhala, believes that it is possible that the function of the white gene is to maintain the size gene in the population.
There are only a few hundred white tigers in zoos around the world; about a hundred of these tigers live in zoos in India.
The modern population of white tigers includes pure Bengal and hybrid Bengal- Amur tigers. However, it still remains a mystery where the recessive white gene came from - from Bengal tigers or from Amur tigers.
There is no official scientific confirmation of the existence of white Amur tigers. However, there are unconfirmed cases of sightings of white tigers in regions where Amur tigers live.
The white Amur tiger today is the result of crossing white bengal tiger with Amur.

Video

Sources

http://dlyakota.ru/23445-belye-tigry.html http://www.13min.ru/drugoe/zver-belyj-tigr/#Reproduction https://zveri.guru/zhivotnye/hischniki-otryada-koshachih /belyy-tigr-ekzoticheskoe-zhivotnoe.html#pitanie https://masterok.livejournal.com/581543.html

White tigers are unusual and very beautiful, which is why they are very popular among animal lovers. In zoos they become a favorite object to visit, and photographs of white tigers decorate many homes.

However, zoologists are divided in their opinion regarding white tigers into two diametrically opposed camps. Some believe that white tigers are genetic freaks and there is no point in showing them, let alone breeding them.

Other zoologists believe that white tigers, as a natural phenomenon, can also exist and cannot be rejected, especially since people really like white tigers, and it is white tigers that people go to zoos for, thereby supporting not only these unusual cats, but also other animals .

However, for the majority, the opinion of zoologists is indifferent - white tigers are already an important component human life and even national treasure some countries of the world.

Are all white tigers white?

White tigers are not only white or orange with black stripes, but there are also very beautiful and rare tabby tigers with beautiful golden long fur with stripes that are almost invisible.

Their fur is soft and silky and very beautiful in the sun.

There are also black tigers, but in reality they are ordinary tigers just with very wide stripes that practically connect. However, such tigers are extremely rare.
There are even stories about blue tigers, but their authenticity has not been confirmed.

There are such unusual colors of tigers, but white tigers are the most common color anomaly of a tiger. All this is the result of gene mutations. However, white tigers are not considered albinos by scientists, since only the orange color falls out of their color - the black stripes remain. And these tigers also have blue eyes. And real albinos have red eyes.

White tigers simply do not produce brown pigment. Many tigers carry a gene that prevents the production of such pigment.

And if two orange tigers can give birth to both ordinary red cubs and white tiger cubs. Then two white tigers give birth to only white cubs.

There are practically no pure albinos among tigers. The only case of capture of albino tigers was reported in the early 20s of the last century in India.

There, two albino tigers were shot while hunting.

What type of tiger produces white tigers

White tigers belong either to the Bengal subspecies or are the result of mating of tigers of the Bengal and Amur subspecies. There were no separate white tigers belonging only to the Amur subspecies.

Is it easy for white tigers to survive in the wild?

Many people believe that such an unusual coloring will not give white tigers the right to survive in nature, but this is not so.

White tigers have long existed in the wild and are excellent survivors. Another thing is that people rarely see them, because people immediately start shooting at a white tiger in order to get a trophy in the form of its unusual skin.

In India, white tigers are shot very often - especially at the end of the 19th century - in the early twentieth century, their shooting was common.

And the killed tigers were already adults, healthy and well-fed, which means they survived well in the jungle and were good hunters.

It is not clear why, but white tiger cubs develop faster than their red counterparts and adults are larger and stronger than red tigers. And also more dexterous and faster.

The most famous white tigers

White tigers have been described in Indian literature since the 15th century. The white tiger is prized for its beauty, and several of these tigers have been captured for breeding. But people are most familiar with one white tiger named Mohan. Born in 1951, he was left an orphan when those who discovered and captured him in India shot his mother and three Orange siblings.

When Mohan grew up, he lived in the Maharaja's courtyard, no matter how much they tried to cross him with orange lionesses, they always got orange tiger cubs. He had three litters of tiger cubs. However, some tiger cubs have inherited a recessive gene from their father.

Then Mohan is crossed with Radha Mohan, his daughter from the second litter. And four white tiger cubs are born - one male, Raja, and three females, Rani, Mohini and Tsukeshi. This was the first time white tigers were born in captivity.
Then they began to breed more white tigers, and soon there were so many of them that it became very difficult to keep them in the palace. And several white tigers were sold to an American zoo.

But this tiger died on December 19, 1969 and was solemnly buried in India, in addition, the day of Mohan’s death was declared official mourning.

How to breed white tigers in captivity

Since it is known that white tigers began to breed by crossing between relatives (inbreeding), many white tigers now have developmental anomalies.

This is mainly a failure of the immune system, strabismus, kidney problems, allergies. And, note, these anomalies are not at all related to the white color of these animals.

However, now there are white tigers in almost every zoo in the world and gradually the need for their inbreeding disappears.

However, no one still knows how many white tigers actually live on the planet.

After all, they are found not only in circuses and zoos, but also among private individuals. There are a lot of white tigers in American zoos.

And the demand for white tigers is very much satisfied by these zoos.

As a result, India is no longer the main supplier of white tigers.

However, it is in India that they are planning to create a white tiger reserve, where tigers will be sent to live in the wild.

White tigers at the Moscow Zoo

A pair of white tigers has settled in the Moscow Zoo. A male and a female live there, only they are kept separately because they are aggressive towards each other, and experience tenderness and love only during the breeding season. They have already given birth to tiger cubs twice. And everyone is white.

At the Moscow Zoo, white tigers are placed in the “Cats of the Tropics” pavilion. Each tiger has its own specific preferences in walking and eating. For example, the male likes to walk in any weather, even very frosty, but the female likes warmth and lack of precipitation.

They practically do not react to visitors. Because animals are strong and react to people this way. However, it is still not worth teasing them. White tigers become dangerous if teased.

Watch the video and you will better understand what kind of white tigers they are:

No exception. White fur and red eyes are caused by a small amount of pigment, which is responsible for color. Many albinos are found among rabbits, mice and rats.

There is a known case when two real albino tigers, whose eye color was red, were killed in India. Also, albino tigers once lived in South Korea until they were exterminated there too. However, white tigers are not uncommon in the wild and in zoos. They have a white coat color, but are not albinos, evidence of this is their blue eyes and the presence of brown stripes.

As soon as a person learned about the existence white tigers, he immediately shrouded them in an aura of mystery. They were feared and idolized. The Kyrgyz people even have a belief that a white tiger can protect a person from any problem or difficulty. Thus, shamans often organized ritual dances, during which the tribe fell into a trance and began to pray to the tigers for happiness and a good harvest.

The Chinese, convinced that they might be attacked evil spirits, on the gates of temples they depicted a tiger personifying the protector. In the Chinese understanding, the tiger represented the guardian of the dead, symbolizing longevity. Statues of white tigers were even present on the graves, thus driving away evil demons.

Indians treated such tigers with great respect. They had no doubt that, having seen white tiger a person will be gifted with endless happiness and wealth. If in other countries such tigers were treated more like a mythical character, then in India the tiger was presented as a real supreme being.

Those white tigers that managed to survive are now in zoos. Their genus descends from a common ancestor of the Bengal male. The story is that in May 1951, one gentleman went hunting, on which he was lucky enough to come across a den of tigers, in which there were four tiger cubs of normal color and one completely white.

The ruler ordered that ordinary tiger cubs be killed and those with an unusual color taken to the palace. The white tiger, who was named Mohan, spent 12 years in the palace. All this time, the tiger delighted those around him with his beauty and nobility, and, being proud of his ward, the ruler was haunted by the idea of getting offspring from this tiger. And now the tiger, already noticeably grown, was brought together with the red tigress.

However, the birth of cubs brought only disappointment, with a white one when Mohan was crossed with one of his daughters. Soon, among the red fluffy lumps, a completely white one was discovered. Not much time passed, and the palace was literally filled with white tigers, and therefore a decision was made to sell them.

Despite the rapid appearance of white tigers, the Indian government recognized them as the property of the nation. Soon such tigers were sold outside the country. They could be seen in national parks America, Great Britain, in Bristol Park, etc. These predatory cats everyone admired.

It makes no sense to talk about the exact number of white tigers, since they are kept not only in circuses and zoos, but also in private menageries.

It is believed that crossing closely related tigers can negatively affect their health, but so far no deviations affecting their viability have been noticed.

India is the country where most of the snow-white tigers live, which is not surprising, because Mohan himself is their ancestor, originally from those places. Let your path, if you are planning to visit India, lie through, where you can understand and appreciate why they are so attractive.

The white tiger is an individual Bengal tiger with a congenital mutation (not considered a separate subspecies). The mutation results in a completely white coloration - a tiger with black and brown stripes on white fur and blue eyes. This coloration is very rare among wild animals.

(Tambako The Jaguar)

The frequency of occurrence of white tigers is 1 in 10,000 with normal color. Reports of the white tiger have been reported for many decades from Assam, Bengal, Bihar and especially from the former native princely state of Rewa.

The first discovery of a white tiger in nature, however, dates back to 1951, when one of the hunters took a white male tiger from a den he found and then unsuccessfully tried to get the same offspring from a female with a normal color, but then still succeeded in creating the second generation of white tigers. Over time, the population has expanded significantly: all white tigers that are now kept in captivity are descendants of the same individual found and are related to each other. There are currently about 130 white tigers in captivity, of which about 100 are in India. The last white tiger was shot in the wild in 1958.

The idea that white tigers are albino is erroneous - in fact, this coloration is caused by the presence of recessive genes (a real albino tiger would not have black stripes). If both parents are heterozygous, that is, orange in color, but are carriers of the genes, then the chance of getting offspring from them in the form of a white tiger is 25%. For parents, one of whom is a white tiger and the other an orange heterozygous one, the same chance increases to 50%. If one of the parents is white and the other is orange, but homozygous, then all the offspring will be orange, but carriers of the gene.

White tigers are generally smaller (with childhood) than normal Bengal tigers, and often have various genetic defects, including strabismus, poor eyesight, clubfoot, curved spine and neck, kidney problems. However, the claim that infant mortality among white tigers is extremely high is not true.

White tigers are popular not only in zoos, where they often attract everyone's attention and are therefore considered a valuable specimen, but also in popular culture: in particular, some musical groups have dedicated songs to them.

In the Bengal tiger subspecies, there were also individuals with black stripes. The same phenomenon can be found among individuals of the Amur tiger, and in history there have been cases when such individuals appeared in other species. (Tambako The Jaguar)

Now there are several hundred white tigers in zoos around the world, about a hundred of them are in India. (Tambako The Jaguar)

However, their numbers are increasing. (Tambako The Jaguar)

The current population of white tigers includes pure Bengal and hybrid Bengal-Amur tigers, but it is not clear whether the recessive white gene came only from Bengal tigers, or whether the ancestors of Amur tigers also participated in this. (Tambako The Jaguar)

The existence of white Amur tigers is not scientifically documented, despite occasional anecdotal evidence of them being seen in the regions where they live Amur tigers. (Nancy Chan)

It is possible that the white mutation does not exist in the nature of Amur tiger populations: not a single white Amur tiger has yet been born in captivity, despite the fact that these subspecies are actively used for breeding (with a large percentage of outbreeding between different hereditary lines of Amur tigers in order to preserve genetics) . (Nancy Chan)

The recessive allelomorph periodically becomes homozygous during such crossing, and in this case, a white baby may be born to “ordinary” parents, but so far there is no evidence of this. (Nancy Chan)

The famous white Siberian tigers in captivity are not actually purebred. (Nancy Chan)

This is the result of crossing Amur tigers with Bengal tigers. (Karl Drilling)

The white coat gene is quite common among Bengal tigers, but the natural birth of a white Bengal tiger in captivity is still a rare occurrence. (Dpfunsun)

If a purebred Amur white tiger is ever born, it will not be selectively bred as part of conservation programs. (Andrea Mitchell)

Although, most likely, it will still be selectively crossed so that more white Amur tigers will be born. (Frost Photography)

Due to their popularity, white tigers are always the stars of zoos. (In Cherl Kim)

(Arjan Haverkamp)

The white tiger is an animal listed in the Red Book. Photo and description of a white tiger

It's no secret that wildlife needs protection these days. But some animals from the Red Book, the white tiger for example, live only in zoos. This predator is not classified as a separate subspecies. He is an individual Bengal tiger that has a congenital mutation. This deviation results in a white coat with black or light brown stripes. In addition, such specimens have blue or green eyes, which is completely unusual for tigers with the usual fur color.

Habitat

The Bengal white tiger is an animal that is found in Central and Northern India, Burma, Bangladesh and Nepal. It should be noted that “Bengals” most often have a red color. But if a white tiger is born in the wild, it will be very difficult for him to survive due to the fact that with such a color he will not be able to hunt successfully, since he is too noticeable to his victims.

There is an opinion that these predators come from Siberia, and their color is camouflage in snowy winter conditions. But this is a misconception, because white tigers appeared in India.

General information

The white tiger is an animal that is born with a frequency of one individual per 10 thousand with the usual fur color. Reports of these predators have been recorded for several decades, and they came mainly from Bengal, Assam, Bihar, but there were especially many of them from the territory of the former principality of Rewa.

The first documented sighting of a white tiger dates back to the mid-20th century. Then one of the hunters accidentally found the animal’s lair, where among the usual there was a white male tiger cub, and took it with him. This man tried to breed offspring of the same color from him by breeding him with an ordinary female. The first attempts were unsuccessful, but after some time he still managed to get the second generation of white tigers.

More than half a century has passed since that moment. The population of these unusually colored animals has increased significantly. It is interesting that all the white tigers currently kept in captivity in various zoos around the world are descendants of the same individual that was once found by a hunter in the jungle. It follows from this that all these representatives of the cat tribe are related to each other. There are currently about 130 white tigers in captivity, of which about 100 are in India. Unfortunately, the last representative of these animals that once lived in nature was shot dead back in 1958.

Genetic failures

As scientists have proven, the white tiger is not an albino animal. This coat color can only be caused by the presence of recessive genes. This means that a true albino tiger cannot have black or brown stripes. If both parents are orange but carry certain genes, they have about a 25% chance of producing white-furred offspring. Now let's take another case. For example, if the parents have different colors, i.e. one of them is white and the other is orange, then the chance of getting light-colored offspring increases to 50%.

As mentioned above, among white tigers there are also albinos. These animals have plain fur without traditional stripes. In the organisms of such individuals there is practically no coloring pigment, so their eyes are red due to the blood vessels visible on them.

White tiger: description of the animal

Such individuals are very often inferior in size to their red-haired relatives, and a slowdown in growth has been observed in them since childhood. As stated earlier, these tigers have white striped fur and blue or green eye. Sometimes they have different birth defects caused by a genetic defect. These include club feet, poor vision and squint, kidney problems, and a crooked neck and spine. But nevertheless, it is not possible to say that because of this the infant mortality rate of white tigers is too high.

These beautiful and unusual animals are considered extremely valuable specimens everywhere. And this applies not only to zoos. Popular culture is also influenced by white tigers, for example, some of the popular musical groups dedicated their songs to them.

Amur tigers

It must be said that Bengal individuals are not the only ones who have such gene mutations. Sometimes you come across white Amur tigers with black stripes. But this happens much less often.

The current population of these beautiful animals includes both Bengal and hybrid Bengal-Amur individuals. Therefore, now scientists are at a loss as to which of them originally owned this recessive white gene.

Despite the fact that information about white Amur tigers is received from time to time, their very existence in the wild has not yet been documented. Many zoologists believe that this subspecies does not have such mutations. Many zoos keep Siberian tigers with white fur, but they are not purebred, as they were actually created by crossing with Bengal tigers.

Attitude

For many centuries, the white tiger (photos of the animal are presented in this article) was a creature shrouded in an aura of mystery. Sometimes these animals inspired fear or became objects of worship. In the Middle Ages in China, their images were painted on the gates of Taoist temples. It was believed that the white tiger was an animal capable of protecting people from various evil spirits. He personified the guardian of a certain country of the dead, and also symbolized longevity. The Chinese firmly believed that demons should be terrified of such a formidable guard, so they often decorated the graves of their relatives with sculptures in the form of this animal.

At the end of the 80s. In the last century, archaeologists, digging up graves in Henan province, discovered a drawing of a tiger, whose age is about 6 thousand years. It was a shell talisman lying near the body. Today it is considered the most ancient amulet with the image of a white tiger.

In Kyrgyzstan they said about this animal that it could solve almost any human problems and difficulties. To do this, the shamans, dancing a ritual dance and gradually falling into a trance, asked the tiger for help.

But in his homeland, India, one belief still exists. It says that the person who is lucky enough to see a white tiger with his own eyes will be granted complete happiness and enlightenment. It was from this country, where he is perceived as a superbeing, but completely material, and not mythical, that he spread throughout the world.