Why are lions and tigers not afraid to swim, but cats are afraid? Unlike most cats, tigers love water. Distribution and population status.

All types of cats can swim. But none of them would think of getting into the water unless absolutely necessary, that is, only when it comes to survival. No one except tigers, who get great pleasure from swimming and can sit in the water for an hour.

Tigers love water because of the hot climate in which they live. Water - simple and effective way lower their body temperature, and tigers willingly use it, while carefully avoiding getting moisture into their eyes and nostrils. The same applies to other cats that live in hot conditions: lions, jaguars, and ocelots can also get into the water on a particularly hot day.

Cats living in temperate and cold climates ( snow leopards, lynxes, pumas, etc.) firmly adhere to the opinion that reservoirs are for fish, and a noble representative of the cat family has absolutely nothing to do there.

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The tiger is the largest and most formidable representative cat family. There are legends about the fierce temper of the predator; even lions are inferior to its cruelty and pressure. The vibes of wild, uncontrollable power emanating from the large and majestic body of the tiger cause unmotivated anxiety and panic fear among the inhabitants of the forest long before the beast appears within sight. A person who is close to an approaching predator experiences the same intense emotions.

Myths and legends

In the mythology of many peoples of the world, the tiger is the owner of the forest, the king of animals, the owner of magical qualities and powerful energy. IN ancient China the predator was considered a threat to demons and a protector from disease; in Korea it was known as the spirit of caves and mountains.

The Nivkhs, living in Japan and Russia, considered the beast to be a special breed of “human tigers.” When meeting him, it was necessary to bow and say welcome speech, but it was strictly forbidden to injure or kill a tiger. Many Indian tribes considered and still consider the animal to be their ancestor, who stood at the origins of the family.

The hunters of Transbaikalia called the tiger “fierce” and avoided the paths trodden by it. If by chance they came across the trail of an animal walking forward, they tried not to leave it, but to move with their backs in the opposite direction, while making frequent bows. This way, in their opinion, it was possible to avoid the tiger’s wrath and inevitable disaster. Kyrgyz shamans in progress ritual actions turn to the kind white tiger for help.

In Chinese Buddhism, the beast represents anger. For Indians, it is a symbol of military valor. According to Japanese tradition, the predator in the bamboo grove symbolizes human evil.

In Eastern medicine, the tiger was considered as a source valuable material for the production of medicinal drugs. To cure infertility, women were recommended to eat the meat of a predator or jump over its skin. Chinese healers made antipyretics and aphrodisiacs from various parts of the animal’s body.

Despite all sorts of prohibitions, products made from tiger organs are in demand and are sold on illegal markets.

Carefully! Cannibals!

Collisions between an animal and an unarmed person end in bloodshed and a dramatic ending. Man-eating tigers pose a particular danger. Usually these are sick or old individuals who are not capable of attacking a stronger enemy. They purposefully hunt people, set up ambushes near rural roads, and always attack from behind. Quite healthy individuals can become cannibals. Animals quickly get used to the taste of human meat and are no longer able to deny themselves this pleasure.

To prevent a tiger attack, residents of dangerous areas resort to various tricks and tricks. One of these tricks is a mask in the shape of a face with big eyes, worn at the back of the head. The “look” of the mask scares away the predator and it does not risk attacking, but retreats back into the jungle.

Many are sad known facts tigers once again remind us of the bloody and insidious nature of the predator. Some of such evidence, such as the serial killings of people by a man-eating tigress in the Indian district of Nainital (1925 - 1930), are particularly cruel. According to confirmed data, the beast managed to kill 64 people.

The Champawat tigress is considered the most bloodthirsty predator of the 20th century. According to researchers, she is responsible for 436 murders, of which 200 people were killed in Nepal and 236 in the Kumaon region. The animal hunted people for several years. Even the Nepalese army could not cope with the dangerous predator - it always managed to evade pursuit. The famous hunter of cannibalistic predators Jim Corbett put an end to this tragic story. He covered the seasoned beast in 1911.

The mango forests of Sundraban, Uttar Pradesh state in India, still represent mortal danger for a person. According to local scientists, every fourth tiger living in these regions is a potential man-eater.

Features of hunting

For many centuries, the tiger has been a coveted trophy. The hunt for it, regardless of the region of its habitat, was widespread and became more like entertainment and sporting pleasure than a way of protection from a predator attack.

In ancient Korea, animal hunters were highly revered and occupied a very high status in society. Their clothing was different from that of their fellow tribesmen, consisting of a blue turban, a jacket of the same color and an unusual necklace. The daily diet of trappers necessarily included the meat of a killed animal.

Hunting tigers in Central Asia engaged in by the great conqueror Alexander the Great. For her, he used darts sharpened in a special way.

The English colonialists entertained themselves with this dangerous and cruel activity. They used local residents as beaters. They themselves moved on elephants or followed the victim on foot. The skins of killed animals became carpets or stuffed animals in the homes of the English aristocracy, and the meat became a delicacy during feasts.

History of the species

Since 1929, the animal belongs to the genus Panthera (panther). The Latin name of the species is Panthera tigris, where "tigris" translated into Russian means fast or spicy. The first information about the predator can be found in the works of the physician and naturalist Carl Linnaeus; zoologist George Robert Gray also studied this species and contributed to scientific research naturalist Nikolai Severtsov.

Fossil remains of wild tigers dating back to the Pleistocene period were found on the island of Java, northern China, Sumatra, Siberia, and India. According to molecular genetic studies, the predator is directly related to the genus Panthera and separated from the common ancestral branch more than two million years ago.

At the same time saber tooth tiger, despite its name, according to DNA results it has no relation to living tigers.

Distribution and population status

Previously, the living space of the predator covered vast territories: from Indonesia to Transcaucasia and Central Asia, from the Far East to Iran. At the beginning of the 20th century, up to 100 thousand animals lived on Earth, 40 thousand of which lived in India.

The growing invasion of civilization into virgin nature and poaching contributed to the catastrophic decline of the species. Now the tiger's habitat is limited to several regions of Asia, divided into separate populations, the total number of which does not exceed 5 thousand.

On the islands of Bali and Java, in Transcaucasia and Central Asia, animals disappeared in the second half of the last century. In Korea and Manchuria, from 20 to 30 individuals have survived, up to 550 predators live in the Far East, and in Sumatra there are no more than 500 of them. The largest number of tigers remain in Indochina and India - about 3.5 thousand.

Security measures

The predator is under international protection and is listed in the Red Book. Hunting for it is prohibited. To preserve the species and maintain the population size, specialized protected areas are created.

In the Far East there are several state-protected zones - Sikhote-Alinsky, Lazovsky and Ussuriysky national parks, Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve. To observe tigers, scientists most often use camera traps, the tracking method, GPS tracking, and radio tracking.

Appearance

The tiger cat is massive in appearance, but incredibly flexible and agile animal.

• Its weight exceeds all conceivable limits and is the most impressive among the representatives of the cat family. The average-sized tiger weighs 190 - 250 kg. A large individual can reach a body weight of up to 300 - 320 kg.
• An adult animal has a length, excluding the tail, of about three meters, and a height at the withers of up to 1.2 meters.
• The front legs are more powerful and tall than the hind legs. The feet are very wide, the claws are retractable. The hind paw has only four toes, the front paw has five toes.
• The massive, rounded head of the tiger is set on a wide, powerful neck. The muzzle is decorated with sideburns on both sides.
• Eyes yellow with round pupils.
• The forehead is convex.
• The nose is large, the bridge of the nose is wide.
• The jaw is strong, the length of the fangs is up to 8 cm.
• The ears are small, without tufts.

Thanks to its color, the tiger looks very colorful in life and in photos. The southern subspecies have a short, sparse and fairly hard coat. Northern individuals have a fluffy skin with long, medium-hard hair. The striped tiger may have a rusty brown or rusty red base color. The throat, belly and paws are white-gray on the inside. There are light spots on the face and ears.

The stripes on the coat are located uniquely in each individual. The predator has up to 100 such stripes. The color palette includes all shades of brown and black, depending on the subspecies. In the neck and on the body they are located in the transverse direction, reaching the belly, where they end with sharp ends, like a bayonet.

On the front half of the body, the stripes are rare, their frequency increases towards the beginning of the tail. In the pelvic area, the stripes go down halfway to the hips. The tiger's tail has up to ten transverse stripes and black spot at the very end.

Color options

• The white tiger is a successful result of a gene mutation, occurring once in 10 thousand individuals. In life and in photos, a white tiger looks amazingly beautiful - absolutely white fur sparkling in the sun, heavenly purity blue eyes, clearly defined black and brown stripes. The first such tiger cub was taken from its mother by a trapper in 1951. Since then, scientists have been breeding them in captivity, and all individuals are descendants of the found animal. Tigers with unusual colors reproduce well and constantly replenish their mini-population.
• The golden tiger owes its color to a recessive gene responsible for its unusual coat color. The history of the appearance of the animal goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, it was then that the first animal with this color was discovered. At that time, many theories were put forward in this regard, but none of them were confirmed. An explanation for this phenomenon was found after a genetic study, as a result of which a recessive gene was found. There are 30 golden-colored individuals in zoos around the world, and almost all of them are the result of crossing adults with their offspring.
• The population contains completely black tigers and animals with a bluish-gray color.

Habitat and lifestyle

The landscapes where these animals live are very diverse. The predator adapts well to any climate and terrain, be it mangroves or bamboo thickets, tropical forests, bare rocks, harsh Siberian taiga or dry savannah with sparse vegetation. Found at altitudes up to 3 thousand meters.

The animal tiger is a loner by nature. During the day it sleeps in the den, and in the evening it goes in search of prey. Hiking sometimes lasts until the morning.

At the age of a tiger cub, he deftly and quickly climbs trees; an adult predator does not climb trees - his weight does not allow him. He loves and knows how to swim, is not afraid of severe frosts, and tolerates hot weather well. Usually the tiger is silent. It makes dull growling sounds only during the mating season, at the moment of rage and when it attacks the victim.

Wherever a tiger lives, its personal territory is saturated with an individual scent. It abundantly irrigates rocks, bushes, and tree trunks with urine. Leaves urine marks on vertical surfaces. To remind himself even more, he rubs his back against the trees, scratches the bark, loosens the snow or earth.

The size of hunting grounds depends on the region inhabited, the amount of food available and gender. Males occupy large territories - from 60 to 100 km 2. In search of prey, they cover from 9 to 41 km per day. Females are limited to more modest boundaries; the area of ​​their personal territory does not exceed 20 km 2. The areas of a male and several females can intersect with each other. Animals always move along the same paths.

It behaves aggressively towards other males, when it sees them it takes a threatening pose and makes no less threatening sounds. If mutual understanding is not reached, he enters into a brutal, bloody battle to the bitter end. The tiger is more favorable towards females; it can live with them in the same territory and share its prey.

Hunting and food

The predator hunts alone. It waits for prey near trails or stalks. The choice of hunting method depends on the time of year. IN summer time In search of prey, it follows the trail, and in winter it hunts near trails. For an ambush he chooses the leeward side. Sneaks up on the victim quietly and unnoticed.

The tiger attacks with lightning speed, making incredible leaps (up to 10 meters). The victim is grabbed by the throat and breaks her neck, sometimes simply strangled. It can eat up to 30 kg of meat per day. Stays near large prey for several days.

The daily diet includes all the game that lives in the same region. As a rule, these are ungulates, hares, birds, and monkeys. Loves nuts and fruits, eats grass.

Reproduction and care of offspring

The mating season occurs in December - January and is accompanied by stormy courtship. Males find a female ready for fertilization by the smell of marks left by the chosen one. Other males, if they appear on the tiger’s path, meet with a decisive rebuff and are driven away.

The female's estrus lasts several days and repeats after some time if pregnancy has not occurred. Animals mate several times a day. The process is accompanied by a loud, heartbreaking roar.

The female is ready to have offspring when she reaches three to four summer age, but not more often than once every two to three years. Pregnancy lasts on average three months (98 - 112 days). Before the birth of her babies, the tigress sets up a warm den in hard-to-reach and safe places - in windbreaks, distant caves, dense mangroves, rock crevices. The male is not allowed to the den, as he has a ferocious disposition and may well kill newborn tiger cubs; he does not participate in the upbringing of his offspring.

The litter appears in late March - early April and consists of two, three or four kittens. Cubs are born blind, have a significant weight (1.3 to 1.5 kg), and require constant maternal care. Eyes open one week after birth.

They eat for up to one and a half months breast milk. Upon reaching two months, they can leave the den and accompany their mother on short trips. The female gradually accustoms them to meat food, teaches all the intricacies of hunting, serves as a reliable support and protection during the entire period of being together.

By the age of two, young tigers are ready to live independently. Young females tend to establish their own den near their mother's hunting grounds. Males have to go in search of new, unoccupied territories. Often they come across old predators on their way, and here they cannot do without a fight that is fatal for one of the individuals.

Females reach sexual maturity at three to four years, males at four to five years.

The lifespan of animals in natural conditions does not exceed 26 years.

Life in captivity

They live in many zoos around the world and reproduce well. In some US states, according to expert estimates, 12 thousand predators are kept as pets. They are tamed and trainable, but keeping them outside an enclosure is very dangerous. With age, the animal becomes aggressive and presents real threat for life. You can find out how much a tiger costs in a specialized nursery.

Hybrids

The desire for profit by owners of private zoos has led to the emergence of tiger hybrids. The most famous of them are the tiger lion and the liger.

• The tiger lion was the result of crossing a male tiger and a female lion. The animal has a short mane, stripes and spots on the body. Its weight does not exceed 150 kg. Females can give birth, males are sterile.
• The liger is an unusual hybrid that grows throughout its life. In old age, its body reaches three meters in length. The liger's mother is a tigress, and his father is a male lion. Female ligers can interbreed with individuals of the original species.

Subspecies

This species has nine subspecies, three of which are completely exterminated by poachers.

• lives in Ussuri taiga, owns huge hunting grounds (up to 800 km 2). This is the most big tiger, known to science. IN wildlife no more than 500 individuals of this subspecies have survived. The weight of a tiger can reach 320 kg, body length - 2.5 meters. The animal has thick, long hair and a thick layer of fat on its belly. It is distinguished by a dull color and a smaller number of stripes than its relatives. The beast is depicted on the coat of arms of the Primorsky Territory.
• - endemic to the island of Bali. The last individual was exterminated by poachers in 1937. The animals had short, stiff fur of a bright orange hue and a small number of black stripes. Local residents did not like the animal; they considered it a dark and destructive force.
• – is part of the largest population (3 - 4.5 thousand individuals). Lives in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan. In some countries it is considered the national animal. Average weight females are about 150 kg, males - 230 kg. It has a light orange or yellow color, brown stripes. The menacing roar of the predator can be heard at a distance of three kilometers. This subspecies has become notorious due to numerous attacks on people.
• lived on southern territory Russia, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia, Armenia, Turkey. Another name for the subspecies is the Caspian tiger. The predator was exterminated in the sixties of the last century. He had a bright color with dark, numerous stripes and long, thick hair. Most large tiger had a mass of 240 kg.
• It is distinguished by its dark color and lives on the Indochina Peninsula. The weight of adult males reaches 190 kg, females – 140 kg. The population size is about 1.8 thousand individuals. Animal organs are illegally used by Eastern healers.
• - one of the smallest subspecies. The weight of females does not exceed 120 kg, males 180 kg. The body length of animals is in the range of 2.3 – 2.6 meters. These animals most likely no longer exist in the wild. The South China tiger is kept in zoos in China, where only 59 individuals live.
• chose the Malacca Peninsula as his place of residence. It was classified as a separate subspecies only in 2004. The population numbers almost 800 individuals. The animal is depicted on the coat of arms of Malaysia.
• lives on the island of Sumatra. The number of subspecies is 400 - 500 individuals. The animal is relatively small in size compared to the Indian and Amur subspecies. The weight of males does not exceed 130 kg, females - 90 kg. The beast is very aggressive and often attacks people.
• - endemic to the island of Java. The beast was completely destroyed in 79 of the last century. The animal had a small weight category - the minimum weight of a female reached 75 kg, a male - 100 kg.

Ecology

Animal Planet recently conducted a poll that found the impressive tiger to be the world's favorite animal. However, much of what we know about these striped predators is common misconceptions and confusion with other big cats.

Tigers are the most diverse representatives of the cat family, they have a large number unique features. They are magnificent creatures that are unfortunately in danger of extinction due to human carelessness, but perhaps if we get to know them a little better we can help them.

Facts 1-5

1. Tigers' eyes have round pupils, unlike domestic cats, whose pupils are like slits. It's all because domestic cats behave night look life, while tigers are crepuscular; they hunt mainly in the morning and evening hours.

2. Even though tiger vision is not very well adapted to seeing in the dark, tigers can see about six times better than humans.

3. Most tigers yellow eyes, but white tigers also have blue eyes due to the fact that the gene blue eyes associated with the white fur gene. The gene responsible for strabismus is also linked to the gene for white fur, which is why many white tigers suffer from strabismus.

4. Tigers scratch trees and use their urine to mark their territory. Tiger urine smells very strongly of corn oil.

5. Tigers clearly determine the age, sex and reproductive abilities of other tigers, focusing on the subtleties of the smell of urine.

Facts 6-10

6. Male tigers “capture” larger territories than females, so their areas often overlap and tigers mate in this way. The territories of adult females never intersect at all, and the same situation is with the territories of adult males.

7. Tigers usually do not roar at other animals, however, they communicate with each other using roars. When a tiger is about to attack, it does not growl, but, as a rule, hisses or snorts.

8. When several tigers are catching one large prey, the males will almost always wait for the females and cubs to eat first, unlike lions who do the opposite. Tigers rarely argue or fight over prey, they simply wait their turn.

9. Each tiger's stripes are as unique as a person's fingerprint.

10. The markings on the forehead of a tiger resemble Chinese character, meaning "king", giving the tiger cultural status as a royal animal.

Facts 11-15

11. Just like on domestic cats, the markings are on the tiger's skin, so even a shaved tiger will be striped.

12. Unlike most other cats, tigers are very good swimmers. They enjoy swimming and often play in the water, especially when at a young age. As adults, they often swim several kilometers to hunt, sometimes they simply swim across rivers.

13. Tigers are the largest of all cats, and they also come in a wide variety of sizes. The largest subspecies, the Siberian tiger, grows up to 3.5 meters in length and weighs more than 300 kg. The smallest subspecies, the Sumatra tiger, grows up to 2 meters and weighs about 100 kg.

14. Tigresses are capable of conceiving only for 4-5 days throughout the year. During this time they often mate. Their pregnancy lasts a little more than three months, and they usually give birth to 2-3 cubs.

15. During the first week of life, tigers are completely blind. About half of them do not survive to adulthood.

Facts 16-20

16. The tiger's penis does not stand straight when it is erect, it is covered with bone and special teeth that help it stay connected to its partner during copulation.

17. Tigers prefer to hunt large prey from ambush. If you look a tiger in the eyes, it is unlikely to attack, as the element of surprise will be lost. In India, many people traditionally wear masks on the back of their heads while walking in the forest to prevent attacks from behind.

18. Tigers do not usually view humans as prey, but will attack if they are threatened. In most cases, a tiger will deliberately attack a person only when there is no other prey available, or when habitat is lost.

19. A small number of tigers developed a taste for human flesh and became man-eaters. One tigress, having once protected her cubs from humans, began to feed exclusively on people. She is believed to be responsible for the deaths of 430 people.

20. Thanks to their instinctive characteristics of ambush hunting, even man-eating tigers do not attack entire human settlements; they approach from the outskirts and attack lonely people. They tend to hunt at night, when people are less likely to see him sneaking around.

Facts 21-25

21. Tigers do not know how to purr to express delight and joy; they squint their eyes or close them. This is because losing their vision makes them defenseless, which is why tigers, like many other cats, purposefully do this when they feel comfortable and safe.

22. Tigers can run at a maximum speed of 60 km/h.

23. Tigers can jump 6 meters long and 5 meters high. Their muscular legs are so strong that they can stand on them even when they die.

24. The hunt of only one out of ten tigers is successful, so many tigers go without food for several days until a triumphant hunt occurs, as a result of which they can immediately gain 30 kg.

25. Although tigers can easily go without food for several days, they become hungry much more quickly due to their enormous size. A tiger will starve to death after 2-3 weeks without food, while a human can live up to 40 days without food.

Facts 26-30

26. Tigers are known to be able to imitate other animals; they do this in order to attract prey.

27. Bears form part of the diet of many tigers due to habitat overlap. Sometimes tigers imitate the sounds made by bears to lure unsuspecting cubs into their webs.

28. A tiger's prey usually dies from strangulation or blood loss. They ambush animals by jumping on them and gnawing their necks. If the main artery is severed, the animal dies within seconds. Otherwise, the tiger does not release the caught prey, and then it quickly dies from suffocation.

29. Although tigers often kill with their 10cm fangs, they sometimes use their paws. The blow from a tiger's front paw is so strong that it can easily break a bear's skull or break its spine.

30. A tiger can bite through bone with its powerful jaws and teeth. They have ways of breaking the cervical vertebrae of animals simply by biting them.

Facts 31-35

31. Tigers are very adaptable to their hunting methods. Although they prefer to kill by attacking the prey's neck, they do not do so when they realize it is inappropriate. For example, a swimming tiger can be bitten by a crocodile, which is immediately blinded by a cat's blow. The crocodile's neck is covered with a very thick layer of skin, so the tiger will gut the reptile's soft belly.

32. Tiger saliva is an antiseptic. He licks the wounds and thereby disinfects them.

33. Like other cats, the top of a tiger's tongue is covered with fleshy bristles, so when they lick themselves, they simultaneously comb their fur.

34. Unlike many other animals, tigers do not drink water by lapping it. Instead, they dip the edge of their tongue into the water, draw water with it, and then simply close their mouth.

35. Today there are six subspecies of tigers: the Amur tiger, south china tiger, Indochinese tiger, Malayan tiger, Sumatra tiger and Bengal tiger.

Facts 36-40

36. Over the past 80 years, three subspecies of tigers have become extinct. The Bali tiger was deliberately exterminated in Bali due to the fact that it carried the “cultural status of evil.” The Javan tiger was also extirpated after its numbers plummeted due to habitat loss. The Caspian tiger became extinct because it was overhunted.

37. In China, tigers are poached or used for traditional medicine has been illegal for many years and is punishable by death. In traditional medicine, there are much stronger and more readily available medicinal preparations than any part of the tiger, which have historically been used to impart solidity and exoticism rather than for any medicinal properties.

38. A common misconception is that various parts of the tiger's body are used in traditional medicine mainly as expensive aphrodisiacs. They are believed to mainly help treat arthritis and improve digestive problems.

39. Unfortunately, in some areas of South-East Asia, especially in Laos and Cambodia, tigers continue to be hunted for the use of their body parts in the manufacture of medicines.

40. Along with different subspecies, tigers can have different fur colors. Colors range from white and gold to black and even blue. All this is caused by a common color gene. There is unconfirmed information about the existence of blue tigers, which are also called Maltese tigers.

Facts 41-45

41. Tigers live for about 25 years, both in captivity and in the wild.

42. It has been established that, in general, cats have better memory than any other animal, including humans, their memory is several hundred times better than that of dogs, and tens of times better than that of primates. A tiger's short-term memory lasts about 30 times longer than a human's, and their memories are formed under a strong influence on the synapses of the brain, which suggests that they do not forget things as easily as we do.

43. A tiger's brain weighs more than 300 grams. It is the largest brain of any carnivore except polar bear, which can be compared to the brain of a chimpanzee.

44. There are about 3,500 tigers left in the wild. Also large number These cats live in captivity.

45. Tigers are solitary animals, and unite in groups only to attack large prey, or it could be a mother with cubs.

Facts 46-50

46. ​​Groups of tigers are called a pride.

47. Tigers, like people, have well-developed color vision.

48. Tigers can mate with lions and other cats in captivity to produce hybrids. Thanks to genetics, male lions usually try to have as many children as possible, unlike females, for whom the opposite is true. Tigers have no such "control", so a male lion and a female tiger can regularly produce offspring (ligers), while a female lion and female tiger will produce far fewer cubs.

49. Ligers can reach a length of over 4 meters and are the largest cat in the world.

50. Tigers can produce sterile offspring with other cats, not just lions. Leopards and tigers interact in the wild, and sometimes naturally can produce offspring that are born with fewer stripes because they are diluted with leopard spots.

The tiger (lat. Panthera tigris) is a mammal and the largest predator of the cat family. The body of this animal is elongated, flexible and muscular, 1.8 - 3.1 m long and weighing about 270 kg.

The head is round in shape, the ears are small, and the tail is long (about 90 cm). The coat color is red with black transverse stripes.

Thanks to this unusual color, the animal can camouflage itself well in thickets. In addition, the color of the skin depends on the specific geographical location of the “cat,” which makes it possible to distinguish several subspecies of this animal.

Most known species are the Amur, Bengal, and Indochinese tigers. These animals can only be found in Asia (in Southeast Asia, in the Middle and Far East, in the Primorsky Territory of Russia), they live in a variety of areas (both in forests and in the mountains).

They feed on ungulates, and also do not disdain crocodiles, turtles, crabs, fish and insects. The mating season usually occurs during winter time years, the duration of pregnancy varies between 95 and 112 days.

Usually from two to four tiger cubs are born, in rare cases - one. Young tigers live with their mother for 2-5 years, and reach sexual maturity: females at 3-4 years, males at 4-5 years. Life expectancy is a maximum of 25-26 years.

Tigers always hunt in packs. This statement is far from the truth. Many people confuse the lifestyle of tigers with the lifestyle of lions. Lions - yes, they live and hunt in groups, while tigers are animals accustomed to solitude, and therefore prefer to hunt alone. Although there is an exception to this tiger rule: tigers can hunt in a small group if mating season and when young tiger cubs are not yet able to independently lead a full adult life.

Each tiger can be distinguished from another by the paw prints it leaves. In reality, the track of the same tiger will always look different on different soils, so it is not easy to tell which tiger visited a given place.

Tigers are afraid of water. Unlike other animals of the cat family, tigers and jaguars are not the least bit afraid of watery places and swim there with great pleasure. When it's especially worth it hot weather, these animals literally do not get out of the water; they can lie there for hours, escaping from the scorching sun.

Tigers cannot climb trees. They also belong to the cat family, which means, like an ordinary domestic cat, they can climb a tree. But it’s not a particularly favorite activity for them, and a tiger can climb a tree only if a tasty morsel is “settled” there or if there is a stressful situation. Therefore, when meeting a tiger, there is no point in hiding from the beast in a tree.

Tigers love to feast on humans. As a rule, a healthy young tiger will never specifically hunt a person; ungulates and other animals are quite enough for him. Old or sick (wounded) tigers can actually attack people, since they are no longer able to hunt large prey.

Having obtained food for itself and having eaten a hearty meal, the tiger sets off on a long journey, no longer paying attention to other animals. False statement. The tiger is not a fan of long walks, and therefore rarely makes long journeys. And he can hunt at any opportunity presented to him.

There is a separate type of tigers - White tigers. This is an erroneous statement. In fact, white tigers are not classified as separate group breeds In addition, the birth of a white tiger is quite rare. Such an “ugly duckling” among tigers can be born from a completely normal orange and black tiger family. The thing is that the fur of white tigers can sometimes be devoid of pigmentation, which is responsible for red color, while the black bars remain unchanged. So you get a tiger with black stripes on a white coat.

Tigers fight with each other for life and death. Controversial statement. Usually, a fight for tigers is a way to prove which of them is stronger. But, as a rule, the strongest will never “finish off” the weak. As soon as the weaker animal realizes that it is not able to fight the enemy, it tries to retreat as quickly as possible, and the stronger one, in turn, shows generosity and does not pursue its fleeing brother.

Tigers hate dogs. What is true is true. There are several points of view that explain this hatred. One view is that there has been a long-standing feud between dogs and cats. Another is inclined to think that dog meat is very healthy for a tiger and extremely tasty. In any case, no matter what the dog does and no matter where it is, having noticed it, the tiger strives to “crush” the animal.

These animals live only in Africa. As most researchers believe, all currently known varieties of this predatory cat descended from South China tigers. Gradually they settled Iran and Turkey, but this cannot be said about Africa. Of course, today there are more than enough of them there, but this does not mean that the tigers themselves moved there and took a fancy to these places; most likely, people helped them in this.

Myth 1: Cats hate swimming

Unlike most cat species, tigers thrive in water. These rare animals love to swim and sometimes even engage in “cat diving” - diving under water. However, they do not neglect the traditional cat method of washing - licking the fur.
In hotter climates, tigers lie in the water to escape the heat and annoying insects. They prefer fresh water, it is believed that salty foods can irritate the liver.

Photo: Photo: Gore Fiendus (Jerry Frausto) /flickr.com

Myth 2: Cats are nocturnal animals

Tigers, unlike the domestic cat, are crepuscular animals. This means that they practically do not hunt at night, and the active phase of their life occurs during dawn and dusk. The consequence of this is special structure The eyes of tigers - their pupils are round, not oblong. And although tigers are not particularly adapted to nightlife, their vision is very decent: in the dark, a person sees about 6 times worse than tabby cats.

Myth 3: Cats lap up water.

The process of fluid absorption in tigers is noticeably different not only from other cats, but also from many other animals. Tigers do not curl their tongues and lap up water. Instead, they throw up liquid with their tongue and quickly close their mouth.

Pet tiger Enzo

Myth 4: Leo is the king of beasts

In Chinese culture, it is not lions at all, but tigers that have real royal status. It's all about a specific mark on the tiger's skin. Although the stripes of each member of the species are completely unique, like human fingerprints, each of them has an almost identical pattern on their face, which is very similar to the Chinese character for "king". However, despite its important mythological and cultural role in the life of the Chinese, it was there that the animal suffered most from its use in traditional medicine: it was believed that tiger organs have a powerful healing effect and can even act as an aphrodisiac.

Myth 5: Big cats hunt herbivores

The tiger's diet is very diverse and includes not only large ungulates, like lions and other big cats, as well as a variety of animals of much smaller size. Tigers often hunt other predators, even crocodiles and adult bears! Moreover, “clubfoot” can make up up to 8 percent of a tiger’s diet. As a result, Amur tigers And brown bears pose a serious danger to each other's population.

This is a hug to confuse you :)

Tigers usually have yellow eyes, only white ones have blue eyes. This is due to a mutation in the gene that is responsible for both coat color and eye color. In addition, the same gene is responsible for the presence of strabismus, so blue-eyed tigers usually suffer from strabismus.

To mark their territory, tigers scratch and urinate on tree trunks. The smell of tiger urine is very similar to popcorn. . [If you're in India, don't buy food at movie theaters. You never know...]
An ordinary tiger can determine the age, sex and reproductive capabilities of another tiger by smelling the urine of another tiger.
Male tigers usually mark larger territories than females, and the territories of males never overlap the territories of other males. The same situation applies to females. However, the territories of males often overlap the territories of females, so they have the opportunity to meet and have offspring.

A tiger usually does not growl at another animal, the growl of these striped predators plays the role of speech. If a tiger needs to scare its prey, it usually hisses and snorts.

When a group of tigers shares the kill, the females usually feed first (unlike lions). Tigers rarely fight over prey, preferring to wait.

The stripes on a tiger's skin are unique; they are a kind of “fingerprint.”

As is the case with ordinary cats, tigers have stripes not only on their fur, but also on the surface of their skin, so if a tiger is shaved, it will still be spotted.

Female tigers are most fertile (the ability to give birth) for only 4-5 days a year. During this time, they mate intensively, after which they bear offspring for three months and usually give birth to two or three cubs.

During the first week of life, tigers are completely blind.

No more than half of the cubs survive to adulthood.

Pugs feed tiger cubs abandoned by their mother.

A tiger's penis, unlike a human's, does not harden during mating. It has a special bone (baculum), which serves to maintain the “connection”

The most common method of hunting among tigers is an ambush, so if you suddenly see a tiger in the savannah, then you are lucky - he is in at the moment does not hunt, but rests. In some areas of India, when moving through areas where tigers live, aborigines wear special masks on the back of their heads with a face on them. Tigers attack owners of such masks less often - for them the most important element of surprise disappears.

Tigers usually do not attack people and do not consider them as prey. They are driven to cannibalism by extreme hunger due to changes in living conditions.
There is a known case when a female tiger, protecting her offspring, killed a man. She liked the taste, and in the subsequent period she killed at least 430 people.

Tigers in a relaxed state do not purr like cats, but close their eyes. For them, reduced visibility is a serious vulnerability that they can only afford in the safest moments.

At short distances, tigers can run at speeds of up to 60 km/h

The tiger is capable of jumping over obstacles up to 6 meters long, as well as jumping up to 5 meters in height. Their paws are so strong that sometimes the tiger remains standing even when dead.

Kitty begs

Only one out of ten attempts to hunt tigers is successful, so they usually have a break between meals of several days. But if the hunt is successful, the tiger eats more than 30 kg of meat in one sitting.

Despite their speed and strength, tigers tire much faster than people. A tiger can live without food for two to three weeks, and average person- 30-40 days.

Tigers can imitate the voices of their victims to lure them. [Personally, I have great doubts about this fact. Or shock.]
Bears sometimes become victims of tigers, as they overlap with them in habitat and food preferences. Tigers imitate the roar of a bear and lie in wait for unwary bears, waiting until one of them wanders far enough into the thicket.

The most common way a tiger kills its victims is by strangulation or cutting through an artery. If it is not immediately possible to reach a large blood vessel, the tiger hangs on the victim, clutching its neck, causing it to die from suffocation.
The tiger's most deadly weapon is its 10-centimeter teeth, and less commonly, its paws. One blow from a tiger's paw is enough to remove a bear's head or break its spine.
The tiger can freely bite through the bone of the prey with the help of its sharp teeth and strong jaws. He damages the cervical vertebrae simply by biting them.
Tigers are very inventive in their methods of killing if the usual method does not bring success. When hunting a crocodile, a tiger rarely tries to bite through its powerful neck; instead, with blows of its paws, it blinds the reptile, after which it turns it over and gets to the vulnerable skin on its stomach.

A tiger's saliva has antiseptic properties, so he literally licks his wounds for speedy healing.

Like other cats, the tiger's tongue is covered with special hard tubercles, with which it “combs out” matted areas of fur.

Over the past 80 years, at least three species of tigers have disappeared - the Balinese (it was exterminated by the aborigines, believing that it was the devil), the Javan (exterminated due to hunting for it and changing conditions environment) and Caspian (extinct due to lack of food and excess of hunters).
Research has shown that felines, on average, have a much more tenacious memory than humans. Tigers' short-term memory is thirty times longer than that of humans.

The mass of a tiger's brain is 300 grams, which is almost a record among predators, second only to the polar bear.

There are about 3,500 tigers left in the wild, and a little more in zoos.

Tigers are individualistic animals; they group together only for hunting or as children.

Tigers have color vision, just like humans. [I never understood this moment. how can you check what color animals see?]

In captivity, tigers can mate with other felines, such as lions or leopards.

Tigers can't stand the smell of cinnamon and love the smell of pepper. [So if you're afraid of tigers, sprinkle some cinnamon on your threshold. No pie, threshold! :)].