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There are nine subspecies of tiger, three of which are extinct and one of which is almost
certain to become so in the near future. Their historical range (severely diminished today)
ran through Russia, Siberia, Iran, Afghanistan, India, China and southeast Asia, including
the Indonesian islands. These are the surviving subspecies, in descending order of wild population:
Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)
Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae)
Bengal Tiger or the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni)
Extinct:
Balinese Tiger (Panthera tigris balica) Extinct 1937
Javan Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) Extinct in the 1980's
Caspian Tiger or Persian Tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) Extinct in the late 1960's
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Graphic by "The Tiger Information Center"
This map shows the tigers decline in this century. |
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Siberian tigers stripes are wider and lighter in color from the other species of tigers.
The Siberian Tiger (also known as the Amur, Korean, Manchurian, or North China Tiger) is the largest
and most powerful subspecies of naturally occurring feline. [1] The Siberian Tiger is almost totally
confined to a very restricted part of eastern Russia, the Amur-Ussuri region of Primorye and Khabarovsk,
[2] a location it shares with the Siberian leopard, [3] where they are now being actively protected.
About 10% of Siberian tiger populations reside in China.
The tiger population in the Sikhote-Alin was 250 in 1992, increasing to 350 as of 2004, despite
significant losses of cubs due to car accidents on the single road that crosses their territory. Illegal poaching has been brought under control thanks to frequent road inspections. It is rumoured that there are still around 20 of these tigers in the Mount Changbai area of China.
As the total population of these tigers fell to 150 in the wild, many subpopulations are possibly not genetically
viable, subject to potentially catastrophic inbreeding. However, Russian conservation efforts have led to a revival
of the subspecies, and the number of individuals in
the Primorsky region of Russia has risen from 450 to 500 in the past decade, indicating positive growth.
references:
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
US: Environment News Service |
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The Bengal Tiger or Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a subspecies of tiger found through the rainforests and grasslands
of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, India and Nepal. Its fur is orange-brown with black stripes.
After the resounding success of Project Tiger, the population of wild tigers has increased drastically.
The tiger population of India now numbers about 3,500, down from 5,000 in the 1970s. The Sundarbans mangrove forest
on the Bangladesh-India border includes 270 tigers on the Indian side and 750 tigers on the Bangladeshi side.
Of all the big cats, Bengal tigers have the greatest predisposition towards maneating, i.e., specifically targeting humans as prey.
There are many reasons why tigers that would ordinarily attack humans only if threatened begin to engage in maneating. An aged, sick,
or injured tiger may lose the agility and speed needed to catch swifter prey or a healthy tiger may simply find human beings a
convenient target in heavily populated regions like those found in India. It is also said that some Bengal tigers develop a taste for
human flesh and will hunt them if the opportunity presents itself.
Owing to the tiger's tendency to pounce upon its prey from behind, some villagers have worn painted masks on the back of their heads
in order to dissuade attacks.
Man-Eaters of Kumaon is a book written by Jim Corbett. It details the experiences Corbett had in India in the first part of the twentieth
century while hunting man-eating tigers and leopards. One tiger was responsible for over 400 human deaths. |
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A tigers paw prints are called "pug marks". |
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Tigers have remarkable night vision. They can see 6 times better than a human. |
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Tigers do not purr, they make a noise we refer to as a
"chuff". This is their hello. They make this sound
through their noses and nod their heads, as to say
everything is o.k. When they are angry they will growl,
or when they want to say hello in the forest, they will
roar out their call to the wild to see who is there. |
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Their tails range from 3 to 4 feet in length. They use
their tails in two ways, one is to keep their balance,
and the other is to communicate with other animals. If
a tigers tail is relaxed, then they are relaxed. When
they meet another friendly tiger their tails are in an
upright position and waves slowly back and forth. If a
tiger is excited their tails swish back and forth, and
when they are angry their tails are lowered and twitch. |
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A tigers stripes are like human fingerprints. No two tigers are marked the same. |
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These cats usually live alone in their individual
territory, ranging approximately 10 to 30 miles. They
mark their territory by using a combination of urine
and scent gland secretions. When another tiger smells
this they know this area is taken. A male tiger will
usually share a small portion of his territory with a
female. The only time that adult tigers are together
is during their mating season. |
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Gestation period is 14 to 15 weeks (105 to 110 days).
Tiger cubs are born blind and weigh about 2 to 3 pounds.
They nurse from their mother for 2 months, and then
begin to add meat to their diets. At around 18 months
of age they begin to hunt for themselves and seek their
own territory at about 2 to 3 years of age. |
We hold the key to their survival !
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There are only about 200 white tigers left in the world, with the majority in captivity in zoos.
These awesome tigers can live in captivity up to 20 years.
Most white tigers are bengals, however, some are bengal/siberian
crosses (hybrids). The female produces 3 to 4
cubs in one litter. Golden offspring that carry the white
gene are called "Heterozygous".
Golden Heterozygous tigers have the recessive gene for
white coats. When bred to a white tiger, the offspring
will be white. Siegfried and Roy have their own line of
white tigers, which they call, "Royal White Tigers of
Nevada". They are the proud owners of 40 white tigers.
Heteroxygosity: Meaning the two alleles at a locus are different.
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The first known white tiger was captured in the jungles of Rewa
in 1951, by the Maharja of Rewa. This tiger was named Mohan. |
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The white tiger has pale icy blue eyes, white fur with chocolate
stripes, pink nose and pink paw pads. |
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The white tiger is not an albino. |
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