Tigres en inlges

The tiger is the largest member of the cat family. The principal prey of the tiger consists of various species of deer and wild pigs. These include sambar, chital, swamp deer, red deer, rusa deer andwild boar. It will also take young elephants and rhinos and smaller species such as monkeys, birds, reptiles and fish.

tigers are generally diurnal or crepuscular where they are undisturbed, butthey become nocturnal in disturbed habitats or near human settlements. They do not readily cross large open areas. Although tigers are usually solitary (except for females with cubs), males and femalesexhibit a high degree of social tolerance towards one another. A male tiger usually establishes a territory that does not overlap with the territories of other males but does overlap the territoriesof 2 - 3 females (up to 7). Females establish territories that generally (but not always) do not overlap each other.

Range

The tiger formerly occurred from Turkey across southern Asia and mostof China, to the Soviet Far East. The Southeast Asian range included peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java and Bali. But the abundance and distribution of tigers has diminished substantiallysince the beginning of the 20th century. 3 of the 8 subspecies of tiger, the Bali, Caspian and Javan tigers, have become extinct since the 1950's. Currently, the tiger occurs only in scatteredpopulations from India to Vietnam and in Indonesia (Sumatra), the Russian Far East, and possibly in China and North Korea. The tiger is extinct in most of its former range.

Habitat

Tiger habitats willusually include sufficient cover, proximity to water, and an abundance of prey sources.

Physical characteristics

Tigers are among the most recognisable of all the cats. They typically haverusty-reddish to brown-rusty coats, a whitish medial and ventral area, a white "fringe" that surrounds the face, and stripes that vary from brown or gray to pure black. The form and density of stripes...