All About Tigers

Written by: Natalie Yao

Tigers are magnificent creatures and part of the feline family, or in other words are related to cats. Let’s learn more about them!

Tigers’ Features

Tigers are mammals which means that they have a backbone, hair or fur, and breathe air. Their bodies are yellow or orange colored with dark brown stripes and rings covering their bodies. Tiger stripes are unique to every single one, sort of like how every human has a different fingerprint. Some tigers also are also entirely white or white with stripes. 

Tigers are the largest member of the cat family, but unlike other cats, they enjoy being in water and swimming. They actually have webbed feet to help them swim! A fully grown tiger can weigh from 240 to 500 pounds, and on average 450 pounds which is equal to eight ten-year old kids! In fact, tiger cubs quadruple in size in their first month of life! A female tiger gives birth to three or four cubs at a time, or in other words, a litter. The average life span of tigers in the wild is 8 to 10 years. In terms of height and length, they are 3 feet tall and have a body that spans 6 feet with a tail that is 3 feet long. They also have really long teeth and claws, both four inches long. 

There are six different types of tigers that are named after their habitat: the Bengal, Malayan, Siberian, South China, Indochinese, and Sumatran tigers. The most common image of a tiger, orange with dark stripes, is the Bengal tiger that lives in South Asia.

What Do Tigers Eat?

Tigers, like other big cats, are carnivores, meaning that they eat other animals. They hunt on their own and usually wait until night to do it. Tigers also have to consume 12 pounds of food a night! Some examples of their prey are deer, antelope, bison, boar, and elk.

Where Do Tigers Live?

Most tigers typically live in tropical areas with plenty of access to water like rivers and lakes. They live in regions with an abundance of prey as well as tall trees and plants to cover them. Some examples of these areas are humid forests, grasslands, and swamps. However, some of these big cats can be found in cold environments, although they are very endangered in those areas. Cold and warm regions aside, some specific areas where they live are Russia, China, India, Southeast Asia, and a few parts of Korea.