Facts About Tigers for Kids

The largest living cat species and a member of the Panthera genus is the tiger (Panthera tigris). Its orange fur with a white underside and dark vertical lines can be identified. It is an apex predator that primarily targets animals like the deer and wild boars. It is a sociable, territorial, and primarily solitary predator that needs extensive, contiguous habitat regions to meet its needs for prey and the care of its young.

As it is a rare animal, it is on the verge of extinction. Hence, the conservation of these species is a must. In this article, we shall study the tiger’s characteristic features, tiger habitat and food habits.

Characteristic Features of a Tiger 

The tiger has a huge head, strong forelimbs, and a tail that is roughly half as long as its body. Its pelage contains several colours of orange with a white underside and striking vertical black stripes, each with a different pattern. In vegetation with prominent vertical patterns of light and shadow, such as long grass, stripes are probably useful for camouflage.

It is unknown why spotted patterns and rosettes are the more prevalent camouflage patterns among fields since the tiger is one of only a handful of striped cat species. Particularly in males, it features a mane-like thick growth of fur around the neck and jaws as well as lengthy whiskers. The irises are golden, and the pupils are spherical. A large white spot is bordered by black on the rear of the short, rounded ears. These sites are believed to be crucial for intraspecific communication.

Tiger

Tiger’s Habitat  

The most important question is where do tigers live? Tiger habitats are primarily found in forests. Tiger populations flourish in areas with stable cervid and bovid populations. Records in Central Asia show that Tugay riverine woods around the Atrek, Amu Darya, Syr Darya, Hari, Chu, and Ili Rivers and their tributaries are where it was most prevalent. It lived in steep and lowland woods in the Caucasus.

Only the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and the nearby Alborz Mountains have historical records for Iran. It lives mostly in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist evergreen forests, tropical dry forests, and the Sundarbans swamp forests on the Indian subcontinent. 

Tigers have been seen in the temperate forests of the Eastern Himalayas as high as 4,200 metres (13,800 feet) in Bhutan and 3,630 metres (11,910 feet) in the Mishmi Hills. Tigers can be found in every province and across the entire nation of Myanmar. Bengal and Indochinese tigers both have populations in the nation. Sixty per cent Bengal tigers and forty per cent Indochinese tigers made up the two populations in 1996. 

Hunting and Diet 

Although tigers are typically considered nocturnal predators, remote-controlled, covert camera traps have shown them hunting during the day in places where humans are not present. As with most other cats, they typically hunt alone and ambush their victim, overwhelming them from all sides and using their size and strength to throw the prey off balance.

Interesting Facts about Tigers for Kids

Some of the interesting facts about tigers for kids are given as follows:

• The largest member of the cat family is the tiger.

• Tigers can grow to 3.3 metres (11 feet) in length and weigh up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds).

• The Sumatran Tiger, Siberian Tiger, Bengal Tiger, South China Tiger, Malayan Tiger, and Indochinese Tiger are among the tiger's subspecies.

• An "ambush" or "streak" of tigers is how they are referred to.

• Tigers can swim up to 6 kilometres and are proficient swimmers.

• Only about 1 in 10,000 tigers have a gene that is found in rare white tigers.

White Tiger

• Tigers typically hunt alone at night.

• Tigers have been observed travelling at speeds of up to 65 kph (40 mph).

• For tigers, less than 10% of hunts are successful.

• Tigers can leap more than five metres with ease.

• The national animals of Bangladesh, India, North Korea, South Korea, and Malaysia are several tiger subspecies.

• More tigers are kept as pets in private homes than there are in the wild.

• Hybrids known as tigons and ligers are produced when tigers and lions mate.

Hybridisation of Tiger 

Summary 

Tigers are considered the largest member of the cat family and are leading towards the extinction of the species on planet Earth. Tigers are found in forests. They are nocturnal predators. There is a constant decrease in the number of tigers around the world. Anthropogenic activities and human interferences are the main reason for the extinction. In the given article, we have studied the tiger’s features and the habitat in which they live. Few interesting features were also studied in the article. There is an urgent need to save the tigers and preserve the ecosystem.