Where do tigers live - on what continent, habitat, how many years they live, how much they weigh, what they look like, what they eat, photo

Tiger is the largest representative of felines, one of the largest and most powerful predators. A few centuries ago, these felines lived over a vast territory; today they are found in Indochina and India, the Far East and Primorye. Cats live in bamboo thickets, swampy areas, dense forests, rocky hills and taiga.

Where do tigers live, how much does a tiger weigh on average, what is a tiger's habitat, how wild cats reproduce, what they eat, what lifestyle they prefer - read our article.

Origin story

Carl Linnaeus was the first to make a scientific description of the animal in his work Systema naturæ. The scientist described a large representative of the cat family under the name Felis tigris. The famous Russian naturalist Nikolai Severtsov described an animal called Tigris striatus in 1858. British zoologist George Gray described a striped king of the jungle called Tigris regalis in 1867. In 1929, scientists assigned the tiger to the genus Panthera.

Data regarding the development of the species were obtained from the analysis of remains and studies in the field of molecular phylogenetics. Scientists have found that the species comes from eastern Asia, in particular from northern China and the island of Java. The size of the ancestors of modern tigers was somewhere between the dimensions of Indian leopards and the subspecies of the tiger living in the Sunda archipelago.

The animal remains that were found in the Jetis strata in Java are dated to be between 1.66 and 1.81 million years old. It follows from this that approximately 2 million years ago, striped animals were common in the eastern regions of Asia, living on the islands of Borneo and Palawan.

It was previously believed that wild cats appeared in the territory of modern northern China, but recent research indicates a wider range of their habitat.

Small-sized individuals existed in Japan and on the island. Sakhalin. Scientists explain this phenomenon by insular dwarfism.

Cats later spread from eastern Asia to India. There is a hypothesis that the animals inhabited the island of Kalimantan, on whose territory the fangs of ancient tigers were found. For example, paleontologists recently found the top of a tooth in Nia Cave, which is located on the Malaysian part of the island of Sarawak.

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Do tigers live in Africa?

There have never been tigers in the African wild. It is believed that the ancestor of all existing species of this striped cat is the South China tiger. Consequently, the center of origin and distribution of the predator is China. From there the animals traveled north and south through the Himalayas. They began to populate Iran and Turkey, and spread across the islands of Bali, Sumatra, Java, and throughout India and the Malay Peninsula. But wild cats did not make it the long way to Africa. In addition, the climate and living conditions do not meet the natural needs of these animals.

The tiger is an Asian animal. The historical range occupies the territory of the Russian Far East, Afghanistan, India, Iran, China and the countries of Southeast Asia. Today this range is strongly dissected into separate populations, some of which are significantly distant from each other.

The territory where predators lived began to form about two million years ago in northern China. Moving south through the Himalayas, they gradually occupied an area with the following borders: the Sunda Islands - from the south, the mouth of the Amur - from the west, Northern Iran - from the east and Kazakhstan - from the north. Today, tigers have been extirpated from most of this range.

Types of tigers

Scientists identify several subspecies of the tiger, three of which have already disappeared from the face of the Earth due to irrational human activity:

Panthera tigris tigris from Asia;
Panthera tigris altaica, also known as the Amur, Ussuri, North China, Manchurian or Siberian tiger. The habitat of cats is the Amur Region, Jewish Autonomous Okrug, Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, northeastern China, a small territory of North Korea;
Panthera tigris tigris or Bengal lives in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar;
Panthera tigris corbetti or Indochinese (another name is Corbet's tiger). Animals inhabit the territory of Cambodia, Myanmar, southern China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam;
Panthera tigris jacksoni or Malayan is found only in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula;
Panthera tigris amoyensis or the Chinese tiger lives in Southern China and is endangered. Naturalists say the last Chinese tiger living in the wild was killed in 1994. According to the latest data, about 50 individuals live in captivity;
Panthera tigris sumatrae or Sumatran lives exclusively on the Indonesian island. Sumatra. The population size in the wild is no more than 500 individuals;
Panthera tigris balica or Balinese is an extinct subspecies that previously lived on the island. Bali and was exterminated by hunters in 1937;
Panthera tigris virgata or Transcaucasian is an extinct subspecies. According to some sources, the last tiger was seen in 1968;
Panthera tigris sondaica or Javanese lived on the island. Java disappeared from the face of the Earth in the 80s of the twentieth century.

Amur tiger

Amur or Ussuri tiger

flickr/Tambako the Jaguar

The largest subspecies of predatory cats. The length of an adult male Ussuri tiger (lat. Panthera tigris altaica) can reach 280 cm, and weight – 320 kg. Moreover, the length of the tail alone is approximately one meter. It is not surprising that these tigers have a great need for food and are capable of eating up to 25 kg at a time. meat. Thus, in order for the Amur tiger to always be full of strength, it must consume at least 9 kg per day. meat. However, it is known that in the absence of prey, a tiger can survive on a starvation diet for a week.

Appearance

Many people know what a tiger looks like. Mainland cats are more impressive in size compared to the “islanders”. For example, the largest tigers - Bengal and Amur - weigh 180-280 kg, some individuals reach 300 kg. Body length varies from 1.5 to 3 m. Tail length is 90-100 cm. Height at withers is 60-110 cm. Average life expectancy in the wild is 25 years. The photo of the animal perfectly demonstrates the full power of this beast. The average weight of a tiger is 220 kg

The body is elongated, massive, flexible with pronounced muscles. The front part of the body is larger than the back; the cat's shoulder girdle is located above the sacrum. The long luxurious tail is evenly covered with hair. The front paws have five toes, the hind paws have four. The claws are hooked and retracted.

The facial part is protruding, the forehead is convex, the head is round, the skull is large and massive, the cheekbones are expressive. White vibrissae are arranged in five rows.

The eyes are slanted, the iris is amber, the pupils are round.

The dentition consists of 30 teeth. On the upper and lower jaws there are six incisors and two canines up to 8 cm long.

The coat is of moderate length, sparse, dense in the “southerners”, high and fluffy in the “northerners”. The main color is rusty red, rusty brown, the belly, back of the ears, chest and inner surface of the paws are much lighter. Stripes - brown or black. Along the body and neck the stripes are located transversely and vertically. They go down the sides and onto the stomach.

The lower ends of the stripes are sharp, sometimes forked. On the back of the body the stripes are more dense. The pattern from the sacrum goes to the back of the thighs.

Reference. Tigers have well-developed night vision and partially color vision. Due to the special structure of the vocal cords, animals emit a terrifying roar, but they voice only during the period of sexual hunting.

Sumatran tiger

Color mutations

Tigers are characterized by a mutation in coat color. It is for this reason that tigers are often born with white fur, which, however, does not mean that they are albinos. After all, their fur, although white, is covered with black stripes, and their eye color is blue or amber, which is typical for tigers with a normal color.

flickr/sypix

In addition, their non-albino status can be judged by the presence of melanin, the amount of which is not large, but is still present, which cannot be said about albinos. The birth of white tigers at one time or another can occur in each subspecies. But if one of the parents was of the Amur subspecies, then the baby has a better chance of being born white. In addition to white tigers, tigers with an even more exotic golden color are also found in nature. The coat of this subspecies is light with brown stripes.

flickr/Tambako the Jaguar

The white areas of the fur are larger in size than those of tigers of other subspecies. The golden tiger is common not only among purebred Bengal tigers; it can often be found among those in whose veins the blood of the Amur subspecies flows.

What do they eat?

What does a tiger eat in the wild? Their main food is ungulates: red and sika deer, wild boar and nilgai, roe deer, black-backed tapirs. Sometimes the animals hunt large herbivores - Indian buffalo, gaur and elk. Periodically, wild cats feed on monkeys, pheasants, hares, reptiles and large fish. The cat eats the carcass of a killed animal for several days. At one time, a tiger can eat up to 50 kg of meat.

There is a known case where a tiger killed an adult Indian rhinoceros. Sometimes cats attack dogs, cows, horses and donkeys. Cats eat nuts, grass and fruits in the summer.

Tiger anatomy

The size and weight of a tiger animal depends on its species. There are 6 types of tiger in total. The largest species of tigers can reach up to 2.5 meters in length without a tail. The tiger is approximately 115 cm in height. The weight of the largest individuals can vary up to 200-300 kg. The coloring of a tiger also depends on its species, the color of the coat is from rusty red to rusty brown, while the inside of the ears, paws, belly and chest are light. The iris of the eyes is yellow. The whole body is covered in black stripes. Each animal has a unique arrangement of stripes, which helps to recognize different individuals. The tail is long, even, also with black stripes, the tip of the tail is always black. The tiger's spine is flexible, the body is muscular, and the pelvic bones have such a structure that the animal can develop great speed and also have good jumping power.

It is extremely difficult to detect the appearance of a tiger in advance, because its feet have soft, fleshy pads, thanks to which its steps become silent. The tiger's skull is short, rounded, and powerful. Has a massively developed jaw. With its help, the tiger can inflict a crushing bite on the enemy. The predator's mouth opens wide, the jaws have a strong bone structure, and powerful muscles provide great compression force when biting. When attacking, the tiger sinks its teeth into the prey in such a way that the prey cannot escape during any of its maneuvers. The length of the fangs is 8 cm without root.

Lifestyle and habits

Tigers are loners by nature. They contact their relatives when the mating season begins.

Ussuri go out hunting day and night. They lie in wait for their prey from a secluded place, suddenly jump on their backs and gnaw through the vertebrae. The victim's carcass can be moved several kilometers. If the jump is unsuccessful, the cat gives chase, but no further than 150 m. During the hunt, the tiger does not make the slightest sound.

For humans, the tiger is the most dangerous predator. If you believe statistics, then over the entire period of its life, a tiger can take the lives of more than 500 people. Often these representatives of the cat family become cannibals due to a lack of regular food. Fortunately, such reports about tigers do not come very often.

But his genes live on

Last winter, the Beast was caught in camera traps along with Beauty during the next mating season. Apparently, the tiger offspring, born in 2021, were the last whose father was a gigantic tiger.

Be that as it may, we can say that the Beast did not live his life in vain. According to Alexey Gotvansky, most of the young tigers that are now caught in camera traps are descendants of the Beast.

In total, about 40 tigers live in Anyui National Park and the surrounding areas, according to rough estimates. This is actually the maximum level at which tigers do not crowd each other and do not suffer from a lack of food.

In the Khabarovsk Territory, since 2010, together with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Swedish zoo “Northern Ark”, the “Northern Tiger” project has been implemented, within the framework of which measures are being taken to increase the population of predators. In particular, measures are being taken to expand the monitoring system for animals using camera traps, and their food supply is also increasing by creating a larger population of ungulates.

The measures had a good effect, but now the tigers have to “expand” to other territories, since they are becoming crowded.

The owner of the taiga. Amur tiger in numbers and facts Read more

Reproduction and offspring

Tigers are characterized by polygamy. The mating season occurs in December-January. In areas with a minimal prevalence of tigers, there is one male per female. On lands where there are more cats, males start fights for the right to own the “lady of the heart.”

The tigress is capable of fertilization 3-4 days a year, during this period the pair mates several times a day.

Most tigresses give birth for the first time at the age of 3-4 years, giving birth once every 2-3 years. The duration of pregnancy is 98-114 days.

To set up a den, females choose hard-to-reach places: rocky crevices, caves, windbreaks, reed supports.

Babies appear in March-April. Usually there are 3-4 kittens in the litter, less often 5-6. Babies open their eyes after 6-8 days. For the first 1.5 months, the cubs eat milk, and after 8 weeks the mother allows them to leave the den. Kittens become independent at the age of 18 months, but finally leave the tigress at 2-3 years, less often at 5 years. Males do not take part in raising children.

First, the female looks after the matured cubs, since they live near the den. Then the young males go off in search of their own territory. Usually they have to win space from other males. The strongest wins!

Tiger

The largest and most fearsome of the big cats is the tiger. The tiger is one of the largest land predators, second only to the polar and brown bears. Nine subspecies of the tiger have been identified, of which only six had survived by the beginning of the 21st century. The total number of tigers at the moment is about 4000-6500 individuals, of which the most numerous is the Bengal tiger. In the 20th century, the tiger was included in the Red Book. Hunting for it is prohibited throughout the world.

The tiger is the largest and heaviest of the wild cats, but its various subspecies vary greatly in size and body weight. Adult male Amur tigers can reach up to 2.3-2.5 m, and in some cases up to 2.6-2.8 meters in length without a tail and weigh up to 275 kg, sometimes up to 300-320 kg. Tigers of those subspecies that live in the tropical regions of the Asian range are somewhat smaller.

The tiger is an exclusively Asian species. The historical range of the tiger (now strongly dissected into separate populations, sometimes very distant from one another) is located in the Russian Far East, Iran, Afghanistan, China, India and the countries of Southeast Asia, including the Sunda Archipelago (Indonesian Islands).

The habitat was formed in northern China about 2 million years ago. About 10,000 years ago, tigers moved south through the Himalayas and eventually spread throughout almost all of India, the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra, Java and Bali. A few centuries ago, its habitat extended from Kazakhstan to the Sunda Islands, from Northern Iran to the mouth of the Amur. Now, in most of this territory, tigers have been exterminated; the largest populations remain in India and Indochina. Within Russia, a small population of tigers is found only in the Far East, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. Between 1995 and 2005 alone, the tiger's range in Asia shrank by approximately 40%, leaving the tiger in only 7% of its original range.

The habitats of tigers can be very diverse: tropical rainforests, mangrove swamps and bamboo thickets in the tropics, dry savannas, semi-deserts, bare rocky hills and taiga in the north.

In the zoo, against the background of the back wall of the cage, the tiger amazes with the brightness of its color - orange with black stripes. But in their natural habitat, stripes serve as excellent camouflage. In thickets of elephant grass and bushes, the tiger becomes almost invisible as soon as it freezes motionless. But even when he gracefully glides through the whimsical shadows of the dense jungle, he is very difficult to notice. All subspecies of tigers - Bengal, Amur and seven others - have colors that match the characteristics of their habitat.

The tiger leads a solitary lifestyle, although sometimes the male hunts with a female companion. However, this is a temporary phenomenon, limited to a few weeks of the mating period in winter or spring. In the same way, the territory that the tiger marks with urine, announcing with a roar that these places belong to him, turns out to be only a temporary home. After a few weeks, almost all tigers again begin to lead a wandering life, and then mark a new territory. The size of a tiger's personal territory depends greatly on habitat, the abundance of prey, and, in the case of males, the presence of females in the area. The territory of tigresses reaches 20 square kilometers, while the territory of males is usually much larger - 60-100 square kilometers.

Given the aggressive territorial behavior of male tigers, fights over the distribution of habitat between them often lead to serious injury and sometimes even death of one of them. However, in most conflict situations, tigers limit themselves to using threatening postures and sounds. Male tigers can easily get along with tigresses on their territory and even share prey. Tigresses can also share their prey and, unlike males, are much more loyal to sharing prey with individuals of their own sex.

In the wild, tigers mainly feed on ungulates: for the Bengal tiger, the main prey is species such as Indian sambar deer, axis, wild boar and nilgai; for the Amur tiger - red deer, sika deer, wild boars, roe deer and musk deer; for the Sumatran tiger - sambar deer, wild boar and black-backed tapir. Tigers can also hunt large herbivores such as water buffalo, gaur, and elk. In addition, from time to time tigers also feed on animals atypical for their diet, such as monkeys, pheasants, hares and even fish. For adequate nutrition, a tiger requires about 50-70 ungulates per year.

It is known that tigers can kill other predators, in particular wolves, leopards, boa constrictors and sometimes even crocodiles. Amur tigers and brown bears pose a fairly serious danger to each other; There are numerous reports of tigers killing cubs and even attacking adult bears. Brown and Himalayan bears make up 5-8% of the Amur tiger's diet (they are predominantly killed by adult males). The Malayan bear, being very aggressive, sometimes drives tigers away from their prey, although more often the opposite happens.

Adult Indian elephants are elusive prey for tigers, so big cats try to avoid encounters with them, but sometimes they can kill young elephants. There is also at least one known case of a tiger killing an adult female Indian rhinoceros. Tigers can sometimes prey on domestic animals such as dogs, cows, horses and donkeys. Plant foods - nuts, grass, fruits - are consumed only in the summer.

There are also cannibals among tigers. Although tigers and humans usually coexist with little or no interest in each other. However, once a man-eating tiger appears, the life of entire regions is paralyzed by fear until the man-eater is killed.

When tracking prey, the tiger uses its camouflage coloration to approach the intended victim several meters under the cover of dense vegetation, and then rush at it with a swift dash. Like other big cats, the tiger kills its prey by gnawing its throat and often breaking its neck in the process. He usually hunts at dusk or at night, but sometimes hunger makes him forget his commitment to darkness and rush at a herd of antelope or other prey in broad daylight. A tiger usually hunts silently and only makes a voice when looking for a mate. Then the night jungle is shaken for hours by a terrifying roar, until finally a tigress appears, having heard the passionate call.

Females become sexually mature at three years, males at four. The tigress is capable of fertilization only a few days a year, during which mating occurs several times a day and is accompanied by loud sounds. It is likely that some females that were not fertilized during the breeding season will return to estrus after some time.

The den is made in the most inaccessible places: in crevices among stones, in caves, among windbreaks, and reed supports. A female tiger can occupy the same den for several years in a row.

Pregnancy lasts 3.5 months. Tiger cubs are born blind and completely helpless, two, three or four per litter. At the age of two weeks they begin to see and hear, double their weight in a month, become nimble and inquisitive. They get out of the den and even try to climb trees. They begin to eat meat at the age of two months, but mother's milk is sucked until six months. At this age, tiger cubs reach the weight of a large dog and switch entirely to meat - from now on until the end of their days.

The mother first brings them fresh food from her hunts, then leads them from one prey to another. Two-year-old tiger cubs weigh up to one hundred kilograms and begin to hunt on their own under the guidance of their mother. The tigress patiently and thoroughly strives to pass on to her heirs all her experience, all her worldly wisdom. She will release her children to live independently in a complex world fully formed and well prepared. The tigress has a lot of worries, and she copes with them alone. The tiger does not take any part in raising his children, although he often lives next to them. A tiger family breaks up when the young ones turn three years old. In the fourth year of life they become independent.

Most cats avoid water, but tigers seem to love swimming. When tigers crossed the Himalayas and settled in the tropics many thousands of years ago, they discovered that water was an excellent coolant. Now, in the stuffy and hot jungles of India, tigers sit or lie for hours, immersed up to their necks in the water of a lake or river, and enjoy the coolness.

The tiger is a clean animal. After lunch, he tidies up his fur, carefully licking it with his tongue; The tigress licks the cubs. The claws cleanse the remnants of the meal by scratching the soft bark with them.

Subspecies of tigers

In total, 9 subspecies of tiger have been identified, 3 of which have already been destroyed by humans.

Amur tiger (or Ussuri tiger, lat. Panthera tigris altaica)

The largest subspecies of predatory cats. The length of an adult male Ussuri tiger can reach 280 cm, and weight - 320 kg. Moreover, the length of the tail alone is approximately one meter. It is not surprising that these tigers have a great need for food and are capable of eating up to 25 kg of meat at a time.

Thus, in order for the Amur tiger to always be full of strength, it must consume at least 9 kg per day. meat. However, it is known that in the absence of prey, a tiger can survive on a starvation diet for a week.

Bengal tiger, or Royal Bengal tiger (lat. Panthera tigris tigris or lat. Panthera tigris bengalensis)

This predatory cat, as the name suggests, lives in India. However, sometimes it can be found in neighboring countries.

This subspecies numbers approximately 1,200 individuals, the size of which is not much smaller than the size of the Siberian tiger - 3 meters long and 260 kg. weight.

Indochinese tiger (Corbet's tiger, lat. Panthera tigris corbetti)

Distributed in the southernmost regions of China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. There are approximately 900 individuals of this subspecies. The population of these tigers has been poorly studied, since tigers usually live in the inaccessible forests of Indochina.

Malayan tiger (lat. Panthera tigris jacksoni)

Six years ago, during research, it became known about another subspecies of tigers - the Malayan. The number of individuals of this subspecies is five hundred.

South China tiger (lat. Panthera tigris amoyensis)

Judging by the fact that there are only 20 individuals left in the wild, namely in the central and southeastern parts of China, this subspecies of tigers is classified as a rare and almost extinct species.

Sumatran tiger (lat. Panthera tigris sumatrae)

The life of this subspecies takes place in Sumatra. About 400 individuals are found in the wild, the remaining 235 languish in zoos.

With the development of agriculture, the number of individuals began to decrease noticeably, and therefore a program was launched to organize national parks. The Sumatran tiger is much smaller than other subspecies. So, an adult male weighs a maximum of 140 kg.

Caspian tiger (Turanian tiger, lat. Panthera tigris virgata)

The Caspian tiger could previously be found in Central Asia and throughout the territory up to the Caucasus. The coat color of this subspecies was bright red, and the stripes were longer with a brownish tint.

With the onset of cold weather, the fur became fluffy and thick, and lush sideburns also grew. Exterminated in the 1970s.

Bali tiger (lat. Panthera tigris balica)

Lived on the island of Bali and is completely extinct. The smallest in weight and size than other predatory cats. The body of this subspecies was covered with short, bright orange fur with black stripes, the number of which was much less than that of other subspecies. Exterminated in the 1940s.

Javan tiger (lat. Panthera tigris sondaica)

We lived on the island of Java (Indonesia). Considered the smallest subspecies. Its weight was no more than 140 kg with a body length of 245 cm. The weight and size of females was half that of males. It was exterminated relatively recently - in the 1980s.

Color variations

In addition, their belonging to non-albinos can be judged by the presence of melanin, the amount of which is not large, but is still present, which cannot be said about albinos. The birth of white tigers at one time or another can occur in each subspecies. But if one of the parents was of the Amur subspecies, then the baby has a better chance of being born white.

In addition to white tigers, tigers with an even more exotic golden color are also found in nature. The coat of this subspecies is light with brown stripes.

The white areas of the fur are larger in size than those of tigers of other subspecies. At the moment, there are about 30 individuals in captivity with this type of color. Like white tigers, all captive golden tigers are predominantly of Bengal ancestry, but are genetically "contaminated" with genes from a partial Siberian white tiger named Tony, which is the common ancestor of almost all white tigers in North America. The assumption that this coloration appeared by crossing Amur and Bengal tigers is a common misconception.

More about tigers:

15 facts about tigers
Master of the taiga

Prepared using materials from the sites bigcats.ru, www.wikipedia.org, www.zoopicture.ru.

Enemies

Striped animals have few natural enemies among animals. The cat is at the top of the food pyramid, so it has almost no competitors. Sometimes a tiger has to confront packs of Indian red wolves.

Brown and Himalayan bears periodically take prey from tigers, for which they receive a well-deserved punishment. Another potentially dangerous predator is the crocodile, with which the wild cat periodically has clashes.

The most terrible enemy of these giants is man, who, over centuries of his destructive activity, has brought this species of wild cats to the brink of extinction.

Description

A pair of white tigers
Males of the largest subspecies, such as the Amur tiger, can weigh up to 300 kilograms, while the weight of males of the smallest subspecies (Sumatran tiger) is only 140 kilograms. Tigers are essentially solitary animals, and due to their size and needs, these huge cats need to have large territories. Due to the fact that the tiger's native habitats are densely populated areas, conflicts arise between the tiger and humans. Big cats do not patrol their properties, but may mark them with urine and feces, which is a sign of occupied territory for other animals.

The color of tigers is usually orange with characteristic black stripes, but there are also individuals with black stripes on white fur. They are not distinguished as a separate subspecies, but are considered genetically mutated individuals of the Bengal subspecies of tigers. This mutation does not mean that a white tiger will have cubs with the same color, as there is evidence that white tigers give birth to cubs with the usual reddish color.

Tigers rely primarily on visual and auditory sensations rather than smell. They mostly hunt alone and achieve their goals thanks to their stealthy pursuit of prey and their powerful body structure. A tiger can eat up to 40 kilograms of meat at a time. The diet of big cats includes wild boars, buffalos, crocodiles, snakes, deer, leopards, camels and other animals. Thanks to the speed it develops, which is up to 90 km/h, the tiger is considered a very fast animal. It is known that when meeting, for example, a rhinoceros or an elephant, he has an undeniable advantage in speed.

Interesting facts about tigers

We have collected for you some interesting facts about tigers:

The tiger is the main character of eastern myths, in which he is described as the king of animals, the ruler of all inhabitants of the land.
The main symbol with which this striped giant is associated is military valor and courage. The cat was perceived as a mediator between Heaven and Earth.
Tiger was chosen as the mascot of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Koreans use objects with the image of a tiger as amulets.
In China, the cat is considered a symbol of health and strength. The Chinese believe that it wards off evil spirits.
In Chinese Buddhism, the animal represents anger, greed and insatiable lust.
This wild cat is included in the Chinese twelve-year calendar, where it occupies third place.
Some peoples of India called themselves “tiger people”. In such regions, hunting tigers was prohibited.
In ancient mythology, the image of this beast was used less frequently. In the myth of Ovid, Thetis turns into a tigress in order to avoid marriage with Peleus. In Greek mythology, tigers replaced leopards when they pulled the chariot of Dionysus.
In Western culture, the image is used in the art of tattooing. For example, in a criminal environment it denotes strength, anger, cruelty.
Researchers discovered the first works of painting depicting a wild cat on Korean tombs, which date back to the period 37 BC. e. — 668 n. e. In addition, his image was often used in Chinese painting.
In Indian art, the most famous example is a mechanized and painted Tipu Sultan eating an English soldier.
In Central Asia, despite the fact that Islam prohibits depicting living creatures on shrines, an exception was made - tigers were depicted on fabrics, carpets, and mosque facades.

The image was also used in European painting. An example of this is the African hunting scene by Delacroix and in Rubens’s painting “The Hunt for Tigers and Lions,” dated 1618.
The power of the beast, its justice and wisdom are glorified in poetry and prose.
Rudyard Kipling in The Jungle Book showed this striped beauty as treacherous and cruel. Alan Milne, in the story about Winnie the Pooh, portrayed Tigger as a funny and cheerful jumper.
Borges at one time published a collection of poems, “The Gold of Tigers.” William Blake's poem "The Tiger" has become a textbook.
Fritz Lang's film The Bengal Tiger features a man-eating tiger.
In the cartoon Kung Fu Panda, Angelina Jolie herself speaks in the voice of Tigress.
In the cartoon “Aladdin”, Jasmine’s pet tiger, Raja, lives in Jasmine’s chambers.
In the third part of the cartoon "Madagascar" a minor character appears - a circus tiger named Vitaly.
The famous Soviet film "Striped Voyage" tells the story of a group of tigers that break out of their cages and go on a rampage on a ship.

One of the main characters of the cartoon “On the Road with the Clouds” is a good-natured tiger cub.
In the Marvel comics there is a character named Tigger.
The striped giant starred in the movie “Scarface” with Al Pacino.
The image of a wild cat is also used in pop music. For example, ABBA sang a song called Tiger.
The third part of Rocky features the song Eye of the Tiger performed by the band Survivor.
In the movie Life of Pi, the hero is left alone in a boat with a tiger.

Keeping in touch at a distance. Social behavior of tigers

Unlike lions and cheetahs, which hunt in open spaces, the tiger hides and ambushes its prey, so hunting alone is usually the most effective for it. In areas with dense vegetation, where prey are dispersed over large areas, the benefits of cooperative hunting are minimized. Therefore, the social organization of tigers is not characterized by life in a community; these animals maintain connections with each other mainly at a distance.

Radio tracking in Nepal, India and Russia has shown that males and females occupy individual territories, which they protect from other tigers of the same sex. Females settle in a smaller territory, and their choice is determined by the availability of food and water resources necessary for the tigress to survive and raise offspring. Males try to take control and protection of the maximum possible number of individual areas of females.

The size of individual territories depends on the strength and fighting qualities of the males who occupy them. Typically, a male who is able to defend his territory from invasion by other tigers has exclusive mating rights with all females whose territories are included in his domain.

Despite the fact that the manifestation of territoriality is characteristic of all tigers, the size of the territories themselves depends on the population density of the animals that the predators hunt. In Nepal and India, which have a very high density of ungulate populations, the average area of a female's individual home range is only 20 square meters. km, while in the Russian Far East, where the density of ungulate populations is extremely low, the area of an individual territory can reach 470 sq. km. Stray tigers are mostly young animals approaching sexual maturity; they strive to acquire their own territory - they cross already occupied areas and move along their borders, waiting for the opportunity to penetrate into other people's possessions.

The male can determine the reproductive state of females by the smell of their marks. When sniffing, the tiger raises its head high, and its muzzle is distorted by a peculiar grimace called “flehmen” - while the animal’s lips are strongly retracted and the mouth is wide open, thanks to which odorous substances easily reach the corresponding receptors of the Jacobson’s organ, which analyzes both the smell and taste.

Protecting an individual territory is fraught with serious dangers: even if a tiger wins a fight, it can receive serious injuries that will deprive it of the ability to hunt. It is not surprising that tigers try to notify their opponents of their presence in advance in order to avoid a direct confrontation. They spray urine mixed with anal gland secretions onto shrubs, trees, and rocky surfaces, and leave marks in the form of feces and scrapes in various parts of their territory using roads, trails, and other conspicuous places. Surely, such identification marks are perceived by neighbors and visiting tigers as a signal “the area is occupied,” although it is possible that they also carry other information, in particular, individual differences between animals.

Tigers become sexually mature by the age of 3 - 5 years, but it still takes them some time to establish their own territory and prepare for reproduction. Mating can occur at any time of the year, even in winter. Females in estrus notify males about this with the help of increased roars and active scent marking of the territory. After a pregnancy of 103 days, the female gives birth to an average of two to three blind, helpless kittens. For at least the first month, the cubs feed on their mother's milk, and the tigress keeps them in the den where they were born, or carries them to other places, carefully grabbing them by the scruff of the neck with her teeth.

In hot areas, tigers can spend most of the day near rivers and other bodies of water; They often stand or lie in the water to cool off. Tigers are skilled swimmers; sometimes they can easily swim across rivers 7-8 km wide.

After 1-2 months, the cubs begin to accompany their mother on the hunt, staying behind her. Only six-month-old tiger cubs begin to learn the techniques of tracking, hiding and killing prey. Males do not participate in raising cubs, although at times they join the family, and sometimes even share their prey with the tigress and her cubs.

Tiger cubs depend on their mother for up to 15 months, after which they gradually disperse.

Who is stronger: a lion or a tiger?

Naturalist John Varty spent a long time observing the lives of tigers and lions in the wild and described cases where cats chewed through the shell of a large leopard tortoise, while lions did not succeed. He also argued that in a duel between a lion and a tiger, the striped predator would always win.

The same opinion is shared by employees of the SCT Foundation, who care for Chinese tigers. Experts say that tigers are larger and more powerful than lions. The Bengal subtype is highly likely to defeat the African lion if given the opportunity.

Nevertheless, the tiger was not called the King of Beasts, since it does not lead a royal lifestyle, but rather a robber one. He chases wild boars and deer through the forest, has no subjects, and leads a solitary life.

Tigers and people

The relationship between people and tigers is complex. People from different parts of the world, fascinated by the majesty of tigers, strive to save these animals from extinction. Residents of countries where tigers live are trying to find a balance between meeting their own needs - and sometimes saving their lives - and addressing the problem of conservation of the species. If there is no natural prey, tigers begin to hunt livestock. Such predatory attacks are usually carried out either by young settling individuals, or by old, wounded or physically weakened tigers driven out of their territory by young and strong animals. Less commonly, although unfortunately still too often, tigers kill people.

There are three main reasons why tigers become man-eaters: injury, old age and hunger. It happens, although extremely rarely, that tiger cubs pick up the habit of cannibalism from their mothers. In India, tigers, having noticed a moving living creature from behind (a person bending down while collecting firewood), realize too late that the object of their attack was a person. Under such circumstances, a single blow is often fatal, and the tiger does not eat its victim, leaving it at the scene of the kill. In other cases, a person accidentally comes across a tigress with cubs or a tiger near killed prey and dies as a result of an attack caused by parental instinct or an attempt to defend its prey on its territory. The third common reason for tigers to attack people is an attempt to drive people away from potential prey: predators kill shepherds trying to protect their herd.

There is only one place on Earth where tiger cannibalism has become quite common. This place is the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, located in the delta of the Ganges River. The biotope of the Sundarbans Nature Reserve is absolutely unique, as it is represented by mangrove forests. The tigers that live here have no fear of humans; This is probably due to the historical fact that the Sundarbans are the only Indian territory where sport hunting of tigers has never existed.