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Appearance
Tigers are the largest cat in the world, with the largest of males weighing over 500 pounds. Smaller (Sumatran) male tigers weigh in around 220-310 pounds, with females at 165-240. Larger (Siberian) tigers can weigh up to 570 pounds, with females maxing at 350. Body length, depending on the subspecies, is 4.5 to 9 feet, with tail length between 3 and 4 feet. Their tails help them balance in tight turns, and are also used for communication with other tigers. They have round pupils and yellow irises (blue for white tigers), with their night vision being 6 times better than humans. Like house cats, their claws are retractable. And like all cat species, they like to keep themselves very clean, dedicating much time to thorough grooming. Tiger stripes are for camouflage, with the smaller Sumatran having the most stripes, Siberian the least. Every tiger has unique facial markings, stripe patterns and pug marks.
Hunting
Being ambush hunters, tigers stalk their prey until they are close enough to charge from behind. The killing bite is applied to the neck or throat, depending on the prey. For smaller animals, a neck bite snaps their spine, with the throat bite reserved to suffocate larger prey. Usual prey are ungulates (hoof animals), ranging from 65 - 2000 pounds, consisting mainly of wild pigs, wild cattle and deer. After gorging themselves at the kill site (they are capable of eating up to 40 pounds at one sitting) tigers drag their kill to a safe place where they can consume it at their leisure. Hunting may resume several days later, when the tiger is propelled by hunger.
Family life
In similarity to humans, females mature faster than males, around the age
of 3, with males maturing at 4. Female tigers come into heat seasonally in temperate climates, or at any point in the year in tropical climates. Scent marking and roars are indicators of the female's readiness to mate. Copulation occurs frequently over a span of 5 days, with gestation lasting approximately 103 days. The average litter is 2 or 3 cubs, who are born blind, and weigh 2 to 3 pounds. Cubs are fed by their mother's milk for 6-8 weeks before she introduces them to meat. Cubs begin to hunt and learn stalking and attacking skills at 6 months, and can hunt for themselves at 18 months.
Adult life
After leaving their mothers at the average age of 2, tigers are very solitary animals, each with their own realms. They mark their territories (ranging in size from 26-78 sq. km, but can exceed that) by spraying, scratching trees, or leaving droppings in plain sight. Territory size depends on the availability of prey, and a male's range often overlaps with those of several females. Females also tend to stay closer to their mother's home region, while males stray further away, as to enhance his chances of finding a suitable mate.
The lifespan of wild tigers is thought to be around 10 - 15 years, with captive tigers living up to 20 years of age.
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