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Extant Cat Species Genus Apex Predator Ungulates Deer Wild Boar Solitary But Social Habitat Prey Home Range

The tiger is the largest cat species and is easily recognized by its orange fur with dark vertical stripes. It is an apex predator that primarily preys on deer and wild boar. Tiger populations have severely declined to only about 4,000 individuals today due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and poaching. The tiger ranges from Siberian forests to Indian and Sumatran tropical forests. It is listed as endangered by IUCN and faces significant conflicts with human populations.

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Hazel Gocela
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43 views2 pages

Extant Cat Species Genus Apex Predator Ungulates Deer Wild Boar Solitary But Social Habitat Prey Home Range

The tiger is the largest cat species and is easily recognized by its orange fur with dark vertical stripes. It is an apex predator that primarily preys on deer and wild boar. Tiger populations have severely declined to only about 4,000 individuals today due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and poaching. The tiger ranges from Siberian forests to Indian and Sumatran tropical forests. It is listed as endangered by IUCN and faces significant conflicts with human populations.

Uploaded by

Hazel Gocela
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Tiger

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest extant cat species and a member of


the genus Panthera. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange-brown fur
with a lighter underside. It is an apex predator, primarily preying on ungulates such
as deer and wild boar. It is territorial and generally a solitary but social predator, requiring large
contiguous areas of habitat, which support its requirements for prey and rearing of its offspring.
Tiger cubs stay with their mother for about two years, before they become independent and
leave their mother's home range to establish their own.

The tiger once ranged widely from the Eastern Anatolia Region in the west to
the Amur River basin, and in the south from the foothills of the Himalayas to Bali in
the Sunda islands. Since the early 20th century, tiger populations have lost at least
93% of their historic range and have been extirpated in Western and Central Asia,
from the islands of Java and Bali, and in large areas of Southeast and South
Asia and China. Today's tiger range is fragmented, stretching
from Siberian temperate forests to subtropical and tropical forests on the Indian
subcontinent and Sumatra.
The tiger is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986. As of 2015, the
global wild tiger population was estimated to number between 3,062 and 3,948 mature
individuals, down from around 100,000 at the start of the 20th century, with most
remaining populations occurring in small pockets isolated from each other. Major
reasons for population decline include habitat destruction, habitat
fragmentation and poaching. This, coupled with the fact that it lives in some of the
more densely populated places on Earth, has caused significant conflicts with
humans.
The tiger is among the most recognisable and popular of the world's charismatic
megafauna. It featured prominently in ancient mythology and folklore and continues
to be depicted in modern films and literature, appearing on many flags, coats of
arms and as mascots for sporting teams. The tiger is the national
animal of India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and South Korea.

The tiger has a muscular body with powerful forelimbs, a large head and a tail that is
about half the length of its body. Its pelage is dense and heavy, and colouration varies
between shades of orange and brown with white ventral areas and distinctive vertical
black stripes that are unique in each individual.[51][23] Stripes are likely advantageous
for camouflage in vegetation such as long grass with strong vertical patterns of light
and shade.[52][53] The tiger is one of only a few striped cat species; it is not known why
spotted patterns and rosettes are the more common camouflage pattern among felids.
[54] A tiger's coat pattern is still visible when it is shaved. This is not due to skin
pigmentation, but to the stubble and hair follicles embedded in the skin, similar to
human beards (colloquially five o'clock shadow), and is in common with other big cats.
[55] They have a mane-like heavy growth of fur around the neck and jaws and long
whiskers, especially in males. The pupils are circular with yellow irises. The small,
rounded ears have a prominent white spot on the back, surrounded by black. [23] These
spots are thought to play an important role in intraspecific communication.[56]

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