Tiger Facts

In the face of mounting concern about the decreasing number of Tigers in India, a nation-wide campaign has sparked off to save our national animal.

Let's take a look at some of the interesting facts about the Tiger that most of us are generally oblivious to.

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is one of the biggest and most fearsome predators in the world. The body bears black stripes against a brownish yellow to rufous background with a white underside.

The adult animal is solitary and strongly territorial when inhabiting better habitats having fair prey density. The territory of the male in such cases encompasses smaller territories of two or more females.

The distinctive colour scheme of the tiger allows it to camouflage unseen in the forest. (AP Photo)

Tigers have round pupils and yellow irises (except for the blue eyes of white tigers).Due to a retinal adaptation that reflects light back to the retina, the night vision of tigers is six times better than that of humans.

It can adjust to sudden darkness at once unlike the human eye. The presence of rods & cones in the eye indicates the possibility of colour vision.(AFP Photo)

A tiger's forefeet have five toes and the hind feet have four toes. All toes have claws. The claws are sickle shaped and are important for offence and defence. The claws are retracted during walking and extended during attack.

Tigers are meat eaters and their teeth design is adapted for this purpose. There are 30 teeth & the tiger bites with the side of its mouth. Its long, powerful canines are used to kill & grab the prey. The length of the canine teeth can be between 2.5 to 3 inches.(AFP Photo)

Maintenance of equilibrium: It is extremely well-developed in tigers. The Tail is 3 to 4 feet long, about half as long as its body. Tigers use their tails for balance when they run through fast turns. They also use their tails to communicate with other tigers.(AFP Photo)

Tigers are the largest of all big cats- the body length of the male ranges from 275-290 cm, and for the females it is around 260 cm. The size and colouration varies according to the climate.(AFP Photo)

A tiger's paw prints are called pug marks, which are individualistic like human finger prints. No two tigers have the same pug marks.

The primary concern of any tiger is its personal safety and potential mates may come together, then part again, a number of times before trust is gained.

After the initial period of snarling and snapping, they calm down and the tigress starts to make a series of gestures designed to attract her mate.(AFP Photo)

Cubs stay with their mother for as long as 18-30 months. Males are generally intolerant of cubs, though exceptions are there. (AFP Photo)