tiger

Home > Plants and Animals > Animals > Vertebrate Zoology

tiger large carnivore of the cat family, Panthera tigris, found in the forests of Asia. There are six subspecies of P. tigris: Amur or Siberian, Sumatran, Malayan, North Indochinese, Bengal, and South China or Amoy. The differences in subspecies are defined for the most part by their ranges. Amur tigers, commonly called Siberian, are native to the area of the Amur River in China, North Korea, and Russia. The Sumatran tiger is found only in Sumatra, the Malayan on the Malay Peninsula, the North Indochinese in parts of Indochina and S China; the South China tiger in central and E China, and the Bengal tiger in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. Their habitats range from mountain forests to equatorial rain forests.

Tigers are the largest species of the cat family. Male tigers are generally about 8 to 10 ft (2.4-3 m) long, including the 3-ft (1.8-m) tail. The Siberian tiger may be 13 ft (4 m) long, including the tail, and weigh 650 lb (290 kg), much larger than any lion. The coat of the tiger is orange-yellow with numerous prominent black stripes; black and albino specimens are sometimes found. The Siberian tiger tends to be the lightest in coloring. The male tiger has no mane comparable to that of a lion , although it may have a ruff around the sides of the head. Tigers and lions are quite similar anatomically and can be interbred.

Tigers are solitary animals and usually hunt at night. A male tiger will have a large range that will overlap with the ranges of several females. Females give birth to two or three cubs, which they raise and train for about two years. Tigers kill a variety of animals, including deer, antelope, wild pigs, and cattle. Tigers try to remain out of sight and hearing of their enemies, especially humans; they prefer fleeing to fighting. They can be killed by wild dogs, elephants, and water buffalos. Man-eating tigers are usually individuals who are too old or sick to capture wild animals. Tigers are good swimmers and enjoy bathing, especially in hot weather, which appears to make them quite uncomfortable. They are poor climbers, taking to trees only in emergencies.

The tiger is an endangered species. Trophy hunting of tigers was a common "sport" in the past, especially during the time of the Raj in India, when tens of thousands of Bengal tigers were shot. The greatest threats to the tiger now, however, are loss of natural habitat, loss of prey species such as deer and wild cattle to hunting by humans, and poaching. Tiger bone is used in traditional Chinese medicines to treat a variety of ailments, including rheumatism and impotence, and its sale and use continue despite a ban imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1976.

Three tiger subspecies, the Caspian, Javan, and Balinese tigers, are extinct; the South China tiger is very near extinction. According to 1995 population estimates, the Bengal tiger is believed to be the most numerous, with a population of 4,000. It is followed by the Indochinese tiger (1,100), the Sumatran tiger (400), and the Siberian tiger (250). Some population rebounds have been noted since then, however, in eastern Siberia, Nepal, and some parts of India owing to increased conservation efforts, but more recently the Bengal tiger population in India has suffered from serious poaching for the Chinese medicinal and animal skin markets, and some experts believe its population to number less than half the 1995 estimate. Captive breeding programs for tigers have met with considerable success but are plagued by a lack of space and the problem of maintaining genetic purity between subspecies that are defined more by range than by biological differences.

Tigers are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Felidae.

tiger the tiger is proverbial for its ferocity and cunning.
have a tiger by the tail have embarked on a course of action which proves unexpectedly difficult but which cannot easily or safely be abandoned. Recorded from the late 20th century; an alternative way of referring to the same predicament is ride a tiger, with allusion to the saying he who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount (see ride).
tiger economy in the 1980s, used for the dynamic economy of any of the smaller East Asian countries, especially that of Singapore, Taiwan, or South Korea, or of Hong Kong; these original Four Tigers of the early 1980s were later joined by Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, before economic problems in the 1990s sharply reduced the strength and dominance of the region. The successful Irish economy of the last years has frequently been designated as the Celtic Tiger.
Tiger Tim a cartoon character, leader of a group of animals known as the Bruin Boys, who first appeared in the Daily Mirror in 1904, and subsequently in the Children's Encyclopaedia monthly reissue from 1910 and Rainbow (1914–56). He has also figured in a number of annuals.

See also better to live one day as a tiger, paper tiger.

ti·ger / ˈtīgər/ • n. a very large solitary cat (Panthera tigris) with a yellow-brown coat striped with black, native to the forests of Asia but becoming increasingly rare. ∎  used to refer to someone fierce, determined, or ambitious: despite his wound, he still fought like a tiger one of the sport's young tigers. ∎  (also tiger economy) a dynamic economy of one of the smaller eastern Asian countries, esp. that of Singapore, Taiwan, or South Korea. PHRASES: have a tiger by the tail have embarked on a course of action that proves unexpectedly difficult but that cannot easily or safely be abandoned. ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French tigre, from Latin tigris, from Greek.

tiger Large, powerful cat found (in decreasing numbers) throughout Asia, mainly in forested areas. It has a characteristic striped coat of yellow, orange, white and black, with the chin and underparts white. Relying on keen hearing, it hunts for birds, deer, cattle, and reptiles. An adult tiger will eat up to 25kg (50lb) of meat in one meal. The largest tiger is the Siberian race. Length to 4m (13ft) overall; weight: to 230kg (500lb). Family Felidae; species Panthera tigris.

tiger XIII. ME.tygre — (O)F. tigre — L. tigris — Gr.tigris.
Hence tigress (-ESS1) XVII.

Tiger World War II-era German tank. See Tanks, German, World War II-era.

tiger •blagger, bragger, dagger, flagger, Jagger, lagger, nagger, quagga, saggar, shagger, stagger, swagger •alga, realgar, Trafalgar •anger, clangour (US clangor), Katanga, languor, manga, panga, sangar, tanga, Tauranga, Zamboanga •sandbagger • carpetbagger • Erlanger •Aga, Braga, dagga, dargah, laager, lager, naga, Onondaga, raga, saga •beggar, eggar, Gregor, mega, Megger •Edgar • Helga • Heidegger •bootlegger •Jaeger, maigre, Meleager, Noriega, Ortega, rutabaga, Sagar •Antigua, beleaguer, bodega, eager, intriguer, leaguer, meagre (US meager), reneger, Riga, Seeger, Vega •chigger, configure, digger, figure, Frigga, jigger, ligger, rigger, rigor, rigour, snigger, swigger, transfigure, trigger, vigour (US vigor) •churinga, finger, linger, malinger •gravedigger • ladyfinger • forefinger •omega • vinegar • Honegger •outrigger • Minnesinger •Auriga, Eiger, liger, saiga, taiga, tiger