White tigers are individuals of a predominantly Bengal tiger that have a congenital mutation, and therefore are not currently considered a separate subspecies. A peculiar gene mutation causes the animal to be completely white in color, and individuals are characterized by blue or green eyes and black-brown stripes against white fur.

Description of the white tiger

White-colored specimens that exist today are very rare among any representatives of wild animals. On average, the frequency of occurrence in nature of white tigers is only one individual for every ten thousand representatives of the species that have a normal, so-called traditional red color. White tigers have been reported for many decades from all over the world, from Assam and Bengal, as well as from Bihar and from the territories of the former Rewa principality.

Appearance

The predatory animal has tight-fitting white fur with stripes. Such a pronounced and unusual color is inherited by the animal as a result of a congenital color mutation. The eyes of a white tiger are predominantly blue in color, but there are individuals endowed with naturally greenish eyes. Very flexible, graceful, with well-developed muscles, the wild animal is distinguished by a dense physique, but its dimensions, as a rule, are noticeably smaller than those with a traditional red color.

The head of a white tiger has a pronounced rounded shape, it is distinguished by a protruding facial part and the presence of a rather convex frontal zone. The skull of a predatory animal is quite massive and large, with very widely and characteristically spaced cheekbones. Tiger whiskers are up to 15.0-16.5 cm long with an average thickness of up to one and a half millimeters. They are white in color and arranged in four or five rows. An adult has three dozen strong teeth, of which a pair of fangs looks especially developed, reaching an average length of 75-80 mm.

Representatives of the species with a congenital mutation have not too large ears with a typical rounded shape, and the presence of peculiar bulges on the tongue allows the predator to easily and quickly separate the meat of its prey from the bones, and also helps to wash. On the hind legs of a predatory animal there are four fingers, and on the front - five fingers with retractable claws. The average weight of an adult white tiger is about 450-500 kilograms with a total body length of an adult within three meters.

This is interesting! White tigers are naturally not in very good health - such individuals often suffer from various diseases of the kidneys and excretory system, strabismus and poor eyesight, an overly curved neck and spine, and allergic reactions.

Among the wild white tigers that exist now, there are also the most common albinos with plain fur without the presence of traditional dark stripes. In the body of such individuals, the coloring pigment is almost completely absent, therefore the eyes of a predatory animal are distinguished by a clear reddish color, explained by very clearly visible blood vessels.

Character and lifestyle

Under natural conditions, tigers are solitary predatory animals that are very jealous of their territory and actively mark it, most often using all kinds of vertical surfaces for this purpose.

Females often deviate from this rule, therefore they are able to share their site with other relatives. White tigers are excellent swimmers and, if necessary, can climb trees, but too eye-catching color makes such individuals very vulnerable to hunters, so most often representatives with an unusual fur color become inhabitants of zoological parks.

The size of the territory occupied by the white tiger directly depends on several factors at once, including the characteristics of the habitat, the density of the areas populated by other individuals, as well as the presence of females and the number of prey. On average, one adult tigress occupies a territory equal to twenty square meters, and the territory of a male is about three to five times larger. Most often, during the day, an adult passes from 7 to 40 kilometers, periodically updating marks on the borders of its territory.

This is interesting! It should be remembered that white tigers are animals that are not albino, and the peculiar coloration of the coat is due exclusively to recessive genes.

An interesting fact is that Bengal tigers are not the only representatives of wildlife, among which there are unusual gene mutations. Cases are well known when white Amur tigers with black stripes were born, but such situations have occurred quite rarely in recent years. Thus, today's population of beautiful predatory animals, distinguished by white fur, is represented by both Bengal and ordinary hybrid Bengal-Amur individuals.

How long do white tigers live

In the natural environment, white individuals rarely survive and have a very short overall life expectancy, since due to the light color of the fur, it is difficult for such predatory animals to hunt and feed themselves. Throughout her life, the female bears and gives birth to only ten to twenty cubs, but about half of them die at a young age. The average life expectancy of a white tiger is a quarter of a century.

sexual dimorphism

The female Bengal tiger reaches puberty at three or four years of age, and the male becomes sexually mature at four or five years of age. At the same time, sexual dimorphism in the color of the fur of the predator is not expressed. Only the location of the stripes on the fur of each individual is unique, which is often used for identification.

Range, habitats

Bengal white tigers are representatives of the fauna in the territory of Northern and Central India, Burma, Bangladesh and Nepal. For a long time there was an erroneous opinion that white tigers are predators from the Siberian expanses, and their unusual color is just a very successful disguise of the animal in snowy winters.

The diet of white tigers

Along with most other predators living in the natural environment, all white tigers prefer to eat meat. In summer, adult tigers may well eat hazelnuts and edible herbs to satiate themselves. As observations show, males are strikingly different from females in their taste preferences. They most often do not accept fish, and females, on the contrary, often eat such aquatic representatives.

White tigers approach their prey with small steps or on half-bent legs, trying to move very imperceptibly. A predator can go hunting both in the daytime and at nightfall. In the process of hunting, tigers are able to jump about five meters in height, and also overcome a distance of up to ten meters in length.

In their natural environment, tigers prefer to hunt ungulates, including the Indian sambar. Sometimes a predator eats atypical food in the form, and. To ensure a full-fledged diet, a tiger eats about five to seven dozen wild ungulates during the year.

This is interesting! In order for an adult tiger to feel full, it needs to consume about thirty kilograms of meat at a time.

In captivity, predatory animals feed six times a week. The main diet of such a predator with an unusual appearance includes fresh meat and all kinds of offal. Sometimes the tiger is given "living creatures" in the form of rabbits or chickens. Every week, the animals have a traditional "fasting day", which makes it easy for the tiger to maintain "sports form". Due to the presence of a well-developed subcutaneous fat layer, tigers can starve for some time.

The white tiger facts below are linked to specific information about their genetic coloration and distinguishing features. Information about the white tiger will thus prove useful to those who need brief information about these creatures. White tigers are tigers that possess the gene for the characteristic white color. These tigers belong to the same species as their orange counterparts. It should be noted that white tigers are not albinos. White tigers should not be confused with snow tigers, as snow tigers do not have stripes.

White Tiger Facts White tigers are larger than orange ones. The coat of these tigers is pale in color and has chocolate-colored stripes. The eyes of a white tiger are blue. The average weight of these tigers is 400-550 kg and their length ranges from 3-3.5 m. The offspring of these tigers range from 1-6 cubs that stay with their mother until they reach 2-2 ½ years of age. The main food of these tigers is deer. However, white tigers also feed on feral pigs, cattle, and fish. Along with this basic information about the white tiger, let's look at some other facts. It is difficult to find white tigers in the wild. Most of today's white tigers are in captivity. Of the several hundred white tigers in the world, 100 are found in India. Many white tigers are related to each other, i.e. inbreeding is necessary to preserve the recessive gene responsible for the appearance of white. White tigers with a Bengal-Siberian mixed line are more likely to have a problem called "strabismus". This problem is the result of the angle of view being distributed incorrectly. The "Rewati" white Bengal tiger was the only pure breed that had strabismus. The life expectancy of white tigers is less than that of orange ones. The altered genes of these tigers are one of the reasons for their short lifespan. Inbreeding depression is known to be another reason for low life expectancy. The presence of the white Siberian tiger is a matter of debate. The probability of the appearance of a white recessive gene in Siberian tigers is low. This is because no Siberian white tiger has been born in captivity to date. The only Siberian tigers that have a white complexion are those born from the breeding of Bengal tigers. The white recessive gene that is responsible for pale fur is phenotypically expressed once in 10,000 children born in the wild.

white tiger habitat The habitat of white tigers is no different from that of orange tigers. These big cats are found in deep forests as well as snowy areas. Bengal tiger lives in hot and humid areas, while the Amur and Indo-Chinese tigers live in cold climates.

White Tiger Facts for Kids Here is some interesting information about white tiger useful for kids. the unusual or unique color of the white tiger has led to an increase in their popularity. In 1820, the white tiger was first exhibited in Europe (London). In 1984, a film was released on the National Geographic Channel thanks to a white tigress with her orange cubs. This beast was originally filmed by Jim Corbett in India. This film confirmed that white tigers had previously survived in the wild. White tigers are known to be good swimmers. They cannot, however, climb trees.

The white tiger is a rare species of tiger that is more commonly found in captivity. Unlike orange tigers, one of the endangered species of animals, their (white tiger) number is growing day by day. These tigers, however, are not considered important in terms of conservation. Most efforts to save tigers from extinction are for the orange tiger. The information about the white tiger presented above in the article is a summary of the facts. One can thus benefit from the white tiger facts mentioned above.

The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris bengalensi) is a special subspecies of the tiger that lives in North and Central India, Burma, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Sundarbans (near the mouth of the Ganges River).

This is the largest of all tigers: the maximum weight recorded by scientists was 388.7 kilograms, which is five kilograms more than the largest weighted Amur tiger.

The famous white tigers are not a quirk of genetics, but a naturally occurring variety of the Bengal tiger. These are not albinos, as it might seem at first glance (although albinos are also found among tigers, of course) - Bengal white tigers have black stripes and blue eyes. The white color of the skin is due to a lack of melanin. In the wild, white cubs are born to ordinary red tigers quite rarely.


Since ancient times, these unusual creatures have been endowed with magical abilities and surrounded by numerous beliefs. They were revered in Kyrgyzstan, China and, of course, in India - it was believed that by seeing a white tiger one could gain enlightenment (probably quite often posthumously). It was from India that white tigers spread throughout the world.


Among animals with normal normal coloration, there are white individuals, which are called albinos. These animals have so little pigment that their eyes look red because of the visible blood vessels. Everyone knows white mice, rats, and rabbits. It is known that in 1922 in India (according to other sources - in Burma) two pure white tigers with red eyes were shot dead. Similar cases have been recorded in South China. The rest of the white tigers known to man cannot be called albinos in the full sense of the word: most of them are blue-eyed and have brown stripes on their skin. It would be more accurate to talk about the light (white) color variation of their color.

Bengal tigers of the usual red color sometimes give birth to cubs with white hair, which, however, retains dark stripes. In nature, they rarely survive - such animals cannot hunt successfully, as they are too noticeable. White tigers are specially bred for circuses and zoos.

In captivity, they are bred as a separate species, because the color is inherited genetically. White parents always give birth to white cubs, but red tigers rarely have such offspring. It is not surprising that people prefer not to count on luck, but simply to cross white tigers with each other. Therefore, white tigers in captivity have poorer health than their free relatives. Although in nature the life of a white tiger, even the healthiest one, is not easy. He is more visible, it is difficult for him to hunt. So zoo relatives, surrounded by care, still live longer - up to 26 years.


All white tigers in captivity are descended from a single male. A tiger named Mohan belonged to an Indian Maharaja.

In May 1951, the Maharajah of Reva was hunting tigers. The hunters stumbled upon a lair with four teenage tiger cubs, one of which attracted the ruler's attention with its unusual white coloration. Three red tiger cubs were killed, but the white cub was spared. In the palace of Maharaja Govindagari, the tiger, who was named Mohan, lived for about 12 years.
The ruler of Reva was proud that he had such a rare animal and he wanted to have more of them to the wonder of the whole world. When Mohan grew up, he was "married" to a female - an ordinary, red one. She periodically brought tiger cubs, but, alas, there were no whites among them! This continued until one of Mohan's daughters was brought together with her father, that is, they made the very inbreeding (closely related crossing), which, although it weakens the vitality of the descendants, fixes the necessary signs. The result was not long in coming: in November 1958, in a litter of 4 cubs, one was white. After that, the number of such animals in the palace began to increase rapidly. Even the maharaja was unable to maintain a large group, and it was decided to sell the "surplus". Despite the fact that the Indian government declared rare animals a national treasure, several tigers were soon taken out of the country. In 1960, one of Mohan's sons left for the US National Park in Washington. Some time later, white tigers ended up in the UK, at the Bristol Zoo. Spectacular cats began their triumphal procession around the world.
How many of them are there in the world now? No one can say the exact figure, since these animals are kept not only in zoos and circuses, but also in private menageries. Despite the close relationship of all white tigers, no significant weakening of the viability of these animals has yet been observed.


Most white tigers live in the homeland of their ancestor Mohan - in India. They can be seen in almost every Indian zoo. They are in America and Europe.


In Russia, the white tiger first appeared in 2003. A five-year-old male came to us from Holland. A year later, a bride came to him - a female from Sweden. In 2005, the couple gave birth to three white tiger cubs. Two of them went to Russian zoos - in Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg, and one - in South Africa. And in March 2008, the female brought three more cubs.

The Bengal tiger, like other types of tigers, is protected in all states where it lives. It is listed in the IUCN Red Book, the hunting of this predator is completely prohibited, the capture of tiger cubs, the use of tiger body parts is criminally punishable. Although its popularity in the poaching environment does not weaken. After all, according to some reports, the carcass of a tiger costs more than 40 thousand dollars on the "black market", a tiger skin - 20 thousand, and a kilogram of bones - up to 5 thousand.

The first white tiger appeared in the Moscow Zoo in May 2003. After a month of quarantine, he was transferred to the Cats of the Tropics pavilion. A five-year-old male arrived here from the zoo in the Dutch city of Amersfoort. A year later, a female from Sweden arrived in the enclosure next to it. When the tigress settled in, the cats were introduced. And in July 2005, a happy event took place in the zoo - three wonderful white tiger cubs were born. The female turned out to be a caring mother, all the cubs grew up safely. Two of them have replenished the collections of Russian zoos: one went to Novosibirsk, the other - to Yekaterinburg. The third tiger cub went on a long journey to South Africa. In March 2008, three more cubs were born.

In the Cats of the Tropics pavilion, most often you can see only adult tigers. In a large outdoor enclosure, they take turns walking (outside the breeding season, animals can be aggressive towards each other). Our two white tigers are very different. The male character is large, imposing, but very playful. It is he who fiddles with new toys that employees give him for a long time. He wears them in his teeth, pushes them with his paws, sometimes jumps around like a kitten. His special love is the pool. He bathes with pleasure, plays in the water, and in the heat sometimes sleeps in the pool. The tigress is more sedate. Does not enter the water, plays less often. Only when the cubs were growing up did she play with them with pleasure. Tigers also have food preferences: The male does not eat fish and rabbits at all, he prefers meat. For the female, rabbits are a delicacy; she eats fish and offal with pleasure. Our white tigers are in good health, and we hope that the perky young tigers will please us with their cheerful fuss more than once.

Tigryulya is a white Bengal tigress, presented to the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, and thanks to the use of her photo on campaign billboards, it has become a kind of symbol of the New Year 2010 in Ukraine.

According to Chinese mythology, the tiger is the personification of military prowess. His image is used in the fight against demons and evil spirits. In Feng Shui, this sacred animal acts as the White Tiger. The spirit of this animal is so ferocious and strong that there is no better defense against evil.

The White Tiger is the guardian of the West (according to the Feng Shui compass school) or to the right of the front door. The white color of the Tiger is explained by the fact that the western side of the world in China is a symbol of the other world or the land of the dead, and in this country, as you know, white is the color of mourning. One must use the White Tiger Talisman with care. This is a very ferocious and strong animal, and if you treat it incorrectly, instead of protecting it, you can get the opposite, its strength will be directed against you. It must be said that the Chinese generally do not use the tiger talisman for internal protection at home if there is someone in the family who was born in the year of the animal that the tiger eats (for example, a wild boar, a rooster, a rabbit). In any case, at home it is better to have either a sculpture of a sleeping White Tiger, or not to have it at all. But if you still decide to use the Tiger talisman, then according to the rules of Feng Shui, it should be metal. In principle, let's say stone or made of wood or glass. The color of the Tiger can be chosen from white, yellow, beige, silver and gold. You can buy the desired talismans and symbols of Feng Shui here: ESOTERICS - an online store of Feng Shui items, unusual gifts and souvenirs. And another very important tip: in order for the Tiger to properly protect you from external aggression, it is necessary that the Dragon be larger than the Tiger itself. He will balance and control the restless essence of the Tiger. The dragon symbolizes the masculine Yang, and the Tiger, as a mutually complementary opposite, the feminine or Yin energy. Therefore, the Dragon must always be larger, otherwise he will not be able to defeat the ferocious tiger hole.


Origin of the species and description

A mammal is an animal from the order of cats. Predator. Belong to the genus Panthera and is one of its brightest representatives of this genus. The tiger population originates from the Pleistocene, the remains of the found predators are up to 1.82 million years old. The first remains of ancient tigers were found on the island of Java in Asia. It used to be believed that China was the birthplace of Tigers, however, recent research in this area has refuted this theory. And also the remains of tigers of the late Pleistocene period were found in China, India, Altai and Siberia on the territory of Japan and Sakhalin.

Video: White tiger

According to archaeological data, it is known that the tiger separated from the line of ancestors more than 2 million years ago. Much earlier than other representatives of this class. Scientists also know that the first ancestors of tigers were much larger than modern representatives of this class. The modern white tiger was first discovered in 1951.

The color of the tiger is isolated by mutations, and is very rare in wildlife. This species spread by crossing a white tiger with a yellow female. Parents with the usual color, sometimes white offspring are born. In the modern world, white tigers successfully live and breed in nurseries and zoos.

Appearance and features

The white tiger is a very large and strong animal. Dangerous predator. The male white tiger weighs from 180 to 270 kg, depending on the place of residence of the animal, and the lifestyle, the weight and height of the animal may be greater. There were males weighing up to 370 kg. It is known that the animal that lives on the continents is much larger than the tigers living on the islands.

Features of the body structure of the white tiger:

  • The height at the withers is 1.17 m. The height of adult males is approximately 2.3-2.5 m;
  • Female white tigers are smaller in weight and size;
  • The weight of an adult female is 100-179 kg. Growth from 1.8 to 2.2 m;
  • Tigers have a well-developed muscular body. Moreover, the front part of the body in tigers is more developed than the back part;
  • The average head size of an adult male is about 210 mm. Tigers have small ears, rounded at the ends, with white hairs on the inside of the ear;
  • The iris of the eyes is gray-blue. Tigers see well in the dark.

Since the tiger is a predatory animal, it has a developed jaw with sharp fangs. An adult tiger has 30 teeth. The formula for the arrangement of teeth in a tiger is as follows: 2 large fangs and 6 incisors, 1 painting tooth and 2 premolar teeth are located below. Above 3 premolar teeth and 1 painter.

Tigers have large developed fangs, the size of which is about 9 cm. These fangs help to kill the victim and tear apart the meat.

The coat of tigers is warm and dense. Tigers living in cold climates have thicker coats. The cover is low, the coat is white. Hairs are sparse. On gray smoky wool there are black stripes. There are about 100 black stripes on the entire body of the animal. It should be noted that white tigers are very rare, and they acquired their color due to mutation.

How long does a white tiger live?

On average, in wildlife, tigers live from 14 to 17 years. However, there are also centenarians who live much longer. In the conditions of the reserve, the life of a tiger is several years longer.

Where do white tigers live?

The habitat of the white tiger is the same as that of other Bengal tigers. The natural habitat of this species is Northern and Central India, Nepal. Ecological region Terai Duar. Banks of the Ganges and Bangladesh. Representatives of this genus are found in Asia. Where do they lead their population from. Java Island, Afghanistan, Iran and Hindustan.

White tigers mostly live in captivity, but in nature this species is found in the amount of 1 individual per 10,000 tigers with a normal color.

What does the white tiger eat?

The tiger is a predatory animal, and the diet of big cats mainly consists of meat. White tigers love to eat ungulates.

The main prey of tigers is:

  • roe deer;
  • tapirs;
  • musk deer.

Also, tigers can sometimes eat birds. Most often these are pheasants and partridges, small herbivores and other animals. And, of course, every cat loves fish. Tigers are not afraid of water and are happy to catch prey from it. White tigers spend quite a lot of time hunting.

In summer, a tiger can sit in ambush for quite a long time, tracking down its prey. The tiger is a neat and rather cunning animal, it comes to its prey with small and neat steps. Hunting is carried out from the leeward side, so that the victim could smell his scent. Having gained confidence that the prey is incapable of escaping in a couple of jumps, the predator overtakes the prey.

Tiger for small animals is a real death machine. It's almost impossible to run away from him. Tigers are fast and agile. While running, their speed is 60 km/h. Having overtaken the victim, the tiger throws it to the ground and breaks the neck and spine. After the tiger carries the dead animal in his teeth to his lair, where he tears it apart with the help of fangs.

Features of character and lifestyle

Adult tigers are quite aggressive animals vigilantly guarding their territories and not letting strangers into their possessions. Tigers mark their possessions by leaving urine marks everywhere on bushes, trees, rocks. Male tigers live and hunt alone. Having sensed a stranger in his territory, the male will react to it very aggressively, and will try to drive the stranger out of the territory. Apart from other tigers, the tiger has no other predators.

Young tigers live alone until it's time to breed. Tigers are polygamous. And with one female there is one male. Tigers are quite family animals. They worry about their offspring, create a den, protect their offspring. They hunt and guard the females and brood.

In relation to humans, tigers are also aggressive. Meeting a man with a tiger in wildlife means certain death. In reserves and zoos, animals are less aggressive and allow a person to take care of themselves. Training a tiger is very difficult and dangerous. The tiger is a wild animal and domestication of this species is almost impossible. However, in America, there are still cases of tigers living in houses, but these are more often the offspring of circus animals, whose parents are already accustomed to people.

Social structure and reproduction

Tigers live alone and unite in families for the breeding season. Consisting of a male, female and brood. Most often, the male pursues the female, showing with a certain grimace that he is ready for mating. But the fact that females themselves come to males is not uncommon. If several males claim one female, a fight occurs between them. The fight may end in the death of one of the animals. The strongest gets the female.

Tigers mate several times a year. This usually happens in December or January. Although usually it does not depend on the season. The male understands that the female is ready for mating by the smell of the female's urine. Mating occurs several times. The first litter is brought by a young female white tiger at the age of about 4 years. Most often, a second brood is born after a few years. The pregnancy of a female tiger lasts about 103 days.

The tigress arranges her lair for a long time, for the birth of cubs. Making sure it's completely safe. After all, over time, the tigress will go hunting leaving the cubs in the den. For one litter, 3 or 4 tiger cubs are born. Tiger cubs appear blind, and for the first six months they are fed with mother's milk. Over time, they also begin to go hunting with their mother.

White tigers are rarely born, both heterozygous orange parents with white ancestors have a 25% chance of producing white offspring. Offspring where one parent is white and the other is yellow may be white or may be yellow. The probability of the birth of a white tiger is 50%.

Natural enemies of white tigers

Since the White Tiger is a large and dangerous animal, it has few enemies.

The natural enemies of the white tiger include:

  • . An elephant can trample a tiger, although elephants do not experience aggression towards these animals and are able to coexist peacefully side by side. An elephant attacks a tiger only when frightened, sensing danger, or receiving an order from a person. In India, people used to hunt tigers on elephants. Killing tigers with weapons. It was the safest form of hunting for humans.
  • Brown bears. rarely can cope with a large adult tiger, and vice versa, bears killed by a tiger are often found. But a bear can kill an immature young or a weakened female.
  • Human. The main danger to tigers comes from humans. Destruction of natural habitats of animals by man. The construction of cities by cutting down the jungle and forests. The decline in the population is largely due to the hunting of tigers. In Chinese medicine, the fangs, organs and tissues of tigers are used. And also precious animal skins are an adornment in rich houses, like stuffed animals. For a long time in India, tiger hunting in the 19th and early 20th centuries was massive.

Population and species status

Every year, the tiger population is rapidly declining. There are only 6470 individuals worldwide. There are only 400 Amur tigers. White tigers are rare and on the verge of extinction. The destruction of natural habitats, the construction of cities and roads lead to the fact that white tigers are becoming less and less. In addition, animal hunting and poaching has caused irreparable harm to tiger populations around the world.

The white tiger species is listed in the Red Book, catching tigers and hunting them is prohibited. The status of the species in the Red Book is "endangered species". White tigers are carefully protected in all countries and hunting for them is prohibited.

Protection of white tigers

To save the endangered species of White tigers, the following measures have been taken:

  1. A complete ban on hunting for tigers of any breed has been introduced. White tigers are highly protected around the world. In India, white tigers are a national treasure. Hunting for tigers in the modern world is carried out only by poachers and is prosecuted by law. Killing tigers is punishable by law and is punishable by fines and imprisonment.
  2. Arrangement of reserves. As mentioned earlier, white tigers mostly live in nature reserves. Zoologists help maintain the population of this species by crossing white tigers with regular-colored tigers. In the reserves, animals live quite comfortably and they are able to breed. Almost all representatives of this species that are not kept in reserves have one ancestor. This is a white tiger named Mohan. Over time, the offspring were transported to reserves around the world, where white offspring were also born from them.
  3. Radio tracking and animal tracking systems. This method of animal tracking is used to keep the animal safe and better understand the animal's habits and study the behavior of the tiger in the natural environment. A collar with a special tracker is put on the animal, which transmits a GPS signal. Thus, a person can track the location of the animal. Helps to monitor the health status of the animal and prevent serious diseases among animals. Most often, this system is used in large reserves.

The white tiger is a real miracle of nature. Dangerous, but as time has shown, a very vulnerable beast. white tiger without human support, it can simply disappear from the face of the earth within a few decades, which is why it is so important to protect nature and maintain the tiger population. Let's save this animal on the planet for a new generation.

Tiger ( Panthera tigris) - a predator of the mammal class, such as chordates, predatory orders, cat families, panther genera, subfamilies of big cats. It got its name from the ancient Persian word tigri, which means "sharp, fast", and from the ancient Greek word for "arrow".

The tiger is the largest and heaviest member of the cat family. Males of some tigers reach a length of 3 meters and weigh over 300 kg. Tigers are listed in the Red Book, and hunting for these animals is prohibited.

Often, defenseless domestic animals and small elephants become prey. In summer, nuts and fruits are added to the main meat menu of tigers.

Amur tigers eat red deer, wild boar, elk, and deer. Bengal tigers sometimes attack porcupines.

Indochinese tigers prey on wild boars, sambar, serow, banteng and gaur, and also attack porcupines, macaques, teleda (pork badgers), muntzhak. Malayan tigers feed on wild boars, barking deer, sambar deer, and may even attack a Malay bear.

Tigers hunt alone, using 2 main methods: they sit in ambush or carefully sneak up on the victim. Both techniques are successfully completed with rapid jumps or a jerk. One tiger jump is 5 m high and 10 m long. The tiger gnaws the throat of small animals, and knocks large mammals to the ground and gnaws the cervical vertebrae.

If the tiger's hunt was unsuccessful, and the victim turned out to be stronger or ran away, then the tiger does not attack again. Predators eat prey while lying down, holding the meat with their paws.

tiger breeding

The breeding season for tigers is December and January. Females are ready to bear offspring at 3-4 years, males mature by 5 years. As a rule, a single male tiger courts a tigress; in conditions of increased numbers, there are fights among males for the right to possess a female.

A tigress can conceive only a few times a year, brings offspring every 2-3 years. On average, the bearing of offspring in tigers lasts 103 days.

The birth of a tigress takes place in a lair arranged in inaccessible places: rock crevices, caves, impassable thickets.

Usually 2-4 cubs, a tiger cub, are born, in rare cases there can be 6 of them. After a week, newborn cubs open their eyes, for the first six months they are on milk feeding. At the age of 2 months, the mother and offspring leave the den.

One and a half year old tigers are quite independent, although many do not leave their mother until they are 3-5 years old.

On average, tigers live 26-30 years, during which time a tigress is able to give birth to up to 20 cubs, many of which often die in their youth.

Tigers perfectly adapt to the conditions of life in captivity and breed well. The increase in the number of offspring bred in captivity contributed to the fall in the price of predatory cats and made it possible for people, in particular Americans, to acquire a tabby predator as a pet.

  • Animals such as tigers have long been the subject of all sorts of myths and legends. For example, many consider the saber-toothed tiger to be the progenitor of modern striped predators. In fact, belonging to the cat family, the ancient species is considered a saber-toothed cat, not a tiger.
  • Most wild cats are afraid of water and avoid bodies of water whenever possible. But not a tiger. This predator is an excellent swimmer, loves water and never misses an opportunity to soak up the heat in a cool lake or river.