The tigers come from Asia, the cold mountains of Siberia, and the hot plains of India. The tigers live in forests,swamps, in the marshes, and reed beds of the lower lands.
The shelter the tigers have is a den. The tigers rest in shade during the day or soak in a pond, when it is hot.
Tigers and other big cats are the most powerful of all hunting animals. Their strength,speed, and cunning assure their success whether they hunt alone or together.
The tigers usually hunt alone, but they may share their kill with other tigers. To maintain itself, an adult tiger needs to make a kill every three or four days. Tigers take turnsfeeding on a kill to avoid fights.
The tigers attacks several kinds of deer, wild cattle and even Indian bison. When food is scarce,they eat birds snakes, lizards,frogs and even grasshoppers. In attacking a large animal, such as a bullock, the tiger sizes the nape of the neck with its teeth, holds the victim firm with its sharp claws, and with a powerful wrench dislocates the vertebrate.
The tiger measures 51/2 to 61/2 ft. from the nose to the root of the tail, and the tail measures about 3 ft.. The tigers weigh between 220-570 pounds. The perdominat color is tawny yellow and is barred by dark or black cross strips; the under parts are whitish.
From two to six cubs are born at once. Occasional cannibalism is recorded.
Cats have five toes and claws on their front feet, four on the rear. All eighteen can be pulled back into sheaths at the end of the toes. With claws pulled in, the cats stalks its prey. When it attacks, the claws shoot out . They grip the prey with a hold that is hard to break.
People cut down the forests where the tigers live to make fields for growing crops and to use the woods from the trees. They hunt tigers because they are afraid of them, because tigers have valuable fur, meat and bones, which are used for medicines in the Far East.