Tigers are considered one of the most precious animals in the culture and religion of some East Asian countries. In Vietnamese culture, tigers are seen as a symbol of strength, courage and loyalty.
Tigers
- Introduction to tigers
The tiger’s scientific name is Panthera tigris, the largest animal in the Felidae family. Tigers are also known locally as tigers, tigers, kings of the jungle… In nature, in terms of size, tigers are the third largest terrestrial carnivores in the world, after polar bears and brown bears.
The tiger’s habitat is dense forests or large grasslands, where they can easily camouflage themselves to hunt or hide from enemies. Tigers have very good climbing ability, second only to domestic cats, but they are very well developed in swimming ability.
In the wild, tigers live alone and only mate during mating season. They are the final connection in the food chain. All animals can be prey for tigers, mainly medium-sized animals such as deer, buffalo, cows… to small animals such as rabbits, chickens, ducks… Large animals such as elephants can also become prey for tigers in special circumstances.
Currently, tigers live and are distributed in Asian countries such as Russia, China, India, Vietnam, Iran, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand… In Vietnam, the number of tigers is decreasing, only living in remote forest areas on the border of Vietnam-Laos, Nghe An, Lam Dong.
Over the past century, the number of tigers in the world has decreased rapidly, due to illegal hunting. Tigers are hunted mainly for their skin, fur, teeth, bones and some other parts. According to estimates, the number of wild tigers in Vietnam is only about 200.
- Biological characteristics of tigers
Size
There are many tiger breeds in the world, depending on the geographical location and climate, they have different sizes. On average, male tigers are 2.6 to 3.3m long and weigh from 150 to 360 kg. Female tigers are 2.3 to 2.75m long and weigh from 100 to 160kg.
The largest tiger in the world is the Siberian tiger, which can reach a length of 3.5m and weigh 360kg. The smallest tiger in the world is the Sumatran tiger, which is about 2.6m long and weighs from 75 to 140kg on average.
Tigers in general have long, slender bodies for easy movement and hunting.
Color
Most tiger species are yellow, with black and white stripes on the chest, tail, legs and neck. The yellow fur color can vary from dark yellow, orange to the most red. There are also many different variations in fur color recorded such as:
- White tiger: black and white fur stripes. These are some rare individuals that combine recessive genes, not albinism.
- Yellow tiger: the fur color is lighter yellow than the fur color of normal tigers, the black stripes also turn into brown stripes.
- Black tiger: due to the body being infected with pigments of the living environment, the fur also gradually turns black to adapt.
Biological behavior
Tigers are solitary animals. Each tiger has its own territory, which can extend up to 160km. They only meet and live together during the mating season, from February to November every year.
Each mating session between a male and female tiger can last from 5-7 days, and they can have sex 2-3 times a day and each time does not exceed 1 minute. When the female tiger has successfully conceived, they growl and chase the male tiger away.
The average gestation period of a female tiger is 105 days, with an average of 2 cubs. There are also cases of pregnancy with 1-5 cubs. The survival rate of the cubs is quite low. Therefore, the mother tiger will care for and raise them until they are adults, usually 3 years.
There are also cases where male tigers, female tigers and cubs live together in a herd, but this is a very rare case.
Classification of tiger species
In nature, there are 9 different tiger breeds, of which 3 are extinct:
- Bali Tiger – Panthera tigris balica
- Java Tiger – Panthera tigris sondaica
- Persian Tiger – Panthera tigris virgata
The remaining tiger breeds are ranked in order of increasing number:
- South China Tiger – Panthera tigris amoyensis: currently there are about 59 individuals in captivity.
- Sumatran Tiger – Panthera tigris sumatrae: currently there are about 500 individuals, living on Sumatra Island, Indonesia.
- Siberian Tiger – Panthera tigris altaica: lives mainly in eastern Russia, with a population of about 540 individuals.
- The Malayan Tiger, scientifically known as Panthera tigris jacksoni, inhabits the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, with a population estimated at 600 to 800 individuals.
- Indochinese tiger – Panthera tigris corbetti, found in Indochina, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, southern China. The number is about 1200-1800.
- The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is native to southern Asia, including India, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, with an estimated wild population of 2,000.
Maybe you don’t know: The largest tiger in the world?
As we know, the largest tigers only reach a maximum weight of 360kg. However, with the advancement of modern science and technology, scientists have created the largest tiger species in the world: the Liger.
Liger is a crossbreed between the Lion and the Tiger. Because they are hybrids, they combine all the dominant traits of the two species, and the weight of a Liger can reach 400kg.
Because the living environments of the parent species are quite different, Ligers currently exist in captivity. The record for the world’s largest tiger belongs to an 18-year-old liger, living in Bloemfontein Zoo, South Africa, weighing up to 798kg.
- Tiger conservation
Although considered a ferocious carnivore, the number of tigers is decreasing rapidly. According to statistics, as of 2016, the wild tiger population in the world was only about 3,890 individuals.
The cause of the threat to the tiger population is the destruction of habitat due to human activities. At the same time, animal trafficking is becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex. Tigers are hunted for their fur, meat and bones to make glue.
Therefore, this animal has been listed as a threatened species by IUCN. Conservation measures have also been put in place to help the population grow. Especially in India – the country with the largest tiger population in the world, there has been strong action, thanks to which the number of tigers here in 2016 increased by 30% compared to 2011.
The protection of tigers and wild animals needs to be more focused on so that they can develop and not face the risk of extinction. According to statistics, the cost of funding for wildlife conservation projects from 2010 to 2016 was about 1.3 billion USD.
Hopefully these interesting facts about tigers have provided you with more useful knowledge. Tigers are rare and endangered animals in the wild, so do your best to protect them.
