N A T A

North American Tiger Association

A tiger cub and its parent The tiger is the largest member of the cat family. It lives in Asia and belongs to the same genus as the lion, leopard, and jaguar. Two major subspecies are the Siberian (Amur) tiger and the Indian tiger. The modern tiger is thought to have originated in northern Asia during the Pleistocene epoch (1.6 million to 10,000 years ago) and spread southward thereafter, crossing the Himalaya only about 10,000 years ago. A tiger cub

An adult sumatrian tiger The rare Siberian tiger measures 1.4 to 2.8 m (4.6 to 9.2 ft) long, not including the tail, which is 69 to 95 cm (27 to 37 in) in length, and weighs 180 to 306 kg (400 to 675 lb). It has thick yellow fur with dark stripes. The Indian tiger, which is about 3 m (10 ft) long, including the tail, and usually weighs 180 to 258 kg (400 to 569 lb), is found on the mainland of south-eastern Asia and in central and southern India. Its coat lies flatter than that of the Siberian tiger, the tawny colour is richer, and the stripes are darker. The tigers on the island of Sumatra are even smaller and darker. The female tiger is usually smaller than the male. A male siberian tiger
Tigers hunt as they live-alone. A night of searching for prey may cover 10 to 20 km (6 to 12 mi) of terrain.

An endangered siberian tiger
The Siberian tiger has been hunted to near extinction in many Asian countries, where its body parts are sold for medicinal purposes and for cooking. The tiger is a solitary animal, males and females coming together only at mating time, to share a kill, or to drink and rest at watering holes in areas with limited water. Tigers are very good swimmers, often taking to the water to cool off. The litter numbers one to six cubs, which are helpless when born and stay with the mother into their second year. Only one or two of the cubs survive the first two years of life. The diet is varied, ranging from deer and cattle to frogs and fish; carrion is also eaten. Tigers hunt at night, stalking their prey before they pounce. They use their sharp retractable claws to grasp their quarry and their strong teeth to deliver a fatal bite to the neck. The Indian tiger inhabits grassy or swampy areas and forests, where it is well camouflaged by its coloration. Tigers are territorial and the male's large territory often includes the territories of two or more females. When a victim is in sight, the tiger uses the landscape and its own striped coloration, which breaks up the outline of its body against the tall grass, to camouflage its cautious approach. Within about 20 m (66 ft) of its quarry, it crouches and suddenly bounds forward, delivering a bite to the neck as it grasps the shoulders, back, or neck with its sharp claws. Only 5 to 10 per cent of the tiger's rushes are successful. Its average is 40 to 50 kills per year, or one kill every eight days. A tigress with young to feed must kill more often.

Scientific classification: Tigers belong to the family Felidae and are classified as Panthera tigris. The Siberian (Amur) tiger subspecies is classified as Panthera tigris altaica, and the Indian tiger as Panthera tigris tigris.

Sumatran tigers enjoy swimming The tiger is an endangered species. The Bali and Caspian tigers are believed to be extinct and the other subspecies are restricted mainly to reserves in south-eastern Asia and India. Their numbers have dwindled because of heavy human predation-they are hunted for their skin and certain bones (thought to have healing powers in Chinese medicine)-and habitat destruction. The estimated population of tigers in the wild ranges from about 4,000 to 5,000. A noble tiger

This website was designed to provide the general public with a small amount of general knowledge of the tiger. This site is entirely self-funded and its continuing operation is only possible due to the donations of the very generous public. As a member of N A T A I wish to extende my thanks to all those who have donated their time and money, and as a small token on behalf of the whole N A T A team, we have provided an extra special picture of an endangered Sumatran Tiger. Click Here to receive our small token of thanks.

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Last updated: 16 October 2003

	The tiger is the largest member of the cat family. It lives in Asia and belongs to the same genus as the lion, leopard, and jaguar. Two major subspecies are the Siberian (Amur) tiger and the Indian tiger. The modern tiger is thought to have originated in northern Asia during the Pleistocene epoch (1.6 million to 10,000 years ago) and spread southward thereafter, crossing the Himalaya only about 10,000 years ago.
	The rare Siberian tiger measures 1.4 to 2.8 m (4.6 to 9.2 ft) long, not including the tail, which is 69 to 95 cm (27 to 37 in) in length, and weighs 180 to 306 kg (400 to 675 lb). It has thick yellow fur with dark stripes. The Indian tiger, which is about 3 m (10 ft) long, including the tail, and usually weighs 180 to 258 kg (400 to 569 lb), is found on the mainland of south-eastern Asia and in central and southern India. Its coat lies flatter than that of the Siberian tiger, the tawny colour is richer, and the stripes are darker. The tigers on the island of Sumatra are even smaller and darker. The female tiger is usually smaller than the male.	Tigers hunt as they live-alone. A night of searching for prey may cover 10 to 20 km (6 to 12 mi) of terrain.
The Siberian tiger has been hunted to near extinction in many Asian countries, where its body parts are sold for medicinal purposes and for cooking.	The tiger is a solitary animal, males and females coming together only at mating time, to share a kill, or to drink and rest at watering holes in areas with limited water. Tigers are very good swimmers, often taking to the water to cool off. The litter numbers one to six cubs, which are helpless when born and stay with the mother into their second year. Only one or two of the cubs survive the first two years of life. The diet is varied, ranging from deer and cattle to frogs and fish; carrion is also eaten. Tigers hunt at night, stalking their prey before they pounce. They use their sharp retractable claws to grasp their quarry and their strong teeth to deliver a fatal bite to the neck. The Indian tiger inhabits grassy or swampy areas and forests, where it is well camouflaged by its coloration. Tigers are territorial and the male's large territory often includes the territories of two or more females.	When a victim is in sight, the tiger uses the landscape and its own striped coloration, which breaks up the outline of its body against the tall grass, to camouflage its cautious approach. Within about 20 m (66 ft) of its quarry, it crouches and suddenly bounds forward, delivering a bite to the neck as it grasps the shoulders, back, or neck with its sharp claws. Only 5 to 10 per cent of the tiger's rushes are successful. Its average is 40 to 50 kills per year, or one kill every eight days. A tigress with young to feed must kill more often. Scientific classification: Tigers belong to the family Felidae and are classified as Panthera tigris. The Siberian (Amur) tiger subspecies is classified as Panthera tigris altaica, and the Indian tiger as Panthera tigris tigris.
	The tiger is an endangered species. The Bali and Caspian tigers are believed to be extinct and the other subspecies are restricted mainly to reserves in south-eastern Asia and India. Their numbers have dwindled because of heavy human predation-they are hunted for their skin and certain bones (thought to have healing powers in Chinese medicine)-and habitat destruction. The estimated population of tigers in the wild ranges from about 4,000 to 5,000.