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The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest cat species, reaching a total
body length of up to 3.38 m (11.1 ft) over curves and weighing up to
388.7 kg (857 lb) in the wild. Its most recognisable feature is a
pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter
underside. The species is classified in the genus Panthera with
the lion, leopard, jaguar and snow leopard. Tigers are apex
predators.
The largest of all the Asian big cats, tigers rely primarily on sight and
sound rather than smell. They typically hunt alone and stalk prey. A
tiger can consume up to 88 pounds of meat at one time. On average,
tigers give birth to 2-3 cubs every 2-2.5 years. If all the cubs in one
litter die, a second litter may be produced within 5 months.
Tigers generally gain independence at two years of age and attain
sexual maturity at 3-4 years for females and at 4-5 years for males.
Juvenile mortality is high howeverabout half of all cubs do not
survive more than two years. Tigers have been known to reach the
age of 26 years in the wild.
Males of the largest subspecies, the Amur (Siberian) tiger, may
weigh up to 660 pounds. For males of the smallest subspeciesthe
Sumatran tigerupper range is at around 310 pounds. Within each
subspecies, males are heavier than females.
Tigers are mostly solitary, apart from associations between mother
and offspring. Individual tigers have a large territory and the size is
determined mostly by the availability of prey. Although individuals
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PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Size
Cline Morphology
Four out the five living tiger subspecies' morphology (physical
structure and appearance) exhibit a cline. A cline occurs when a
single species gradually begins to look different over its geographic
distribution as it adapts to varying climates and habitats. Therefore
the species at the northern end of their geographic distribution may
look very different in size, color, hair-density, etc. than their
southern counterparts. The Tiger cline depicts subspecies decrease
in size and have darker stripe coloration the further south their
range extends.
The largest tigers are found in the north, gradually
becoming smaller in the south.
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The hind legs of the tiger are longer than their front legs. This
characteristic enables them to leap forward distances up to 10
meters (32.5 ft).
The bones of the tiger's front legs are strong and dense to
support the large musculature needed to take down large
prey.
The bones in each of the tiger's feet are tightly connected by
ligaments enabling them to buffer the impact of landing from
running, pouncing and leaping.
The padded feet of a Bengal tiger that enables it to silently stalk prey
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The stout, rounded shape of the tiger's head provides support for its powerful
jaws.
The sagittal crest is a bony ridge on top of the tiger's skull that attaches its
powerful jaw muscles.
Dentition
Tigers have fewer teeth than other carnivores such as dogs
(42 teeth) with only 30 teeth.
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All cats have deciduous (temporary) teeth that come in NAGINA CHAWLA
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within a week or two after birth. These teeth are
referred to as milk teeth similar to humans' baby teeth. The
milk teeth are eventually replaced by the permanent ones.
Therefore they are seldom without a set of teeth.
Tigers have the largest canines of all big cat species ranging
in size from 6.4 to 7.6 centimeters (2.5 to 3.0 in) in length.
The canines have abundant pressure-sensing nerves that
enable the tiger to identify the location needed to sever the
neck of its prey.
The back teeth of the tiger are called carnassials which
enables the tiger to shear meat from their prey like knife
blades. They swallow large-sheared pieces of meat whole.
Tigers are capable of penetrating deeply into their prey
because of the large gap between the carnassials (back teeth)
and the canines hold prey tightly.
The small incisors located in the front of the mouth (between
the two top and bottom canines) enable the tiger to pick off
meat and feathers from their prey.
Digestion
The process of converting meat to protein (needed for energy)
is significantly less complicated in carnivores than it is to
convert grass to protein as some herbivores require.
Carnivores do not require the vast amount of microbes
(microscopic bacteria) living in their intestines to break down
indigestible plant cellulose. Therefore tigers and other
carnivores have small and light weight stomachs that do not
hinder them when they are accelerating quickly to chase prey.
Tail
A tiger's tail is about one meter in length (3 ft) and may play a
part in their visual communication (see
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communication- vision section).
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Tigers use their tail for balance when making sharp turns in
pursuit of prey.
Tongue
The tiger's tongue is covered with numerous small, sharp,
rear-facing projections called papillae. These papillae gives the
tongue is rough, rasping texture and is designed to help strip
feathers, fur and meat from prey.
Tigers have papillae-covered tongues that help them strip feathers, fur and meat
from prey.
Single-loop striping
Double-loop striping
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Tigers have distinctive white circular spots on the backside of their ears.
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Cubs follow their mother out of the den at around 8 weeks and
become independent at around 18 months of age. They leave their
mothers at about 2 years. Mothers guard their young from
wandering males that may kill the cubs to make the female
receptive to mating.
THREATS TO TIGERS
As climate change continues to warm the planet, tigers are feeling the
heat. As we see ocean levels rise, tigers are losing habitat due to costal
erosion in areas like India's Sundarban islands. As rising sea levels
claim more habitat and sea water moves up river, naturally fresh water
is becoming more saline, or more highly concentrated with salt. These
factors are forcing the tigers to move northward towards areas more
heavily populated by humans and increasing the likelihood of
animal/human conflicts.
Tigers are also facing many other threats. They are illegally killed or
poached because their pelts are valuable in the black market trade,
their body parts are used in traditional Asian medicines and they are
seen as threats to human communities. There is also large scale
habitat loss due to human population growth and expansion. Human
encroachment into tiger habitat also decreases prey animals.
The tiger's closest living relatives are the lion, leopard and jaguar, all of
which are classified under the genus Panthera. A 2010 genetic analysis
shows the tiger began evolving 3.2 million years ago, and it may be
more closely related to the snow leopard than other Panthera species.
Wild tiger numbers are at an all-time low. We have lost 97% of wild
tigers in just over a century. Tigers may be one of the most revered
animals, but they are also vulnerable to extinction. As few as 3,200
exist in the wild today.
HABITAT LOSS
Tigers have lost 93% of their historic range. Their habitat has been
destroyed, degraded and fragmented by human activities, including
the clearing of forests for agriculture and timber trade and
development activities such as the building of road networks. Fewer
tigers can survive in small, scattered islands of habitat, which lead to a
higher risk of inbreeding. These small islands of habitat also make
tigers more vulnerable to poaching.
HUMAN WILDLIFE CONFLICT
People and tigers increasingly compete for space. The conflict
threatens the worlds remaining wild tigers and poses a major problem
for communities living in or near tiger forests. As forests shrink and
prey gets scarce, tigers are forced to hunt domestic livestock, which
many local communities depend on for their livelihood. In retaliation,
tigers are killed or captured. Conflict tigers are known to end up for
will increase the gene pool for the tigers, which will lead to more
diversity, higher birth rates, and higher cub survival.
The STF founded in 1995 by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
(NFWF) and focuses on preserving wild tigers. The World Wildlife Fund
(WWF) also contributes to tiger conservation. They have set an
ambitious goal called Tx2 to double the wild tiger population by 2022.
The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) is an alliance between governments
created to save wild tigers from going extinct founded in June of 2008.
[44] Among other successful conservation programs the GTI developed
The Global Tiger Recovery Program (GRTP) to assist in reaching the
goal of doubling the number of wild tigers through effective
management and restoration of tiger habitats; the elimination of
poaching, smuggling, and illegal trade of tigers, and their parts;
collaboration to manage borders and in stopping illegal
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trade; working with indigenous and local communities; and
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returning tigers to their former range.
2010ARA118
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DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
GNDU
AMRITSAR