kingdom: animalia
phylum:chordata
class:mammalia
order: carnivora
family:felidae
genus: panthera
Species: tigris
sub-species: tigris

{ INTRODUCTION } { BENGAL TIGER } { SIBERIAN TIGER } { INDO-CHINESE TIGER }
{ SOUTH CHINA TIGER } { SUMATRAN } { EXTINCT TIGERS }  {TIGER MEDICINE TRADE }
{ TIGER PICTURE GALLERIES } { TIGER CLIPART } { LINKS } CONTACT ME }

Welcome to my Panthera Tigris Pages, A big thanks to Christana From Christana's Big Cat's of the World web site for allowing me permission to use information from her pages, you can find her on my links page... .

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Appearance
Tigers (Panthera tigris) are the largest of all the cats, the Siberian measuring as big as 10 feet from the head to the tip of its tail. Its
head, body, tail and limbs are covered in narrow black or dark
brown stripes, and sometimes grey, giving it the distinct physical
appearance that sets it apart from the other big cats. It's long thick
fur varies in colour, depending on the sub-species, and ranges
from a rusty orange to a yellow orange, with the underparts being creamy to white. They are also known to be white, pure white and even golden, but these forms are quite rare, particularly the golden. These colour variations are only known to exist in the Bengal tigers
(Panthera tigris tigris). Their coats become thicker and paler in colour in the colder regions, particularly where the Siberian tiger inhabits in the northern areas of Russia, whereas in the tropical climates it is shorter and darker. Size and colour is dependant on its region. In all sub-species, males appear to have longer fur around the back of their heads, referred to as a "ruff", that is specifically distinct in
the Sumatran males.

Tigers have long hind legs that are believed to assist them in jumping, with their front legs heavily muscled and paws that have long sharp retractile claws. They also have very powerful jaws that can kill their prey with one quick bite.As the largest cat in the world, the tiger measures from 119cm to 290cm overall, with their tail lengths between 53cm and 119cm, and standing from 85cm to 124cm in height. The Sumatran tiger is smaller, weighing 75kg to 140kg, in comparison to the large Siberian tiger's weight of 100kg to 306kg.

Man-eater
The greatest misconception of the tiger is perhaps that they are
thought to be man-eaters, and although they are considered to
be aggressive in their natural habitat, they are not naturally a
threat to man. The only exception to this rule are the tigers that
inhabit a mangrove swamp area known as the Sunderbans. For
some unknown reason, these tigers attack and kill man, which is
generally uncharacteristic of this cat, and this is what probable
contributes to the notion that they are indeed man-eaters. Tigers
will generally only attack man if they are an old or injured animal
unable to obtain its normal prey, therefore resorting to man-eating.

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{ INTRODUCTION } { BENGAL TIGER } { SIBERIAN TIGER } { INDO-CHINESE TIGER }
{ SOUTH CHINA TIGER } { SUMATRAN } { EXTINCT TIGERS }  {TIGER MEDICINE TRADE }
{ TIGER PICTURE GALLERIES } { TIGER CLIPART } { LINKS } CONTACT ME }