Look & Appearance

In terms of looks, white tigers have a distinctly pink nose, blue eyes and of course a white or creamy colored fur. These beautiful tigers are often much larger than their orange brothers and sisters, growing up to 3 meters in length and weighing up to 200-230 Kilograms in weight. These size differences exist both as babies and into maturity which usually occurs by 2-3 years of age.

Unethical Breeding

Due to their larger size and the unique white color zoos, circuses and private owners have turned the breeding and rearing of white tigers into big business. In the wild white tigers are extremely rare due to the scarcity and low probability of a tiger inheriting both recessive genes (chances are 1 in 10,000) but in captivity breeders are taking white tigers and breeding them with each other. Father with daughter, brother with sister etc.

The fact that these establishments are involved in such inbreeding is not only disturbing but it causes many defects and problems in these new born cubs. As with most breeding genetic variation is essential and limiting the gene pool just to create a white tiger causes long term problems such as distorted spines, mental deficiancy, crossed eyes, as well as an overall low tolerance to illness and disease.

Why do they keep inbreeding ?

The answer of course is related to money. White tigers are a part of the ever expanding exotic animals trade which has grown to become a multi million dollar business and is second only to the illegal drug trade business.

Zoo’s, circuses and private owners openly admit that the white tiger serves as a great attraction for visitors increasing visitors and of course revenues. A white tiger can sell for as much as $100,000 so if you already own a couple why not breed them create some cubs and sell them off for some extra profit.

It’s unfortunate but this is exactly what happens and due to the extreme problems and abnormalities that occur when inbreeding occurs many of the new born cubs either die extremely young or come out so deformed that they are either killed or given away to freak shows where they live an extremely poor standard of living.

Remember it’s not as if white tigers must be bred with each other, they’re not a separate sub-species of tiger, rather they’re 100% identical to the orange bengal tiger except for their unusual color. This means they can happily coexist and mate with a normal orange bengal tiger to produce healthy offspring.

Establishments and individuals who claim their trying to save or keep the species alive are simply manipulating the truth to keep their unethical activities alive. Breeding of white tigers is nothing short of evil and benefits the tiger species in no way what so ever.

The Javan Tiger

To start things off lets talk about the Javan tiger which has been completely eradicated since the 1980’s. Originating from the Indonesian island of Java, these tigers were relatively small in size with the average male weighing just 130 kilograms (Female was around 90 Kilograms). These tigers were destroyed due to heavy hunting and a shrinking jungle habitat (again thanks to ever expanding business and human needs).

The Javan tiger population was down to around 24 tigers by the 1950’s and only 12-13 by the mid 1970’s. Despite some reports suggesting the sighting of one or more of these tigers in the Javan jungle there is no official confirmation or proof of these reports. As far as research goes, it’s thought that the last three Javan tigers alive died in 1979.

The Bali Tiger

The Bali tigers which are also extinct were residents of the Bali island in Indonesia. No official reports of their existence have popped up after the year 1937. In fact, the last time one of these tigers was seen was when it was hunted down and killed in 1925. Researchers waited anxiously for over a decade after that before losing hope of finding any Bali tigers and declaring them officially extinct in 1937.

In terms of size Bali tigers were the smallest of them all, with a total body weight of around 90 kilograms for males and 70 kilograms for females these tigers were amply suited to their jungle environment. In terms of looks they had a short fur which was dark and a smaller number of sparsely distributed stripes.

The Caspian Tiger

Caspian tigers (sometimes known as Persian tigers) once existed in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and other neighboring countries. It is believed that Caspian tigers were last seen alive in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Again despite several reports having been made about spotting them nothing has been officially confirmed leaving us with yet another extinct species.

Caspian tigers in terms of looks had a thick fur, and were once again small in size with relatively small ears. They used to breed mainly in spring time and were not very fond of contact with humans (who once again contributed to their extinction). It’s believed that the last Caspian tiger was either shot dead in Iran or in Northern Iraq in the early 1960’s.

Final Words

We hope that after reading the above you are fully aware of the scale of the situation. Tigers are becoming extinct, one by one each subspecies is dissappearing never to be seen on this earth again. This is not only disturbing but extremely astonishing that in this day and age with all the technology and means to keep a species alive this continues to happen.

Blame it on God, blame it on humans, blame it on aliens the bottom line is that the extinction of tigers is on the horizon. The exact extinction date of this species cannot be predicted but what’s already quite clear is that it’s approaching very soon.

Despite such negative sentiments and the real loss of many of the tiger species there are still a few that can be saved and this is where our efforts should be foccussed. To keep any species alive its more than just keeping them in zoos but actively protecting their environments and breaking down the red tape that prevents the implementation of laws and policies outlawing the poaching of these helpless cats.

The bad news is that Sumatran tigers are endangered specie, with the total population not exceeding five hundreds. This is why the Indonesian government tries to preserve them within national parks (out of fear of them being hunted), and tries to breed them as possible.
Another major reason behind the very small Sumatran tiger population is that their natural habitat was destroyed, whether it is by mining activities, urbanization, etc…

Sumatran tigers are known for their relatively small size compared to other tiger subspecies. Male Sumatran tigers are between 200 to 250 cm in length and weight between 120 and 150 kilograms. Female Sumatran tigers are between 180 to 210 cm in length generally with a weight ranging between 80 and 110 kilograms.
Their small size has helped them become fast runners and as such have less problem hunting for their preys. Their bones structure, especially around the legs and toes makes them also quiet good at swimming.

When it comes to breeding, Sumatran tigers follow the general tiger breeding criteria: they can mate usually at anytime during the year but may sometime be more active during the spring. The female Sumatran tiger goes into a three and a half gestation period before giving birth.

Like cats, small cubs are born with their eyes closed and it takes them around two weeks to open them. They follow a milk only diet during the first couple of month of them being born, and they stay close to their mother who takes real good care of them and protects them from dangers. They may start developing hunting skills (with the help of their mother at first) starting the fifth to sixth month. It might take them a full year before they become well skilled.

When it comes to food, Sumatran tigers are seen to prefer night time prey hunting, when they can use their good senses and the cover of the night in order for them to surprise the preys. They prefer hunting for bears and deers, but they have no problem eating any kind of meat whenever they are hungry.

Despite all the efforts taking place in order to preserve the Sumatran tigers, it is believed that around 60 to 70 tigers were shot dead during the late years of the 90’s. Such a number may look small to the reader, but in fact represents close to fifteen percent of the total Sumatran tiger population.

These lovely tigers were larger in number only a few decades ago, and were sometimes called north China tigers as they could also be found in north China, in addition to Mongolia and Korea. Then they started getting fewer to the extinct where one could no longer find them in south Korea, and their population is very rare in China (a couple dozen) and Mongolia. They kept decreasing in size until reaching only a fewer dozens (less than 50) in the mid 20th century. It is then that efforts started taking place in order to save them from extinction. They are now heavily protected in their regions and mostly kept in zoos where a close eye can kept on them. Luckily, over five hundred Siberian tigers can be accounted for nowadays, but still, this is considered a very low number (close to the Sumatran tiger population).

Siberian tigers are one of the largest tigers around. The males are around 200 to 240 cm in length and weight in excess of 310 kilograms. Females are a smaller in size with length up to around 180cm and a weight averaging around 140 kilograms.

Siberian tigers have a key difference in the way their fur looks: the stripes are not pure black, rather there are moderate to dark brown. Other parts of the fur are also relatively lighter in color than that of other tiger subspecies.
Also, the feet of the Siberian tigers is quiet bigger than others, and this is what helps them adapt to the cold regions they are found in (mentioned above), and as such run and hunt in the snow without major problems.

They are natural born hunters, and they are the most fearless of tiger subspecies. They like to use their skills in the wild and as such feeding them dead meat may be of bad influence on their well being.
They like bears (any kind, not just the small in size), deers and what not. They may also rely on smaller animals in case they can’t find their favorite. As such, do not be amazed seeing them hunting for rabbits!

Siberian tigers can breed at anytime during the year. The female tiger starts urinating and using her claws to mark trees in order to give the male tiger a signal stating she is ready to mate. Whenever the male Siberian tiger finds such traces, he follows them and goes into solitude with the female for around a week. Gestation period is like the other tiger subspecies’ average, which is around three and a half weeks.

The diet of Bengal Tigers consists mainly of medium to large-sized animals. Able to consume around 30kg in one sitting, their favorite preys include wild boars, buffalos, deer and wild pigs. They usually hunt at night, where a tiger can blend in effectively with the surroundings before surprising their victims. They can also hunt during the day if necessary, and the striped pattern on the tiger’s fur helps it to camouflage. Although they do not typically hunt humans, they may do so in cases of extreme hunger.

Today, the populations of Bengal Tigers stand at around 4,500. In the 1970s, the numbers were much smaller, but projects have helped the population to re-grow. Today, deforestation and urbanization have a major impact on the Bengal Tiger population. Tigers are forced to move out from their natural habitats and as a result can no longer easily find their daily food.
Bengal Tigers are sometimes hunted for their fur or their body parts, which can be used in traditional Chinese medicine. Although there are strict rules against hunting tigers, many animal preservation agencies say that tigers are still being hunted throughout India and Bangladesh, even inside national parks themselves.

Several projects have been set-up by government agencies to help conserve the Bengal Tiger population, the largest one being ‘Project Tiger’. While they no doubt have played a major part in the fairly successful conservation project, they are also subject to criticism by several activists, who claim that the projects have not been efficiently organized and that tiger numbers may have been inflated by the agencies in order to protect jobs. One particularly controversial incident was the complete loss of the Bengal Tiger population in the ‘Sariska Tiger Reserve’ as a result of hunting.

The Bengal Tigers play a major role in the heritage of India and Bangladesh. Sadly, these beautiful animals have been driven to near extinction as a consequence of urbanization and hunting. It is important that the public is made aware of the efforts that are taking place in order to save these amazing and important animals. It is only then that they have a chance to survive.

Tigerdata.info is dedicated to the study and dissemination of useful articles related to the tiger. This opening article is a quick introduction to tigers, what they are and where you find them. So lets get straight into the details.

Tigers, otherwise known as Panthera Tigris are the largest and most powerful of the cat family, the orange and black striped coat isn’t just for beauty but gives the cat a formidable disguise in dense undergrowth. These cats despite their size (6-12 foot in lenght, and up to 300 kg in weight) are excellent at sneaking up and ambushing their prey. Their prey usually consists of hoofed mammals like pigs, deer, cattle and other small mammals.

Now despite such power and stealth tigers lack the speed of other cats which means their powerful legs which allow them to make leaps as far as 10m (33 feet) in length are even more essential. Combine a powerful jump with retractable claws (they won’t get worn down in day to day life) and a foreshortened jaw (gives them a crushing bite) and you have a deadly jungle predator.

In terms of living tigers live a predominantly solitary life keeping to themselves. Despite this tiger groups do exist but these are usually groups of mothers with their young. A tiger mother will usually rear 2-4 cubs in her lifetime and will usually stick with its cubs for around 2 years before letting them go alone. A tiger cub will usually reach full maturity at around 3-4 years old so despite it sounding like a long time at 2 years the young tiger still has a lot to learn. In terms of overall lifespan you can expect a tiger to reach 15 years of age, however with so much hunting and poaching these days there luck to live that long.

Tigers have a high level of social tolerance which means accidental disputes and fights are usually kept to a minimum. Despite this clear boundaries between tiger territories are usually marked just incase, but with all this information infront of us the biggest threat to tigers are still human poachers who have sent the species into a downward spiral and on the verge of extinction.

South China tigers are not only one of the very endangered tiger species, but it is also considered to be THE one that is most likely to be extinct within a very short period if no real breeding and preservation efforts take place.

Experts estimate that the south China tiger population does not exceed two to three dozens only! This has earned it a ranking between the world’s top 10 animals that are on the verge of extinction � pretty sad.

What has mainly contributed to the reduction of the South Chinese tiger population is the amount of illegal hunting that was taking place in these southern forests, in addition to the reduction in the number of preys it can hunt (again, mostly due to humans).

These very tigers are now taking refuge in mountains within the area rather than open forests.
We have to also keep in mind that starting the 1960s, tigers were proclaimed a danger to humans in China, and as such hunting them down was taking place. This decision was reversed too late, almost two decades later. The South China tiger population had by then been reduced by more than 95%.

South China tigers (sometimes referred to as south Chinese tigers) are small in size, with the male ranging between 220 to 260 cm in length and around 140-170 kilograms in weight. Females are smaller in size (this is normal when it comes to tigers and similar mammals) with a length varying usually between 200 to 250 cm and a weight of around 120 kilograms. Their fur differs a bit from that of other subspecies, given that the stripes are somewhat thinner and more spaced along the body.

South China tigers are known for their patience and love for hunting. They would not get tired of spending several hours a day looking after preys. They also don’t mind attacking animals that are of equivalent weight if not more. But when it comes to hunger, they would settle down for anything, even small animals and insects.

If their prey is big, they try to suffocate it once they catch it, else they would simply attack lethally with their long teeth. They have no problem in attacking humans, and they have done many times in the past. So caution is required if one got to (ever) meet one in the wild.