TIGER
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest cat species, most recognisable for their
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, primarily preying on ungulates such as deer and bovids.
Tigers once ranged widely across Asia,
from Turkey in the west to the eastern
coast of Russia. Over the past 100 years, they have
lost 93% of their historic range, and have been extirpated from southwest and
central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali,
and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia.
Tigers are among the most recognisable and popular of the world's charismatic
megafauna. They have featured prominently in ancientmythology and folklore, and continue to be depicted in
modern films and literature. They appear on many flags, coats of arms, and asmascots for sporting teams. The tiger
is the national animal of Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and South Korea.
Taxonomy
In 1758, Linnaeus described
the tiger in his work Systema Naturae and gave it
the scientific name Felis
tigris. In 1929, the British taxonomist Reginald
Innes Pocock subordinated the species under the genus Panthera using the scientific
name Panthera tigris.
The word Panthera is probably of Oriental origin and retraceable to
the Ancient Greek word panther,
the Latin word panthera,
the Old French word pantere,
most likely meaning "the yellowish animal", or from pandarah meaning whitish-yellow.
The derivation from Greekpan- ("all")
and ther ("beast") may be folk etymology.
The specific
epithet, tigris, as well as the common name, tiger, come
from the Middle English tigre and
the Old English tigras (a
plural word), both used for the animal. These derive from the Old French tigre,
itself a derivative of the Latin word tigris and
the Greek wordtigris. The original source may have been the Persian tigra meaning
pointed or sharp and the Avestan tigrhi meaning an
arrow, perhaps referring to the speed with which a tiger launches itself at its
prey.
Evolution
The tiger's closest living relatives were previously thought to be the
lion, leopard and jaguar, all of which are classified under the genus Panthera. Genetic analysis indicates that the
tiger and the snow leoparddiverged
from the other Panthera species about 2.88 million years ago,
and that both species may be more closely related to each other than to the
lion, leopard and jaguar.
The oldest remains of an extinct tiger relative, called Panthera zdanskyi or the Longdan
tiger, have been found in the Gansu province of northwestern China.
This species is considered to be a sister taxon to the extant tiger and
lived about 2 million years ago, at the beginning of the Pleistocene.
The earliest fossils of true tigers are from Java, and are between 1.6 and
1.8 million years old. Distinct fossils are known from the early and middle
Pleistocene deposits in China and Sumatra. A subspecies called the Trinil tiger (Panthera tigris
trinilensis) lived about 1.2 million years ago and is known from fossils
found at Trinil in Java.
Surviving subspecies
of tiger
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Subspecies
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Description
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Lives in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, and is the most common
subspecies. In 2011, the total adult population was estimated at 1,520–1,909
in India, 440 in Bangladesh, 155 in Nepal and 75 in Bhutan.In 2014, the
population in India was estimated at 2,226,163–253 in Nepal and 103 in Bhutan as
of 2015. It lives in alluvial
grasslands, subtropical and tropical rainforests, scrub forests, wet and dry
deciduous forests, and mangroves. It is the second-largest of the
surviving subspecies. Males attain a total nose-to-tail length of 270 to
310 cm (110 to 120 in) and weigh between 180 to 258 kg (397 to
569 lb), while females range from 240 to 265 cm (94 to 104 in)
and 100 to 160 kg (220 to 350 lb). In northern India
and Nepal, the average is larger; males can weigh up to 235 kilograms
(518 lb), while females average 140 kilograms (310 lb).Coat colour varies
from light yellow to reddish yellow with black stripes.
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Is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. In 2010 the total population was
estimated at about 350 individuals.Their preferred habitat is forests in
mountainous or hilly regions.Males average 108
inches (270 cm) in total length and weigh between 150–195 kg
(331–430 lb), while females average 96 inches (240 cm) and
100–130 kg (220–290 lb).
·
Southeast Asia: Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and
Vietnam; extinct in Cambodia and China
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Exclusively found in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula. The
last native wild tiger in Singapore was shot dead in
1930.[28] Was not considered a
subspecies in its own right until a 2004 genetic analysis showed that they
are distinct in mtDNA and micro-satellite sequencesfrom the Indochinese
subspecies.[29] As of 2014 the total
population is estimated at fewer than 500 individuals,[30] though a new report
from September that year estimated it at between 250 and 340 individuals.[31] Males range in total
length from 190–280 cm (75–110 in) and weigh between 47.2 to
129.1 kg (104 to 285 lb), while females range from 180–260 cm
(71–102 in) and 24 to 88 kg (53 to 194 lb).[32]
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Inhabits the Amur-Ussuri region of Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai in far eastern Siberia, with the exception of a small
population in Hunchun National Siberian Tiger Nature Reserve in northeastern
China, near the border of North Korea. In 2005, there were
331–393 adult and subadult Siberian tigers in the region, with a breeding
adult population of about 250 individuals. As of 2015, there an estimated population
of 480-540 individuals in the Russian Far East. It is the largest
subspecies and ranks among the largest felids ever to have existed. Males
have a head and body length of between 190–230 cm (75–91 in) and
weigh between 180 to 306 kg (397 to 675 lb), while females average
160–180 cm (63–71 in) and 100 to 167 kg (220 to 368 lb).
Tail length is about 60–110 cm (24–43 in). Compared to other
subspecies, Siberian tigers have thicker coats, paler hues, and fewer stripes
in dark brown instead of black.
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Is the most critically endangered subspecies
of tiger, and one of the 10 most endangered animals in the world.Despite unconfirmed
reports and some evidence of footprints, there has been no confirmed wild
sighting in over 25 years, leading experts to consider it "functionally
extinct", with the entire known population of roughly 65+ individuals
held in captivity. It is the
second-smallest subspecies. Males range in total length from 230–260 cm
(91–102 in) and weigh between 130 to 180 kg (290 to 400 lb),
while females range from 220–240 cm (87–94 in) and 100 to
110 kg (220 to 240 lb). The South China tiger is considered to be
the most ancient of the tiger subspecies and is distinguished by a
particularly narrow skull, long muzzle nose, rhombus-like stripes and vivid orange colour.
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East Asia: Extinct in
the wild of China
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Found only on the island of Sumatra, and is thus the last surviving of
the three Indonesian island subspecies. Listed as a distinct subspecies as of
1998, when genetic testing revealed the presence of unique genetic markers,
and is critically endangered As of 2014 the wild
population is estimated at between 400 and 500, seen chiefly in the island's national parks. It is the smallest
of all living tigers. Males range in total length from 220 to 255 cm (87
to 100 in) and weigh between 100 to 140 kg (220 to 310 lb),
while females range between 215 to 230 cm (85 to 91 in) and 75 to
110 kg (165 to 243 lb).Their reduced size
is an adaptation to the thick, dense forests and smaller prey in their native
habitat. This subspecies also has the darkest coat, with more narrowly spaced
stripes and a longer mane and beard.
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EXTINCT
TIGERS
Extinct
subspecies of tiger
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Subspecies
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Description
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Was limited to the Indonesian
island of Bali. Had a weight of 90–100 kg
(200–220 lb) in males and 65–80 kg (143–176 lb) in
females.Bali tigers were hunted to extinction; the last Bali tiger, an adult
female, is thought to have been killed at Sumbar Kima, West Bali, on 27
September 1937, Southeast Asia: Extinct in Indonesia
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Was found
in the sparse forest habitats and riverine corridors west and south of
the Caspian Sea and
east through Central Asiainto
the Takla-Makan desert of Xinjiang, and had been recorded in the
wild until the early 1970s.The Siberian tiger is the genetically closest
living relative of the Caspian tiger.[47]
· East Asia: Extinct in China and Mongolia
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Was
limited to the island of Java, and
had been recorded until the mid-1970s.Javan tigers were larger than Bali
tigers; males weighed 100–141 kg (220–311 lb) and females
75–115 kg (165–254 lb).After 1979, no more sightings were confirmed
in the region of Mount
Betiri.
· Southeast Asia: Extinct in Indonesia
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DIET
In the wild, tigers mostly feed on large and medium-sixed
animal, preffering native ungulates weighing at least 90 kg (200 lb). They typically
have little or no deletirous effecr on their prey populations. Sambar deer,
chital, barasingha, wild boar, gaur, niglai, and both water buffalo and
domestic buffalo, in descending order of prefrence, are the tiger’s favoured
prey in Tamil nadu, India. They also prey on other predators, including dogs,
leopards, pythons, sloth bears, and crocodiles. In Siberia, the main prey
species are Manchurian wapiti and wild boar followed by sika deer, moose, roe
deer, and musk deer. Asiatic black bears and ussuri brown bears may also fall
prey to tigers and they constitute up to 40.7 % of the diet of Siberian tigers
depending on local condition and the bear population . In Sumatra, prey include
sambar deer, muntjac, wild boar, Malayan tapir, and orangutan. In the former
Caspian tiger’s range, prey included saiga antelope, camels,caucasian wisent,
yak, and wild horses. Like many predators, tigers are oppurtunistic and may eat much smaller prey, such as
monkeys, peafowl, and other ground-based birds, hares, porcupines, and fish
Colour variations
White tigers are more frequently bred in captivity, where the comparatively
small gene pool can lead to inbreeding. This has given white tigers a
greater likelihood of being born with physical defects, such as cleft palate, scoliosis(curvature of the spine),
and strabismus (squint). Even
apparently healthy white tigers generally do not live as long as their orange
counterparts. Attempts have been made to cross white and orange tigers to
remedy this, often mixing with other subspecies in the process.
Another recessive gene creates the "golden" or "golden
tabby" colour variation, sometimes known as "strawberry".Golden tigers have thicker than usual
light-gold fur, pale legs, and faint orange stripes. Few golden tigers are kept
in captivity; they are invariably at least part Bengal.
VIDEO
Link: https://youtu.be/WyAdbOYglJ0
QUESTIONS
1. 1.
Tiger is classified in the same genus with,
except
a.
Lion
b.
Jaguar
c. Panther
d.
Leopard
e.
Snow leopard
2.
The tiger is the national animal in…
a.
Indonesia
b.
Thailand
c.
Laos
d. Malaysia
e.
Timor leste
3.
What is the meaning of tigra?
a.
Flawless
b.
Strong
c.
Charismatic
d. Pointed
e.
Cool
4.
Where was the earliest tiger fossils founded?
a.
Bangkok
b. Trinil
c.
London
d.
Bangladesh
e.
Siberia
5.
What Caspian’s tiger diet range?
a.
Muntjac
b.
Bear
c. Yak
d.
Buffalo
e.
Sloth
6.
What is tiger subspecies that is extinct?
a. Caspian Tiger
b.
Malayan Tiger
c.
Indochinese tiger
d.
Siberian Tiger
e.
Sumatran tiger
7.
What is tiger’s genus?
a. Panthera
b.
Puma
c.
Felis
d.
Oryza
e.
Homo
8.
What is tiger habitat range?, except
a.
Asia
b.
Turkey
c.
Russia
d. America
e.
Europe
9. Golden Tiger is called…
a.
Blueberry
b. Strawberry
c.
Orange
d.
Dragon
e.
Peach
10.
What is the colour variation of tiger?
a.
Black Tiger
b. Golden tiger
c.
Orange tiger
d.
Albino tiger
e.
Grey tiger
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