Tiger cubs leave their mother when they are around 2 years of age.

A group of tigers is known as an ‘ambush’ or ‘streak’.

There are more tigers held privately as pets than there are in the wild.

Tigers

The tiger is the largest member of the cat family found in the wild. It is native to much of eastern and southern Asia. The word “tiger” is taken from the Greek word “tigris”, which is possibly derived from a Persian source meaning “arrow” – a reference to the animal’s speed and also the origin for the name of the Tigris River.

There are currently six subspecies of tigers, including (in descending order of wild population) the Bengal Tiger, the Indochinese Tiger, the Malayan Tiger, the Sumatran Tiger, the Siberian tiger, and the South China Tiger. All of these subspecies are endangered, with several of them being very close to extinction.

The tiger’s life expectancy is between 10 and 15 years in the wild and more than 20 years in captivity.

Did you know?

Tigers can reach a length of up to 11 feet and weigh as much as 660 pounds.

Around half of tiger cubs don’t live beyond two years of age.

Tigers are good swimmers and can swim up to 3 miles.

Tigers have been known to reach speeds up to 40 mph. They hunt alone at night time. Less than 10% of hunts end successfully for tigers.

Many subspecies of the tiger are either endangered or already extinct. Humans are the primary cause of this through hunting and the destruction of habitats.

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