Tigers: Geographic Distribution, Traits, and Characteristics
Introduction
Tigers (and all other carnivores) have descended from miacids that lived during the ice-age. Approximately 37 cat species exist today, including Panthera tigris, the tiger. All throughout the world the tiger holds fascination for many people. Certain cultures retain the tiger as a symbol of strength, which has a mysterious aura surrounding it. But the fact remains that the tiger is in danger of extinction. Welcome, you are about to enter the world of the tiger...
Evolution:
The oldest known felids including tigers are believed to have evolved over 1 million years ago in Asia. From there the tiger spread north to the Amur region of eastern Russia, south to the islands of Indonesia, and southwest to Indochina and the Indian subcontinent, eastern Turkey, and the Caspian Sea. The tiger has distinct traits & at times is grouped as a separate sub genus.
Distribution:
It is widely distributed over the forests of India ranging from the sub-alpine Himalayas to down south and across east-west, but excluding Kashmir valley and the desert and arid portions of Rajasthan and Kutch.
Distinctive traits:
The tiger (panthera tigris) is one of the biggest and most fearsome predators in the world. The body bears black stripes against a brownish yellow to rufous background with a white underside. The adult animal is solitary and strongly territorial when inhabiting better habitats having fair prey density. The territory of the male in such cases encompasses smaller territories of two or more females. The distinctive colour scheme of the tiger allows it to camouflage unseen in the forest.
Age:
The life span of tigers in the wild on an average is around 8 to 15 years. Tigers in zoos live longer (between 16 and 20 years).
Vision:
Tigers have round pupils and yellow irises (except for the blue eyes of white tigers). Due to a retinal adaptation that reflects light back to the retina, the night vision of tigers is six times better than
Tigers (and all other carnivores) have descended from miacids that lived during the ice-age. Approximately 37 cat species exist today, including Panthera tigris, the tiger. All throughout the world the tiger holds fascination for many people. Certain cultures retain the tiger as a symbol of strength, which has a mysterious aura surrounding it. But the fact remains that the tiger is in danger of extinction. Welcome, you are about to enter the world of the tiger...
Evolution:
The oldest known felids including tigers are believed to have evolved over 1 million years ago in Asia. From there the tiger spread north to the Amur region of eastern Russia, south to the islands of Indonesia, and southwest to Indochina and the Indian subcontinent, eastern Turkey, and the Caspian Sea. The tiger has distinct traits & at times is grouped as a separate sub genus.
Distribution:
It is widely distributed over the forests of India ranging from the sub-alpine Himalayas to down south and across east-west, but excluding Kashmir valley and the desert and arid portions of Rajasthan and Kutch.
Distinctive traits:
The tiger (panthera tigris) is one of the biggest and most fearsome predators in the world. The body bears black stripes against a brownish yellow to rufous background with a white underside. The adult animal is solitary and strongly territorial when inhabiting better habitats having fair prey density. The territory of the male in such cases encompasses smaller territories of two or more females. The distinctive colour scheme of the tiger allows it to camouflage unseen in the forest.
Age:
The life span of tigers in the wild on an average is around 8 to 15 years. Tigers in zoos live longer (between 16 and 20 years).
Vision:
Tigers have round pupils and yellow irises (except for the blue eyes of white tigers). Due to a retinal adaptation that reflects light back to the retina, the night vision of tigers is six times better than