Facts

Weight: Siberian tigers are the heaviest subspecies at 500
or more pounds, with males heavier than females. The
lightest subspecies is the Sumatran; males weigh about 250 pounds
and females around 200 pounds.

Measurements: Depending on the subspecies, the head-body
length of a tiger is about 41/2 to 9 feet. The length
of the tail is 3 to 4 feet. The foot pads vary in size
with age, resulting in inaccurate estimates when used in censusing
wild populations.

Eyes: 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 that of humans.

Claws: Like domestic cats, tiger claws are retractable.
Tiger scratches on trees serve as territorial markers.

Stripes: No one knows exactly why tigers are striped, but
scientists think that the stripes act as camouflage, and help
tigers hide from their prey. The Sumatran tiger has the most
stripes of all the tiger subspecies, and the Siberian tiger has
the fewest stripes. Tiger stripes are like human fingerprints; no
two tigers have the same pattern of stripes.

Life span: The life span of tigers in the wild is thought
to be about 10 years. Tigers in zoos live twice as long.

Cubs: Tiger cubs are born blind and weigh only about 2 to 3
pounds, depending on the subspecies. They live on milk for
6-8 weeks before the female begins taking them to kills to feed.
Tigers have fully developed canines by 16 months of age, but they
do not begin making their own kills until about 18 months of age.

Head: Often carries the Chinese mark of wang or king on the
forehead.

Return to tiger home page