Tiger

CLASSIFICATION     GENERAL INFO    SPECIAL FEATURES   HABITAT      DIET     REPRODUCTION          BODY SYSTEMS             HUMAN IMPACT         WEBLINKS        SOURCES  

CLASSIFICATION:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus species: Panthera tigris

SPECIAL FEATURES
A tiger, depending on the subspecies, has about 100 black stripes over a rusty-brown color. A tigers stripes are like a humans fingerprints and can be used for identification. The stripes also help camouflage the animal while it's hunting.

REPRODUCTION
The mating season can occur year round, but is generally more common between November and April. A female is only receptive for a few days and mating is frequent during that time period. The tiger reproduces internally and is pregnant for about 16 weeks. There are 3-4 cubs in each liter with one dominant cub, usually male. The tiger reaches its sexual maturity at 4-5 years.

The tiger is a carnivorous mammal. It is the largest living cat that can grow to be as large as 11 feet long and weigh up to 700 lbs. They are an endangered species with only about 7,300 left in the wild. They live to be about 10- 15 years old. Even though the tiger is a ferocious carnivore they usually do not attack humans. Only on rare occasions have there been cases where old or wounded tigers have attacked humans.

BODY SYSTEMS
Integumentary: Skin with fur made of keratin with stripes. Every tiger has a different pattern of stripes.

Skeletal: Endoskeleton made of bones.

Digestive: The digestive system consists of the stomach, liver, pancreas, small intestine, and large intestine.

Respratory: 2 lungs that exchange oxygen required to fuel the high metabolism of endothermic animals. Diaphragm to pull air into lungs.

Circulatory: 2 loop system with a 4 chamber heart.

Excretory: Tigers kidneys excrete urea from the blood and dilute to make urine.

Reproductive: 2 seperate sexes (male and female), internal fertilization.

Nervous: Complex brain with large cerebrum capable of solving problems. A dorsal spinal chord running along the spine.

DIET:
Tigers feed on medium sized animals, such as a waterbuffalo or boar. They also can prey on crocodiles, sloths, and leopards. Even though the tiger goes for the bigger animals it is an oportunist and will ocassionally go after a monkey, a fish, or snakes depending on where they live.

HUMAN IMPACT:
Today the tiger range is only 7% of what it used to be. Furthermore, within the last decade alone, the estimated area known to be occupied by tigers has declinded by 41%.

WEBLINKS:

FUN TIGER GAME

http://www.worldwildlife.org/fun/quizzes/tigers/

Tiger Videos

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/mammals-animals/cats/lion_african_hunting.html