Tigers are the largest members of the cat family and are renowned for their power and strength. The tigers are extremely territorial and solitary animal. They are native to the east and southern Asia, with the growing to around 2.5 meters in length. There were nine tiger subspecies at one time, but three became extinct during the 20th century.
There are six different subspecies of tiger, which are the Bengal tiger, the Indochinese tiger, the Malayan tiger, the Sumatran tiger, the Siberian tiger, and the South China tiger. The white tiger is actually a Bengal tiger and is therefore not a subspecies itself. The extinct subspecies of tiger are Bali tiger, Caspian tiger (i.e. Hyrcanian tiger or Turan tiger), and Javan tiger.
The average tiger weighs around 400 to 550 pounds and a tiger can stretch its body (and tail) to roughly 4 meters. The tigers are still a completely dominant predator in its environment particularly due to their extreme power, and ability to run, swim, jump, and climb trees very effectively. Tigers hunt boar, buffalo, crocodiles, deer, leopards, snakes, wild pigs, camels, etc. They are extremely effective at catching their prey due to their silent, stalking approach and their powerful bodies.
Tigers usually hide quietly, make a fatal jump, and catch their prey almost within one attempt. The tiger can reach speeds of up to 90km (56mph) an hour, making the tiger extremely fast. They often travel many miles to find its prey. A hungry tiger can eat as much as 65 pounds (29 kilograms) in one night though they usually eat less. Tigers are known for making conflict with rhinos and elephants in the forest and generally, tigers will win in protecting their own territories. Due to its big size they want to be solitary, and often requires large areas of habitat that can support its prey demands. The tigers are often sick and unable to hunt normally, or live in an area where their traditional prey has vanished. Females give birth to litters of two to six cubs, which they raise with little or no help from the male. Cubs cannot hunt until they are 18 months old and remain with their mothers for two to three years, when they disperse to find their own territory. Tigers have been known to reach the age of 10-15 years in the wild and 20-26 years if it is under captivity.
The tigers are often threatened by human invasions that inhabit settlements within the tiger's territory. Over the past 100 years, hunting and forest destruction have reduced tiger population from hundreds of thousands of animals to perhaps fewer than 3,200. Tigers are hunted as trophies, and for body parts that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. All six remaining tiger subspecies are also endangered, and some protection programs are in place for protecting them.