Tigers

Tigers belong to the family Felidae, making them cousins to house cats, lions, and leopards!

A group of tigers is called an “ambush” or a “streak,” though tigers usually prefer to live alone!

Tigers can be found in many different habitats across Asia, from snowy mountains to tropical rainforests!

Wild tigers typically live 10–15 years, but tigers in zoos can live up to 25 years!

The largest male tigers can weigh as much as 670 pounds (304 kilograms) — that’s heavier than eight 10-year-old kids combined!

A male tiger is called a tiger, a female is called a tigress, and a baby is called a cub!

Tigers are carnivores, which means they only eat meat, and they need to eat a lot of it to stay healthy!

A tiger’s stripes are like human fingerprints — no two tigers have exactly the same pattern!

Tigers have special reflective tissue in their eyes that helps them see six times better at night than humans!

An adult tiger’s roar can be heard from up to 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) away — that’s the same as 50 football fields!

A tiger’s tongue is covered in tiny hooks called papillae that can strip feathers and fur from their prey!

Tigers have extremely long whiskers that can grow up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) — as long as a dollar bill!

A tiger’s paw prints are called “pug marks” and can be as big as a dinner plate!

Tigers have retractable claws that can grow up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) long — the same length as a sticky note!

A tiger’s tail can grow to be almost as long as its body and helps it balance while running and climbing!

Tigers have excellent hearing and can hear sounds that are too high-pitched for human ears!

The white spots on the back of a tiger’s ears are called “eye spots” and help warn off other predators!

Tigers are excellent swimmers and can cross rivers up to 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) wide!

Tigers mark their territory by spraying scent and scratching trees, just like house cats but on a much bigger scale!

Tigers can leap forward 20–30 feet (6-9 meters) in a single bound — that’s the length of a small swimming pool!

Tigers communicate using at least 100 different vocalizations, including chuffs, roars, and growls!

Tigers are one of the few big cats who love to play in water and often splash around to cool off!

Tigers have excellent memories and can remember the faces of other tigers they meet for years!

Tigers are most active at dawn and dusk, which scientists call being “crepuscular”!

Tigers can run at speeds up to 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour) — faster than a car in a school zone!

Tigers use their tails as signals when hunting, twitching them to communicate with their cubs!

Tigers once lived across most of Asia, but now they’re found in only 7% of their original range!

Tigers can live in temperatures ranging from -35°F in Russia to over 100°F in India!

Each tiger needs a territory of up to 40 square miles (104 square kilometers) — that’s about the size of 19,400 football fields!

Tigers can survive in many environments, from snowy mountains to mangrove swamps!

Tigers are such good swimmers that they can catch fish and even crocodiles in the water!

Tigers have special wide, furry paws that act like snowshoes in deep snow!

Tigers can climb trees when they need to, but they prefer to stay on the ground!

Tigers often rest in tall grass or reeds, where their stripes help them blend in perfectly!

Tigers make their dens in caves, hollow trees, or thick vegetation!

Tigers can jump up to 16 feet (4.8 meters) high — that’s taller than a giraffe!

Tiger cubs are born blind and helpless, weighing only about 2 pounds (0.9 kilogram) — the same as a pineapple!

Tiger cubs open their eyes when they’re about a week old!

Tiger cubs start learning to hunt when they’re about 2 months old!

Tiger cubs stay with their mother for about 2–3 years before living on their own!

Tiger cubs are born with blue eyes that change to amber when they’re about 3 months old!

A mother tiger usually has 2–4 cubs at a time, but can have up to 7!

Tiger cubs start eating meat when they’re about 2 months old but continue drinking their mother’s milk for 6 months!

Female tigers can have cubs every 2–3 years throughout their adult life!

Tigers typically become adults at around 3–5 years old!

An adult tiger can eat up to 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of meat in one sitting — that’s like eating 350 hamburgers!

Tigers are patient hunters and succeed in catching their prey only once in every 10–20 attempts!

Tigers can go up to two weeks without eating after a big meal!

Tigers prefer to hunt large prey like deer and wild pigs, but they’ll eat anything from fish to birds!

A tiger’s stomach can hold up to 95 pounds (43 kilograms) of food — nearly twice as much as a 10-year-old child weighs!