Sumatran Tiger/ Panthera tigris sumatrae:

Credit to: Fred Parker (http://www.fredparker.com/ms01501.htm)

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Tigers are the biggest cats in the world. They live in steamy hot jungles as well as icy cold forests. There are five different kinds or subspecies of tiger alive in the world today. These tigers are called Siberian, South China, Indochinese, Bengal, and Sumatran. Their Latin name is Panthera tigris. Tigers are an endangered species with only about 5,000 to 7,400 tigers are left in the wild. Three tiger subspecies, the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers have become extinct in the past 70 years. The Sumatran tiger, the one we are focusing on, is the smallest tiger subspecies.

Height:Males are 87-100 inches while females are an average of 85-91 inches.

Weight: Males weight about 221-309kg while females weigh relatively less about 165-243 lbs.

Distribution: Found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in habitat that ranges from lowland forest to submontain and montain forest with some peat-moss forest.

Appearance: The Sumatran tiger has the darkest coat and the most stripes of all the tiger subspecies of all tigers. Its broad, black stripes are closely spaced and often doubled. Unlike the Siberian tiger which has the fewest stripes, it has striped forelegs. No one knows exactly why tigers are striped, but scientists think that the stripes act as camouflage, and help tigers hide from their prey. Tiger stripes are like human fingerprints; no two tigers have the same pattern of stripes. The tiger's head often carries the Chinese mark of wang or king on the forehead.

Like any other tiger, the Sumatran tiger has five toes and the hind feet have four toes. All toes have claws. The claws are 80 to 100 mm in length. Like domestic cats, the Sumatran tiger claws are retractable. It makes scratches on trees to mark their territory.

Credit to: Fred Parker (http://www.fredparker.com/ms01501.htm)

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.

A tiger's tail is 3 to 4 feet long, about half as long as its body. Tigers use their tails for balance when they run through fast turns. They also use their tails to communicate with other tigers. Adult tigers have 30 large teeth between 2.5 to 3 inches (74.5 to 90 mm.).

Behaviour: Unlike some big cats like lions, Sumatran tigers are solitary animals and like to live alone except for mother tigers with cubs. This is partly because in the forest, a single tiger can sneak up and surprise its prey better than a group of tigers can.

The size of a Sumatran tiger's territory usually depends on the amount of food available, and usually ranges from about 10 to 30 square miles (26-78 sq. km). Although Sumatran tigers usually live alone, tiger territories can overlap. A male Sumatran tiger's territory usually overlaps those of several Sumatran female tigers. Tigers mark their territories by spraying bushes and trees with a special mixture of urine and scent gland secretions. They also leave scratch marks on trees.

Diet: Wild Sumatran tigers can eat as much as 40 pounds of meat at one time. After eating a lot, they often do not eat again for several days. Over much of the Sumatran tiger's broad geographic range, wild pig, wild cattle and several species of deer are its major prey. Unlike wild Sumatran tigers which kill their prey and then gorge, Sumatran tigers that live in zoos eat a prepared diet of horse meat and vitamins daily. They may eat as much as 10 pounds of meat per day.

Lifespan: The life span of Sumatran tigers in the wild is thought to be about 10 to 15 years. Tigers in zoos live to be between 16 and 20 years old. Maximum known longevity for Sumatran tigers is about 26 years both in the wild and in captivity.

Reproduction: The average litter size of Sumatran tigers is 2 or 3 cubs, the largest being 5. One usually dies at birth. Sumatran tiger cubs are born blind and weigh only about 1 kg (2 to 3 pounds). They live on their mother's milk for 6-8 weeks before the Sumatran female begins taking them to kills to feed. They begin making their own kills at about 18 months of age.

Why is it endangered? Since the end of World War II, Sumatra has undergone much agricultural development, causing a loss of haibitat for the Sumatran tigers. Uncontrolled poaching and forest loss has further fragmented these populations, causing them to be higly endangered.

Conservation: About 400-500 wild Sumatran tigers are believed to exist, primarily in the island's five national parks. 210 captive animals live in zoos around the world.