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Let's learn about tigers.
Easily recognizable by their black and orange stripes, the tiger is the largest species
of cat on earth. Male tigers can reach a length of more than 11 feet or 3.3 meters, and a
weight of more than 660 lbs or 300 kg in the wild. They are mammals, which means they are
warm-blooded, covered in fur, and they feed their babies milk. Tigers
are also carnivores, which means that they eat meat.
They are apex predators, meaning that tigers are at the top of the food chain. No other
animals besides humans hunt tigers! They hunt by night, and may travel many miles to find
buffalo, deer, wild pigs, and other large mammals. They will also eat smaller animals
like monkeys, wild boar, lizards, and even porcupines. Although tigers
are powerful animals, and can be fast over short distances, they cannot outrun fast animals
like deer. Instead, they stalk their prey, relying on stealth to get close enough to
attack from behind.
Tigers are native to Asia, and live mostly in India, China, Bhutan, and Siberia. They
live in a variety of habitats, anywhere from jungles, swamps, snowy pine forests, to grasslands.
As long as there are places for them to hide, plenty of water, and enough animals to eat,
tigers can thrive there.
Unlike lions, who live together in prides, tigers live alone. The only time you would
find tigers living together is when a mother tiger has cubs. The cubs will live with their
mother for about two years before going off on their own.
Just like the pet cats you have probably seen before, tigers can purr! Unlike their smaller
relatives, tigers can also roar. The roar of a tiger can be heard from more than a mile or 2 kilometers away! Also, and unusually
for a cat species, tigers love water and will often go swimming to cool themselves off.
Tigers are endangered. Only 3 to 4,000 tigers remain on the earth. About 100 years ago,
there were more than 100,000 of them. Hunting by humans is one reason that tigers are disappearing.
People will hunt and kill tigers for their striped fur, or whenever hungry tigers get
too close to their villages. Another reason that tiger populations are declining is that
their habitat is being destroyed. Tigers need a lot of wild land in which to live and hunt.
As people cut down forests for cities and farms, the tigers have fewer and fewer places
to make their homes.
Fortunately, people are working hard to save tigers from extinction. Protecting tigers
from poachers, increasing and improving their habitats, and teaching people how to avoid
conflicts with tigers are all good ways to help the tigers survive. I hope you enjoyed
learning about tigers today. Goodbye till next time!