Tigers are seen as one of the strongest animals in the world that people admire due to their beautiful feline features and printed fur. That being said, most people do not realise that tigers are humble animals to one another and their courageousness often comes in handy in the wild. That is just one of many facts people don't know about tigers, and we have 21 more that we are sure will pique your interest and put a smile on your face.
- Tigers are the largest cats in the world. The adult tigers can weigh up to 364 kgs and be as tall as 3.3 meters.
- Tigers are extremely good swimmers, which is ironic considering most of the cat family is not. They are often seen cooling off in lakes and streams during hot weather.
- Tigers are super fast and can run up to 65km/h. They are one of the fastest animals in the world, long story short you do not want to get into a race with a tiger!
- Tigers patterns are unique. Much like human fingerprints, tigers patterns are all unique and you will not find any two tigers with the same pattern.
- There are 5 subspecies of tigers. This includes the Bengal tiger, the South China tiger, the Indochinese tiger, the Sumatran tiger and the Amur tiger. There were originally 8 that scientists were aware of but sadly 3 of those subspecies are now extinct.
- A tiger's roar is really loud. You can hear a tigers roar up to three kilometres away from the tiger.
- A tiger's paw alone could kill you. Tigers are powerful creatures and although some choose to keep them as pets, one swipe of their paw can kill you.
- Tigers are nocturnal animals, which means that they are usually up during the night and prefer hunting during these times. This is because they try to avoid human conflict at all costs and like to patrol their territory during the night.
- Tiger cubs are born blind. Tiger cubs are born blind and they can not see anything. They survive by following the scent of their mother.
- Half of tiger cubs die. This is sad but true, because they are born blind it’s much harder for them to survive and keep up with the adult tigers. Their cause of death is usually hunger or lack of warmth, but can also be at the hands of male tigers.
- Tigers live on average 20-25 years when they are kept in captivity. The oldest tiger was 25 years old and was sheltered in a zoo in Florida. That being said when in the wild tigers usually die before 20 years old.
- Tiger stripes are found on the tiger’s skin. This means that if you removed all the fur from a tiger, their skin would still be imprinted with the pattern seen on their fur.
- Tigers are humble to each other. Unlike many other species including the lion, male tigers are humble as they let the cubs and female tigers eat before them.
- Tigers urine smells exactly like buttered popcorn. Although it may smell good, this is actually a warning sign to intruders that are entering another tigers territory.
- Tigers hunt in ambush. Tigers are unlikely to hunt solo, they usually hunt amongst other tigers and all surprise attack the creature. If a tiger sees the prey realise they are there, they are less likely to attack.
- Tigers have a diverse diet. This means that they will feast on nearly all meats including deer and crocodiles.
- Tigers are unlikely to attack humans. Usually, the only reason that a tiger will attack a human is when they feel threatened, but that being said tigers can be unpredictable and have been known to attack humans within their territory. Overall, it is best to stay away from a tiger's territory.
- Tigers can imitate the calls of many animals. This is something they use to draw in other animals before ambushing them and is a great attack method.
- Tigers have been around for a long time. There have been fossils of tigers found in China that have been there for around 2 million years. This could mean that tigers have been around the same amount of time as humans, or maybe even longer.
- A female tiger births up to 6 cubs, but on average 3 are born.
- Tigers have “eyes” at the back of their ears. There are white spots that can be found on the back of a tiger’s ear that are believed to function as an extra set of eyes. This means that they can detect predators that are coming at them from behind.
The tiger is a beautiful, majestic animal. If you love them as much as we do, take a look at our Tiger Spirit Animal In A Matchbox here.
