Tigers

Adapted from Webster's Concise Interactive Encyclopedia.

Largest of the great cats Panthera tigris, formerly found in much of central and S Asia but nearing extinction because of hunting and the destruction of its natural habitat.

The tiger can grow to 3.6 m/12 ft long and weigh 300 kg/660 lbs; it has a yellow-orange coat with black stripes. It is solitary, and feeds on large ruminants. It is a good swimmer.

Human-eating tigers are rare and are the result of weakened powers or shortage of game. The striped markings - black on reddish fawn - are present from birth, although rare cream or black specimens have been known.

In Sumatra there are about 800 tigers left, and 200 are killed each year by poachers. They are continually losing their jungle habitat: companies plunder the forest for timber and minerals, and then farmers, often transplanted from other parts of Indonesia, move in and take over the land, often ruining it after a few years owing to poor farming practices.

The largest of the species is the Siberian tiger; only about 250 remained in the wild in 1993.

The world's tiger population is estimated (1992) at 6000-9000, of which half are Bengal tigers.