Tiger |The Largest cats in the world - Live science

                                                           Project Tiger 

                              

Tiger is one of the key wildlife species in the faunal wab. In 1973, the authorities realised that the tiger population had dwindled to 1,827 from an estimated 55,000 at the turn of the century. The major threats to tiger population are numerous, such as poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of prey base species, growing human population, etc. The trade of tiger skins and the use of their bones in traditional medicines, especially in the Asian countries left the tiger population on the verge of extinction. Since India and mepal provide habitat to about two-thirds of the surviving tiger population in the world, these two nations became prime targets for poaching and illegal trading.
"Project Tiger", one of the well-publicised wildlife campaigns in the world, was launched in 1973. Initially , it showed success as the tiger population went up to 4,002 in 1985 and 4,334 in 1989. But in 1993, the population of the tiger had dropped to 3,600. There are 27 tiger reserves in India covering an area of 37,761 sq km Tiger conservation has been viewed not only as an effort to save an endangered species, but with equal importance as a means of preserving biotypes of sizeable magnitude. Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal, Sunderbans National Park in West Bengal, Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan, Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam and Periya tiger Reserve in Kerala are some of the tiger reserves of India.
The conservation Projects are now focusing on Biodiversity rather than on a few of its components. There is now a more intensive search for different conservation measures. Increasingly, even insects are beginning to find a place in conservation planning. In the notification under Wildlife Act of 1980 and 1986, several hundred butterflies, moths, beetles, and one dragonfly have been added to the list of protected specied. In 1991, for the first time plants were also added to the list. starting with six species.
Animals
                                                               

                     
 Tigers: The Largest Cats in the World

Tigers are iconic creatures, and the largest felines in the world. Original Image
Credit: Shutterstock
Tigers are the largest felines in the world and as such, many cultures consider the tiger to be a symbol of strength, courage and dignity. The tiger is one of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, and those born in the "Year of the Tiger" are thought to be brave, competitive and self-confident.


However, because hunting them is also a sign of bravery in some cultures, tigers are endangered. Tigers are hunted for their meat, pelt and body parts that are used in folk remedies. To make matters worse, these great cats have lost most of their habitat due to logging, road building and development, according to All About Wildlife. Experts estimate there are no more than 3,200 tigers left in the wild.

Do all tigers have stripes?
Most tigers have the characteristic orange fur with black or brown stripes, but these markings vary between subspecies. For example, the very large Siberian tiger has pale orange fur with few stripes, while the smaller Sumatran tigers in the Sunda Islands have dark, thickly striped fur.

No two tigers have the same markings, and their stripes are as individual as fingerprints are for humans. In the wild, a tiger's stripes are important for survival, as they act as camouflage, appearing as moving shadows in long grass and in trees, according to National Geographic.


The white Bengal tigers seen in some zoos are the result of a recessive gene, and are not albinos. In fact, it's unlikely that true albino tigers (with pink eyes) exist. Some historical reports detail tigers with black fur and tan stripes, caused by excessive pigmentation, but these accounts are extremely rare.

On the backs of each ear, tigers have a white spot of fur, called ocelli, according to Tigers.org. It's likely the spots act as fake eyes and they may also help tigers communicate with one another.

A tiger's hind legs are longer than its front legs, allowing it to jump up to 32.5 feet (10 meters), according to Sea World. Tiger claws are up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) long, and are used to grab and hold onto their prey.

The largest tiger subspecies, the Siberian, also called Amur, are 10.75 feet (3.3 m) long and weigh up to 660 pounds (300 kilograms), according to National Geographic. The smallest tiger is the Sumatran, which weighs 165 - 308 pounds (74 - 139 kg), according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Tigers also have very long tails, which can add around 3 feet (one m) to their overall length, according to Sea World.



Where tigers live and what they eat
Wild tigers live in Asia. Larger subspecies, such as the Siberian tiger, tend to live in northern, colder areas, such as eastern Russia and northeastern China. Smaller subspecies live in southern, warmer countries, such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Depending on the subspecies, tigers live in a variety of environments, including arid forests, flooded mangrove forests, tropical forests and taiga (a cold forest with coniferous trees), according to the San Diego Zoo.

All tigers are carnivores. Most of a tiger's diet consists of large prey, such as pigs, deer, rhinos or elephant calves. To kill their prey, tigers clamp down on the animal's neck with their jaws and suffocate the animal. The tiger's canine teeth have pressure-sensing nerves, so it knows exactly where to deliver a fatal bite to its prey, according to the WWF. Though tigers are fierce hunters, they are no strangers to failure, as they are successful in only 10% of their hunts, according to National Geographic.


 The tiger life
Tigers are solitary creatures; they like to spend most of their time alone, roaming their massive territories looking for food. According to the San Diego Zoo, the Siberian tiger has the largest range; its territory spans more than 4,000 square miles (10,000 square km). Tigers mark their territory by spraying a mix of urine and scent gland secretions onto trees and rocks. They also scratch marks into trees with their claws.

Tiger babies are born helpless. At birth, a cub weighs 2.2 pounds (1 kg), and a female may have as many as seven cubs at a time, according to the San Diego Zoo. Around half of all cubs don't live beyond the age of two, according to WWF. The mother must leave the cubs while she hunts, leaving them open to other predators. Most tiger mothers are unable to kill enough prey to feed a large litter, so some cubs may die of starvation.

At just 8 weeks old, tiger cubs are ready to learn how to hunt and go out on hunting expeditions with their mother. At 2 years old, the cubs will set out on their own, and their mother will be ready for another set of cubs. In the wild, tigers typically live 10 to 15 years, according to Smithsonian's National Zoo.

Classification
For many years, scientists classified tigers into nine subspecies: six living subspecies and three extinct ones. But in recent years, some researchers have challenged the traditional classification. A 2015 study published in the journal Science Advances argued that there are only two subspecies of tigers.

However, a study published in the journal Current Biology in 2018 presented genomic evidence supporting six genetically distinct subspecies of tigers:the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), the Amur tiger (P.t. altaica), the South China tiger (P.t. amoyensis), the Sumatran tiger (P.t. sumatrae), the Indochinese tiger (P.t. corbetti), and the Malayan tiger (P.t. jacksoni).

The Javan tiger was last recorded in the 1970s, the Caspian tiger was lost in the 1950s, and the Bali tiger became extinct in the 1930s, according to Panthera, a wild-cat conservation organization.
There are more tigers in captivity than there are in the wild. According to the WWF, there are about 5,000 captive tigers in the United States alone, but there are fewer than 3,200 tigers in the wild.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Species categorizes the Amur/Siberian, Indochinese and Bengal tigers as endangered, and the Sumatran, Malayan and South China Tigers as critically endangered. Most remaining tigers live on wildlife refuges to protect them from poachers.

Poaching is by far the biggest threat facing tigers today. Illegal demand for tiger bones (used in tonics and medicines), tiger skin (seen as a status symbol) and other body parts, is driving the killing and trafficking, which has had an overwhelming impact on tiger populations and resulted in localized extinctions, according to Save Wild Tigers. The continued demand for tiger parts is pushing the species closer and closer to extinction.

In addition to the threat of poaching, only 7% of the tiger's original range remains due to human agriculture, logging, settlements and roads.


                                                                   Panthera tiger 

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest species among the Felidae and classified in the genus Panthera. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside. It is an apex predator, primarily preying on ungulates such as deer and wild boar. It is territorial and generally a solitary but social predator, requiring large contiguous areas of habitat, which support its requirements for prey and rearing of its offspring. Tiger cubs stay with their mother for about two years, before they become independent and leave their mother's home range to establish their own.

Tiger's historical range in about 1850 (pale yellow) and in 2006
Synonyms
Tigris striatus Severtzov, 1858
Tigris regalis Gray, 1867
The tiger once ranged widely from Eastern Anatolia Region in the west to the Amur River basin, and in the south from the foothills of the Himalayas to Bali in the Sunda islands. Since the early 20th century, tiger populations have lost at least 93% of their historic range and have been extirpated in Western and Central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali, and in large areas of Southeast and South Asia and China. Today's tiger range is fragmented, stretching from Siberian temperate forests to subtropical and tropical forests on the Indian subcontinent and Sumatra. The tiger is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986. As of 2015, the global wild tiger population was estimated to number between 3,062 and 3,948 mature individuals, down from around 100,000 at the start of the 20th century, with most remaining populations occurring in small pockets isolated from each other. Major reasons for population decline include habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching. This, coupled with the fact that it lives in some of the more densely populated places on Earth, has caused significant conflicts with humans.

The tiger is among the most recognisable and popular of the world's charismatic megafauna. It featured prominently in ancient mythology and folklore and continues to be depicted in modern films and literature, appearing on many flags, coats of arms and as mascots for sporting teams. The tiger is the national animal of India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and South Korea.