King in myths
and nature

Where does the word 'tiger' come from?

The word tiger comes from the Greek tigris, with roots in the Iranian tigri (arrow) or Old Persian tigra (pointed). This symbolism of speed and sharpness accompanies the tiger across cultures.

In Asia, it is revered as a messenger of the gods who protects forests. In Chinese culture, the pattern of stripes on a tiger's forehead resembles the character for the word 'king'. While Western cultures once portrayed it as a dangerous beast, today it is a symbol of elegance and nobility.

Did you know...

The tiger is the largest land predator after the polar bear and brown bear.

A tiger's roar can be heard up to 3 km away.

The exceptionally white coloring of a tiger is not albinism but rare leucism (only in the Bengal tiger).

King in myths
and nature

Where does the word 'tiger' come from?

The word tiger comes from the Greek tigris, with roots in the Iranian tigri (arrow) or Old Persian tigra (pointed). This symbolism of speed and sharpness accompanies the tiger across cultures.

Did you know...

The tiger is the largest land predator after the polar bear and brown bear.

A tiger's roar can be heard up to 3 km away.

The exceptionally white coloring of a tiger is not albinism but rare leucism (only in the Bengal tiger).

Facts

Fascinating anatomy

Jaws and teeth

They have 30 teeth with canines up to 7 cm long. Bite force reaches up to 500 kg.

Weight

Males weigh 180–250 kg (Amur up to 384 kg!). Females are smaller (100–160 kg).

Body

Tigers are excellent swimmers and can swim up to 8 km. They run at speeds up to 55 km/h and can leap over 10 m.

Stripes and skin

No two tigers have identical stripes. They have about 100 stripes, and if you shave a tiger, the stripes remain visible on the skin.

Senses

Their vision is 6x better than humans. Their sense of smell, on the other hand, is their weakest sense.

Lifespan

They live on average 12–18 years, in zoos around 20 years.

Habitat

Where tigers live

Tigers inhabit diverse environments: from mangroves and rainforests to the Siberian taiga in mountains up to 4,000 m above sea level. Water, dense vegetation, and sufficient prey are essential for them.

Far East Indonesia

Reproduction

Life in hiding

Tigers are solitary animals. Females reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years and males at 4-5 years.

Males and females only meet during mating, which is very loud and intense (up to 50 times a day).

After 103 days, tigresses give birth to 2-4 cubs in caves or thickets. Cubs are born blind and don't leave their mother until age three, when she gives birth to the next litter.

High mortality!

50% of tiger cubs die within 18 months of birth.

6 to 14 days

after birth, cubs are blind

800 to 1600g

is the birth weight of cubs

2 months

cubs feed exclusively on milk

from 6 months

cubs begin to hunt small birds

Predator

Night hunters

Strategy

They hunt mostly at night. They stalk prey against the wind and attack with a lightning leap from about 20 m away.

Main prey

Their favorites are wild boar, deer, and buffalo. In the wild, wild boar make up to 50% of their diet. They can devour up to 70 kg of meat at once.

Hunting success rate

They succeed in roughly 2 out of 10 attempts. However, in a single feeding they can consume up to 40 kg of meat. They consume around 50 large prey animals per year.