Tigers
1. Describe the Animal?
Tiger is the largest member of the cat family. People admire the tiger for its strength and beauty. But they also fear the tiger because it has been known to kill and occasionally eat people. Yet wild tigers prefer to avoid human beings. Tigers that kill and eat people are most often sick or wounded animals. They can no longer hunt their natural prey. A hungry tiger may also attack people if prey is extremely scarce.
Cite: http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar557740&st=what+is+a+tiger%3F
2. How is it born? How does the mother care for it’s young?
Tiger cubs are born on a cushion of matted grass in a cave, a rocky crevice, a hollow tree, or in dense vegetation. A mother tiger nurses her young for about three to six months. The father does not assist in their upbringing.
Cite:http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/tiger/birthtiger.html
3. How does it get its food? What does it eat?
Tigers hunt by sneaking up as close as possible to their prey and pouncing. They often cannot outrun their prey (though they can run up to 40mph!) and thus they rely on the pounce. They can pounce as far as 33' and prefer to latch onto the animal's throat until it dies before eating it. A tiger's favorite prey is deer and wild boar. Deer species may include sambar, chital, sika deer, swamp deer, and hog deer, among others. Depending on the habitat, tigers may also eat antelope, buffalo, guar, domestic livestock, peafowl, monkeys, civets, porcupines, fish, frogs, crabs, large monitor lizards, pythons, and young elephants or rhinos. Grass, fruits, and berries are also eaten.
Cites: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071204160501AAepTcq, http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/tiger/diettiger.html
4. Where does it live, and what are some of its habits?
Most Tigers live in Asia, specifically throughout Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Russia. Tigers like to live in swamps, grasslands,and rain forests. Usually where Tigers live there are trees, bushes, and clumps of tall grass. It shades the Tiger from the sun when it's extremely hot. Not only does this protect them from the sun, it also helps them to camouflage with their surroundings and surprise their prey. Unlike other cats, Tigers love the water and are very sensitive to heat. Tigers are very powerful swimmers. Most Tigers will soak in water usually after making a kill. Tigers are most likely found eating grass or other animals such as deer, buffalo, wild cattle and wild boars, also from time to time they will eat fish and crabs.
Cite: http://www.miamisci.org/youth/unity/Unity1/Jasmine/pages/habitats%20of%20the%20tigers.html
5. Who are it’s enemies, and how does it defend itself?
In the natural order, tigers have no actual enemies or predators. They are predatory and territorial animals. Because of their size and strength, they are at the top of their food chain. From time to time, a tiger may tangle with an elephant, in which case the elephant can simply stomp on the tiger and it's over. But generally, the two do not seek each other out. Sadly, humans are the biggest enemies of tigers for two reasons: by changing their natural habitat and hunting them. Tigers protect themselves in a variety of ways. The color of their fur will naturally hide them from predators. They can also protect themselves with their sharp teeth and claws.
Cites: http://www.ask.com/question/what-are-tigers-enemies, http://www.ask.com/question/how-do-tigers-protect-themselves