Weight: 200-500 pounds
Head/Body: 60-72 inches
Tail: 24-36 inches
Subspecies: 7
The largest cat and one of the most
powerful land carnivores in the world (exceeded in strength but not speed
by the Kodiak bear), the tiger is a massively built cat of awesome size
and power, with some exceptional individuals reaching 800 pounds. Its
distinctive coat is white to orange-brown with black, brown, or gray
stripes. Its small round ears have black backs with a central white spot.
The males of some subspecies sport side whiskers. The tiger may be found
in all types of terrain of southern and south- eastern Asia and of eastern
Asia northward to Mongolia and Siberia, where it hunts by night, from the
ground, and seeks game of all types. It is an excellent swimmer. The tiger
is the only truly striped cat, with a completely non-agouti coat. All
other striped cats are tabbies.
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