Malayan Tiger

NAME:

Malayan Tiger

ZOO NAME:

Menderu

CLASS:

Mammalia

GENUS:

Panthera

SPECIES:

P. tigris corbetti

LENGTH:

8-9′ (head to tail)

WEIGHT:

300-430 lbs.

LIFESPAN:

20 yrs. – captive, 15 yrs. – wild

DIET:

Muntjac, Sambar Deer, Pig, Hog Badger, Porcupines

PREDATORS:

Man

RANGE

Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malasia, Vietnam

HABITAT

Secluded forests

CHARACTERISTICS

Each tiger has a different stripe pattern.

BEHAVIOR

Nocturnal. Solitary except for breeding and cub-rearing. Both males and females use urine and scent markings to communicate. Tigers stalk prey and attack with a swift rush from cover. Tigers are great swimmers and can kill prey while swimming. Adult tigers have been known to attack fishing boats for the fish inside. One swat of a tiger’s paw can kill an adult human.

REPRODUCTION

Tiger cubs are born small and helpless, but the mother must leave them alone while she hunts. Tiger cubs don’t hunt on their own until they are two years old. A tigress can have a litter of up to seven cubs every two years. In the wild, the mother could not kill enough prey to feed so many hungry cubs, so usually only two survive.

THREATS

ALL tigers are endangered. The South China Tiger will probably go extinct in the wild by 2010 (according to the World Wildlife Fund). There are less than 7,300 tigers left on the planet (only about 1,500 Indochinese Tigers!!!). Tigers are killed for their fur and body parts. Tiger parts are used in traditional medicine to treat everything from toothaches to pimples. Modern science proves that these treatments don’t work!