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TIGER (Felis tigris)
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See also:TIGER (Felis See also:tigris) , an See also:animal only rivalled by the See also:lion in See also:size, strength and ferocity among the See also:cat-like beasts of See also:prey (see CARNrvoRA). Almost everything that is stated in the See also:article LION concerning the structure of the See also:skeleton, See also:teeth and claws of that animal will apply equally well to the tiger, the difference between the two lying mainly in the skin and its coverings. A tiger's See also:skull may, however, always be distinguished from that
The Tiger (Fells tigris).
of a, lion by the circumstance that the nasal bones extend higher on the forehead than the maxillae, instead of stopping on nearly the same See also:line. Although examples of both See also:species See also:present considerable See also:variations in size, it is ascertained that the length of the largest-sized See also:Bengal tiger may exceed that of any lion. Much larger specimens are recorded, but 10 feet from the tip of the See also:nose to the end of the tail is no unusual length for a large male tiger. The See also:female is somewhat smaller and has a lighter and narrower See also:head. The tiger has no mane, but in old See also:males the See also:hair on the cheeks is rather See also:long and spreading. The ground-See also:colour of the upper and See also:outer parts of the head, See also:body, limbs and tail is See also:bright rufous fawn; and these parts are beautifully marked with transverse stripes of a dark, almost See also:black colour. The markings vary much in different individuals, and even on the two sides of the same individual. The under-parts of the body, the inside of the limbs, the cheeks and a large spot over each See also:eye are nearly See also: The Siberian tiger is F. tigris mongolica, and the See also:Persian F. tigris virgata. Black and white phases have been recorded, but they are rare. The tiger is exclusively Asiatic, but has a very wide range in that See also:continent, having been found in almost all suitable localities south of a line See also:drawn from the See also:river See also:Euphrates, passing along the See also:southern shores of the See also:Caspian and See also:Sea of See also:Aral by See also:Lake See also:Baikal to the Sea of See also:Okhotsk. Its most northern range is the territory of the See also:Amur, its most southern the islands of See also:Sumatra, See also:Java and See also:Bali. iWestward it reaches to See also:Turkish See also:Georgia and eastward to the See also:island of Saghalin. It is absent, however, from the See also:great elevated See also:plateau of Central See also:Asia, nor does it inhabit See also:Ceylon, See also:Borneo or the other islands of the Indo-See also:Malay See also:Archipelago, except those named. The See also:principal See also:food of the tiger in See also:India is See also:cattle, See also:deer, See also:wild hog and See also:pea-See also:fowl, and occasionally human beings. The See also:regular " See also:man-eater " is generally an old tiger whose vigour is past, and whose teeth are worn and defective; it takes up its See also:abode in the neighbourhood of a See also:village, the See also:population of which it finds an easier prey than wild animals. Though chiefly affecting grassy plains or swamps, tigers are also found in forests, and seem to be fond of haunting the neighbourhood of old ruins. As a See also:rule, they do not climb trees; but when pressed by fear, as during an inundation, they have been known to do so. They take to the See also:water readily and are See also:good swimmers. The tigers of the See also:Sundarbans (See also:Ganges See also:delta) continually swim from one island to the other to See also:change their See also:hunting-grounds for deer. The following See also:extract from See also:Sir J. See also:Fayrer's Royal Tiger of Bengal (1875) may See also:complete this See also:notice of the tiger's habits. The tigress gives See also:birth to from two to five, even six cubs; but three is a frequent number. She is a most affectionate and attached See also:mother, and generally See also:guards and trains her See also:young with the most watchful solicitude. They remain with her until nearly full-grown, or about the second See also:year, when they are able to kill for themselves ar.d begin See also:life on their own See also:account. Whilst they remain with her she is peculiarly vicious and aggressive, defending them with the greatest courage and See also:energy, and when robbed of them is terrible in her rage; but she has been known to See also:desert them when pressed, and even to eat them when starved. As soon as they begin to require other food than her See also:milk, she kills for them, teaching them to do so for themselves by practising on small animals, such as deer and young calves or pigs. At these times she is wanton and extravagant in her See also:cruelty, killing apparently for the gratification of her ferocious and bloodthirsty nature, and perhaps to excite and instruct the young ones, and it is not until they are thoroughly capable of killing their own food that she separates from them. The young tigers are far more destructive than the old. They will kill three or four cows at a See also:time, while the older and more experienced rarely kill more than one, and this at intervals of from three or four days to a See also:week. For this purpose the tiger will leave its See also:retreat in the dense See also:jungle, proceed to the neighbourhood of a village or See also:gowrie, where cattle feed, and during the See also:night steal on and strike down a See also:bullock, See also:drag it into a secluded See also:place, and then remain near the " murrie " or " kill," for several days, until it has eaten it, when it will proceed in See also:search of a further See also:supply, and, having found good hunting ground in the vicinifv of a village or gowrie, continue its ravages, destroying one or two cows or buffaloes a week. It is very fond of the See also:ordinary domestic cattle, which in the plains of India are generally weak, See also:half-starved, under-sized creatures. One of these is easily struck down and carried or dragged off. The smaller buffaloes are also easily disposed of ; but the See also:buffalo bulls, and especially the wild ones, are formidable antagonists, and have often been known to See also:beat the tiger off, and even to See also:wound him seriously. (W. H. F.; R. L.*) TIGER-CAT, typically Felis tigrina, an See also:American wild cat ranging from See also:Mexico, on the See also:east of the See also:Andes to See also:Paraguay and the central See also:forest region of See also:Argentina. Together the head and body measure something over 30 in., of which the tail See also:counts for a third. The fur is grizzly See also:grey, with black spots that do not See also:form chains. The name is also applied to the See also:Ocelot (q.v.), and often used of any small striped or spotted wild cat, either from the western or eastern hemisphere. TIGER-See also:FLOWER, known botanically as Tigridia, a genus of bulbous See also:plants (natural See also:order See also:Iridaceae), natives of Mexico, Central See also:America, See also:Peru and See also:Chile. They have long narrow pricately-veined leaves springing from the bulb and a See also:stem bearing two or three scattered smaller leaves and above a few See also:flowers emerging from a spathe. The flowers are spotted (whence the name tiger-flower or tiger-See also:iris) and have See also:free segments springing from a See also:tube; the three large broad outer segments are concavely spreading, the three inner are much smaller and more erect. T. pavonia (Flower of Tigris) has large flowers with a See also:golden See also:orange, white or yellow ground colour. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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