The tiger has had a long history the name tiger itself comes from the Roman word Tigris, named after the mighty Mesopotamian Tigris River. The tigers closest living relative is the lion, and believe it or not, they can even be interbred. The male tiger can reach sizes of up to 8-10 feet in length, with three feet for the tail, the male Siberian tiger can reach lengths of up to 13 feet with weights up to 750 pounds.
Tigers can be found in a fairly diverse area, from north China and Siberia, to the jungles of Indonesia, even as far west as Iran and the Caucasus Mountains. The tiger is a solitary animal, hunting mainly at night. The tigers vision and sense of smell are relatively poor the tiger will rely strongly on its sense of hearing, moving silently through the brush waiting to ambush its prey.
The tigers main diet consists of deer, antelope, wild pigs, and cattle. The man-eaters are all too often the sick and injured, too weak to hunt and capture wild animals. The tiger would much rather flee rather than stick around and put up a fight. Tigers are excellent swimmers and will often rest in pools of water just to escape the heat, or, will swim from island to island such as in the Sumatran islands.
Tigers are poor tree climbers, often only doing so in emergencies or when they are young, and on occasion, just out of curiosity. The Bengal, or, Indian Tiger is the SIIGER The largest of all living tigers lives in the coldest climate but has thick fur to keep it warm. Its pale color makes it difficult to spot in the bleak, snowy landscape of Siberia and also makes it easier to get close to its prey.
There are no more than 200 Siberian tigers living in the wild. IIndian tiger is the most common tiger in the world today. In all, there are about 2,500 left, and most of them live in India. Hunting tigers used to be a sport for the rich people of India. But it wasnt really a sport, because the tigers had little chance of escape.