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The lion may have its own Disney movie, while the tiger is usually seen as a villain, but there is little doubt as who is the most powerful cat in the world. The tiger outweighs the lion, is a stronger hunter, and has many incredible qualities that, in my eyes, make it the most remarkable of all big cats. Here are 22 facts that will prove my point! |
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1. Tigers have such powerful legs that even after death, they can sometimes remain standing! |
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2. Move over lion king, you're not the biggest cat. Tigers ARE the biggest cats, weighing up to 300 kg (700 pounds). |
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3. If you stare at a tiger in the eyes, there is less of a chance it will attack you. |
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4. A bit like regular cats, for the first week of their lives tigers are completely blind. Half of them do not make it to adulthood. |
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5. All tigers have a white spot on the back of their ears called an ocelli. |
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6. Tigers can use their saliva to disinfect wounds, as their saliva contains antiseptic materials. So instead of kissing, they can lick and make it better. |
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7. Tigers have powerful tongues that do a lot of work for them. They are covered with numerous small, sharp and rear-facing projections (papillae). This is what gives their tongue that rough texture and helps them strip the skin, feathers or fur off their prey. |
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8. Tigers are solitary creatures, each of them usually taking a large territory for itself. |
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9. They are nicer to each other than lions are. |
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10. They have a diverse diet that includes many different animals. |
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11. Despite what some may think, tigers do not usually view humans as a source of food. |
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12. If you think you're at a safe distance, think again. Tigers can leap 6 meters in length and jump up to 5 meters vertically. |
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13. A single swipe from a tiger can kill most animals. |
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14. Tigers have been known to successfully imitate the call of other animals to lure their prey closer. That's just scary. |
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15. The tiger brain weighs over 300 grams. |
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16. Tigers are excellent swimmers, and actually love the water. |
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17. Tigers have a superb short term memory, perhaps even better than humans. |
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18. From the nine known sub-species of tigers, only 6 remain today. |
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19. The Balinese tiger is one of the species deliberately hunted to extinction by humans. |
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20. There are more tigers in captivity in the US alone than there are free tigers in all the world. |
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21. The white tiger is especially at risk due to it being hunted for trophy because of its beauty and rarity. |
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22. The next generation of humans may only see tigers at the zoo. |
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