White tiger is the name of the animal. Color variations of tigers. Description of the Bengal tiger

We all know that the tiger is a fiery cat with black stripes, we also know about the beautiful white Bengal tigers - snow-white with black stripes. What do we know about golden, black and Maltese tigers? Today I will tell you about them :)

Golden Tiger

The golden tiger is the most rare color variation caused by a recessive gene. Such representatives of tigers differ from their relatives in their slightly larger size and softer golden fur with orange stripes; black stripes can be seen only in some individuals at the tip of the tail. There is a version that the development of this type of color gradually developed in a group of tigers, one of whose representatives possessed a recessive gene for golden color and periodically interbred with its offspring. The color that appeared served as additional camouflage for such tigers living in areas rich in clay soils. There are currently about 30 golden tigers in captivity.

Black Tiger

The black tiger is a rare color variation of the tiger and is not a distinct species or geographic subspecies. Black tigers are named because of pseudomelanosis. The black stripes of pseudomelanistic tigers are so close together that the background color is barely visible between them. For a long time, black tigers were considered a myth, however, several skins have proven that pseudo-melanists exist. Melanistic tigers, unlike black tigers, are uniformly black without stripes. Melanistic tiger was captured only once; now this image is lost.

Maltese (blue) tiger

Artistic representation of a Maltese tiger

The existence of the Maltese (blue) tiger has not been proven, but reports of encounters with it periodically come from the Chinese province of Fujian and Korea. Based on these reports, the tiger has bluish fur with dark gray stripes. Possibly due to illegal hunting of tigers in China, the blue variety of tigers has become completely extinct. Around 1910, Harry Caldwell, an American missionary and big game hunter, was hunting a blue tiger in the vicinity of Fuzhou. His search is described in the book “The Blue Tiger” by Roy Chappen Andrews (1924): “The color of the animal is strikingly beautiful. The main color has a delicate Maltese tint, changing to a light gray-blue towards the bottom. The stripes stand out clearly, like an ordinary yellow tiger.” . A later report of a Maltese tiger came from a US military personnel during the Korean campaign. A soldier saw a blue tiger in the mountains near the demilitarized zone. This meeting is described in the book “Mysterious Cats of the World” by Karl Shuker. There have also been reports of blue tigers from Burma.

White Tiger

White Bengal tigers have black and brown stripes on their white fur and blue eyes. This coloration is very rare among wild animals, but is often common in captive populations. For every 10,000 tigers, only one is born white. The first mention of a white tiger dates back to 1951, when one of the hunters found a white tiger cub in the lair of a tigress. This tiger was crossed with a female of normal color, who gave birth to 4 red tiger cubs. The white tiger was then bred with one of his daughters, and in a litter of three cubs, two turned out to be white. Thus, all white tigers kept in captivity are descendants of one individual. There are currently about 130 white tigers in zoos.

The white Bengal tiger is not an albino. Albino tiger has no black stripes at all.

Tiger ( Panthera tigris) - a predator of the class mammals, such as chordates, the order Carnivora, the cat family, the panther genus, the subfamily big cats. It got its name from the ancient Persian word tigri, which means “sharp, fast,” and from the ancient Greek word “arrow.”

The tiger is the largest and heaviest member of the cat family. Some male tigers reach a length of 3 meters and weigh over 300 kg. Tigers are listed in the Red Book, and hunting these animals is prohibited.

Tiger: description and photographs

Tigers are distinguished by a flexible, muscular body and a round head with a convex forehead, expressive eyes and small but sensitive ears. Tigers see perfectly in the dark, and according to scientists, they can distinguish colors. Bengal and Amur tigers are the largest of their species. The size of these tigers can reach 2.5-2.9 meters in length (excluding the tail), and the weight of tigers of this species reaches 275-320 kg. The height of a tiger at the withers is 1.15 m. The average weight of an adult male is 180-250 kg.

According to official data, the record recorded weight of the largest tiger (Bengal) was 388.7 kg.

Moreover, females are usually smaller in size than males.

Elastic white tiger whiskers grow in 4-5 rows, framing the tiger's muzzle. With sharp fangs up to 8 cm long, the tiger easily deals with its prey.

Special keratinized protrusions on the side of the movable tongue help to cut the carcass of a killed animal, and also serve as an auxiliary means of hygiene. Adult mammals have 30 teeth.

There are 5 fingers on the front paws of a tiger, there are only 4 on the hind paws, and retractable claws are located on each finger.

Tiger ears are small and round in shape. The animal's pupil is round, the iris is yellow.

Southern species of tigers have short and dense hair, while their northern counterparts are fluffier.

The color of the animals is predominantly rust with a red or brown tint; the chest and belly are much lighter, and sometimes even white.

The tiger owes its exceptional beauty to the dark brown or completely black stripes located throughout the body. The tiger's stripes have characteristic pointed ends, sometimes bifurcating, then joining again. Typically an animal has more than 100 stripes.

The long tail, covered with rings of stripes, is always black at the end. The tiger's stripes are uniquely positioned, like a human fingerprint, and serve as excellent camouflage for the animal.

The track of a male tiger is longer and more elongated than that of a female. The length of the male tiger's track is 15-16 cm, the width is 13-14 cm. The length of the female tiger's track reaches 14-15 cm, and the width is 11-13 cm.

The roar of a tiger can be heard at a distance of almost 3 kilometers.

Despite their considerable weight, tigers can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h regardless of the surrounding landscape.

The lifespan of an animal in captivity is approximately 15 years.

Who is stronger - a lion or a tiger?

This question worries and interests many. Unfortunately, there are very few recorded facts about battles between a lion and a tiger, so there is no reason to talk about the superiority of one representative of the animal world over another. It is only possible to compare a tiger and a lion according to their external parameters and lifestyle.

• So, as for the weight category, although a little, about 50-70 kg, the tiger is still heavier than the lion.
• In terms of jaw compression force when biting, both animals are in the same positions.
• The principle of killing the chosen victim is also identical - both the tiger and the tiger bite into the neck of their prey, piercing it with powerful fangs.
• But in terms of lifestyle, these two predators are radically different. The tiger is a born solitary hunter who prefers to get food in his own “land”, that is, in a marked territory. Feuds between relatives are almost impossible, since tigers rarely intersect with each other during the hunt. Lions live in pride clans, so males often fight not only for the right to hunt, but also for the “lady of the heart” during mating games. Often such fights end with serious wounds and even the death of one of the lions.
• It is impossible to say with certainty who is more resilient - a lion or his striped brother from the cat family. Both animals run quite quickly, covering considerable distances, but such a criterion as endurance can be justified by the age of these predators, living conditions, or their state of health.

There are facts when trained lions fought with the same circus tigers. Basically, the lion emerged victorious from the battle, but again, this conclusion is subjective, no one kept statistics, so you should not use such information as a 100% statement of superiority.

Both animals, the lion and the tiger, are very strong, powerful and perfectly adapted to their natural environment.

Subspecies of tigers, names, descriptions and photos

The classification identifies 9 subspecies of the tiger, 3 of which, unfortunately, have already disappeared from the face of the earth. Today in nature live:

• Amur (Ussuri) tiger ( Panthera tigris altaica)

The largest and smallest representative of the species, distinguished by thick fur and a relatively small number of stripes. The color of the Amur tiger is orange with a white belly, the fur is thick. The body length of males reaches 2.7 – 3.8 meters. The weight of a male Amur tiger is 180-220 kg. The height of the Amur tiger at the withers is 90-106 cm.

A population of approximately 500 Ussuri tigers inhabits the Amur region of Russia. A number of individuals are found in North Korea and northeast China. The Amur tiger is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

• Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris, Panthera tigris bengalensis)

Characterized by the largest numbers, representatives have a bright coat color from yellow to light orange. In nature, there are also white Bengal tigers that do not have stripes at all, but they are rather a mutated species. The length of the Bengal tiger reaches 270-310 cm, females are smaller and reach a length of 240-290 cm. The tiger's tail is 85-110 cm long. The height at the withers is 90-110 cm. The weight of the Bengal tiger is from 220 to 320 kg as a maximum.

According to various sources, the population of this tiger species includes from 2.5 to 5 thousand individuals, most of which live in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and South Asia.

Albino white tiger

• Indochinese tiger ( Panthera tigris corbetti)

It is distinguished by a dull red color and numbers a little more than a thousand individuals. The stripes of this species are narrower and shorter. This type of tiger is smaller in size than others. The length of the male is 2.55-2.85 cm, the length of the female is 2.30-2.55 cm. The weight of a male Indochinese tiger reaches 150-195 kg, the weight of a female tiger is 100-130 kg.

The area where Indochinese tigers live is Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Southeast Asia, and Southern China.

• Malayan tiger ( Panthera tigris jacksoni)

The third largest subspecies in the number of individuals, living in the Malaysian, southern region of the Malay Peninsula.

This is the smallest tiger among all species. The length of a male Malayan tiger is 237 cm, the length of females is up to 200 cm. The weight of a male Malayan tiger is 120 kg, the weight of females does not exceed 100 kg. In total, there are about 600-800 tigers of this species in nature.

• Sumatran tiger ( Panthera tigris sumatrae)

It is also considered the smallest representative of the species. The length of a male tiger is 220-25 cm, the length of females is 215-230 cm. The weight of male tigers is 100-140 kg, the weight of females is 75-110 kg.

About 500 representatives are found in nature reserves on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

• South China tiger (Chinese tiger) ( Panthera tigris amoyensis)

A small subspecies, no more than 20 of these tigers live in captivity in the south and center of China.

The body length of males and females is 2.2-2.6 meters, the weight of males does not exceed 177 kg, the weight of females reaches 100-118 kg.

Extinct species are Bali tiger, Caspian tiger And Javan tiger.

In addition to white tigers, species with a yellow color are sometimes born; such animals are called golden tigers. The fur of such tigers is lighter and the stripes are brown.

Tiger hybrids

Hybrids, born from crossing the big tabby cat and other representatives of the panther genus, began to appear in captivity as early as the 19th century.

• Liger

A hybrid of a lion and a female tiger, it is enormous in size and reaches three meters in length in adulthood.

• Tigrolev (tigon)

A hybrid of a tiger and a lioness, always smaller than its parents and endowed with the characteristics of both: paternal stripes and maternal spots. Males have a mane, but it is smaller than that of a liger.

Tigers and ligers are born exclusively in zoos. In the wild, tigers and lions do not interbreed.

Ussuri tigers live in the Amur region in Russia, Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories, about 10% of the population is found in North Korea and northeast China. Bengal tigers live in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and South Asia. The area where Indochinese tigers live is Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Southeast Asia, and Southern China. The Malayan tiger lives in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula. Sumatran tigers are found in nature reserves on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Chinese tigers live in south-central China.

For their habitats, these striped predators prefer a variety of areas: tropical rainforests, shady jungles, semi-desert regions and savannas, bamboo thickets and steep rocky hills. The tiger is so able to adapt to conditions that it feels great both in hot climates and in the harsh northern taiga. Steep cliffs with numerous niches or secret caves, secluded reed or reed thickets near water bodies are the most favorite territories where the tiger makes his lair, hunts and raises restless and nimble offspring.

Tiger's lifestyle and habits

Possessing quite massive dimensions and enormous strength, tigers feel like absolute masters of the territory in which they live. Leaving his marks with urine everywhere, stripping the bark from trees along the perimeter of his property and loosening the soil with his claws, the male tiger clearly marks his “land”, not allowing other males there.

At the same time, tigers from the same “family” are quite friendly to each other and sometimes behave very funny during communication: they touch their muzzles, rub their striped sides, “snort” noisily and energetically, while exhaling air through their mouths or nose.

In nature, tigers are most often solitary animals, but in zoos with these cats everything looks a little different. After the birth of a pair of offspring, the tiger-father takes care of the babies no less reverently than the tigress-mother: he spends leisure time with them during games, licks them and gently trembles in the form of punishment for the scruff of the neck. Watching the tiger family is really interesting.

In the natural environment, tigers do not limit themselves to the time of day during the hunt - when they are hungry and prey has turned up, then they will make a fatal throw for the victim. By the way, the tiger is an excellent swimmer and will never refuse to eat fish,

The white tiger is an animal listed in the Red Book. Photo and description of a white tiger

It's no secret that wildlife needs protection these days. But some animals from the Red Book, the white tiger for example, live only in zoos. This predator is not classified as a separate subspecies. He is an individual Bengal tiger that has a congenital mutation. This deviation results in a white coat with black or light brown stripes. In addition, such specimens have blue or green eyes, which is completely unusual for tigers with the usual fur color.

Habitat

The Bengal white tiger is an animal that is found in Central and Northern India, Burma, Bangladesh and Nepal. It should be noted that “Bengals” most often have a red color. But if a white tiger is born in the wild, it will be very difficult for him to survive due to the fact that with such a color he will not be able to hunt successfully, since he is too noticeable to his victims.

There is an opinion that these predators come from Siberia, and their color is camouflage in snowy winter conditions. But this is a misconception, because white tigers appeared in India.

General information

The white tiger is an animal that is born with a frequency of one individual per 10 thousand with the usual fur color. Reports of these predators have been recorded for several decades, and they came mainly from Bengal, Assam, Bihar, but there were especially many of them from the territory of the former principality of Rewa.

The first documented sighting of a white tiger dates back to the mid-20th century. Then one of the hunters accidentally found the animal’s lair, where among the usual there was a white male tiger cub, and took it with him. This man tried to breed offspring of the same color from him by breeding him with an ordinary female. The first attempts were unsuccessful, but after some time he still managed to get the second generation of white tigers.

More than half a century has passed since that moment. The population of these unusually colored animals has increased significantly. It is interesting that all the white tigers currently kept in captivity in various zoos around the world are descendants of the same individual that was once found by a hunter in the jungle. It follows from this that all these representatives of the cat tribe are related to each other. There are currently about 130 white tigers in captivity, of which about 100 are in India. Unfortunately, the last representative of these animals that once lived in nature was shot dead back in 1958.

Genetic failures

As scientists have proven, the white tiger is not an albino animal. This coat color can only be caused by the presence of recessive genes. This means that a true albino tiger cannot have black or brown stripes. If both parents are orange but carry certain genes, they have about a 25% chance of producing white-furred offspring. Now let's take another case. For example, if the parents have different colors, i.e. one of them is white and the other is orange, then the chance of getting light-colored offspring increases to 50%.

As mentioned above, among white tigers there are also albinos. These animals have plain fur without traditional stripes. In the organisms of such individuals there is practically no coloring pigment, so their eyes are red due to the blood vessels visible on them.

White tiger: description of the animal

Such individuals are very often inferior in size to their red-haired relatives, and a slowdown in growth has been observed in them since childhood. As stated earlier, these tigers have white striped fur and blue or green eyes. Sometimes they have various birth defects caused by a genetic malfunction. These include club feet, poor vision and squint, kidney problems, and a crooked neck and spine. But nevertheless, it is not possible to say that because of this the infant mortality rate of white tigers is too high.

These beautiful and unusual animals are considered extremely valuable specimens everywhere. And this applies not only to zoos. Popular culture is also influenced by white tigers, for example, some of the popular music groups dedicated their songs to them.

Amur tigers

It must be said that Bengal individuals are not the only ones who have such gene mutations. Sometimes you come across white Amur tigers with black stripes. But this happens much less often.

The current population of these beautiful animals includes both Bengal and hybrid Bengal-Amur individuals. Therefore, now scientists are at a loss as to which of them originally owned this recessive white gene.

Despite the fact that information about white Amur tigers is received from time to time, their very existence in the wild has not yet been documented. Many zoologists believe that this subspecies does not have such mutations. Many zoos keep Siberian tigers with white fur, but they are not purebred, as they were actually created by crossing with Bengal tigers.

Attitude

For many centuries, the white tiger (photos of the animal are presented in this article) was a creature shrouded in an aura of mystery. Sometimes these animals inspired fear or became objects of worship. In the Middle Ages in China, their images were painted on the gates of Taoist temples. It was believed that the white tiger was an animal capable of protecting people from various evil spirits. He personified the guardian of a certain country of the dead, and also symbolized longevity. The Chinese firmly believed that demons should be terrified of such a formidable guard, so they often decorated the graves of their relatives with sculptures in the form of this animal.

At the end of the 80s. In the last century, archaeologists, digging up graves in Henan province, discovered a drawing of a tiger, whose age is about 6 thousand years. It was a shell talisman lying near the body. Today it is considered the most ancient amulet with the image of a white tiger.

In Kyrgyzstan they said about this animal that it could solve almost any human problems and difficulties. To do this, the shamans, dancing a ritual dance and gradually falling into a trance, asked the tiger for help.

But in his homeland, India, one belief still exists. It says that the person who is lucky enough to see a white tiger with his own eyes will be granted complete happiness and enlightenment. It was from this country, where he is perceived as a superbeing, but completely material, and not mythical, that he spread throughout the world.

It's no secret that wildlife needs protection these days. But some white tigers, for example, live only in zoos. This predator is not classified as a separate subspecies. He is an individual Bengal tiger that has a congenital mutation. This deviation results in a white coat with black or light brown stripes. In addition, such specimens have blue or green eyes, which is completely unusual for tigers with the usual fur color.

Habitat

The Bengal white tiger is an animal that is found in Central and Northern India, Burma, Bangladesh and Nepal. It should be noted that “Bengals” most often have a red color. But if a white tiger is born in the wild, it will be very difficult for him to survive due to the fact that with such a color he will not be able to hunt successfully, since he is too noticeable to his victims.

There is an opinion that these predators come from Siberia, and their color is camouflage in snowy winter conditions. But this is a misconception, because white tigers appeared in India.

General information

The white tiger is an animal that is born with a frequency of one individual per 10 thousand with the usual fur color. Reports of these predators have been recorded for several decades, and they came mainly from Bengal, Assam, Bihar, but there were especially many of them from the territory of the former principality of Rewa.

The first documented sighting of a white tiger dates back to the mid-20th century. Then one of the hunters accidentally found the animal’s lair, where among the usual there was a white male tiger cub, and took it with him. This man tried to breed offspring of the same color from him by breeding him with an ordinary female. The first attempts were unsuccessful, but after some time he still managed to get the second generation of white tigers.

More than half a century has passed since that moment. The population of these unusually colored animals has increased significantly. It is interesting that all the white tigers currently kept in captivity in various zoos around the world are descendants of the same individual that was once found by a hunter in the jungle. It follows from this that all these representatives of the cat tribe are related to each other. There are currently about 130 white tigers in captivity, of which about 100 are in India. Unfortunately, the last representative of these animals that once lived in nature was shot dead back in 1958.

Genetic failures

As scientists have proven, the white tiger is not an albino animal. This coat color can only be caused by the presence of recessive genes. This means that a true albino tiger cannot have black or brown stripes. If both parents are orange but carry certain genes, they have about a 25% chance of producing white-furred offspring. Now let's take another case. For example, if the parents have different colors, i.e. one of them is white and the other is orange, then the chance of getting light-colored offspring increases to 50%.

As mentioned above, among white tigers there are also animals that have plain fur without traditional stripes. In the organisms of such individuals there is practically no coloring pigment, so their eyes are red due to the blood vessels visible on them.

White tiger: description of the animal

Such individuals are very often inferior in size to their red-haired relatives, and a slowdown in growth has been observed in them since childhood. As mentioned earlier, these tigers have white striped fur and blue or Sometimes they have various birth defects due to genetic failure. These include club feet and squints, kidney problems, and a curved neck and spine. But nevertheless, it is not possible to say that because of this the infant mortality rate of white tigers is too high.

These beautiful and unusual animals are considered extremely valuable specimens everywhere. And this applies not only to zoos. is also influenced by white tigers, for example, some of the popular music groups dedicated their songs to them.

Amur tigers

It must be said that Bengal individuals are not the only ones that have similar ones. Sometimes you can come across white ones with black stripes. But this happens much less often.

The current population of these beautiful animals includes both Bengal and hybrid Bengal-Amur individuals. Therefore, now scientists are at a loss as to which of them originally owned this recessive white gene.

Despite the fact that information about white Amur tigers is received from time to time, their very existence in the wild has not yet been documented. Many zoologists believe that this subspecies does not have such mutations. Many zoos keep Siberian tigers with white fur, but they are not purebred, as they were actually created by crossing with Bengal tigers.

Attitude

For many centuries, the white tiger (photos of the animal are presented in this article) was a creature shrouded in an aura of mystery. Sometimes these animals inspired fear or became objects of worship. In the Middle Ages in China, their images were painted on the gates of Taoist temples. It was believed that the white tiger was an animal capable of protecting people from various evil spirits. He personified the guardian of a certain country of the dead, and also symbolized longevity. The Chinese firmly believed that demons should be terrified of such a formidable guard, so they often decorated the graves of their relatives with sculptures in the form of this animal.

At the end of the 80s. In the last century, archaeologists, digging up graves in Henan province, discovered a drawing of a tiger, whose age is about 6 thousand years. It was a shell talisman lying near the body. Today it is considered the most ancient amulet with the image of a white tiger.

In Kyrgyzstan they said about this animal that it could solve almost any human problems and difficulties. To do this, the shamans, dancing a ritual dance and gradually falling into a trance, asked the tiger for help.

But in his homeland, India, one belief still exists. It says that the person who is lucky enough to see a white tiger with his own eyes will be granted complete happiness and enlightenment. It was from this country, where he is perceived as a superbeing, but completely material, and not mythical, that he spread throughout the world.

Interesting mutations sometimes occur in nature, as a result of which individuals with new characteristics appear in the species composition of animals. As a result of one of these mutations, white tigers appeared. This rather rare animal fascinates with its appearance. The white tiger differs from the usual tiger in its bright white coat with black and brown stripes and blue eyes.

In nature, white individuals are rare, since their bright appearance does not allow the belly to sneak up on prey unnoticed and presents a lot of problems during the hunt. But in captivity, white tigers successfully live and reproduce, and their way of life is no different from the way of life of their tawny relatives.

Today, there are about 130 white tigers in all zoos around the world. There they are a kind of attraction, because this mutation occurs quite rarely and only for every 10,000 tigers with normal coloration there is 1 individual with white.

Due to a misconception, many people believe that white tigers are albinos. They have the melanin pigment, although its content is less than normal. In fact, the white tiger is simply a color variation of the Bengal tiger, which exhibits the so-called recessive whiteness gene.