Tigers belong to the cat family. It is the largest, strongest and fiercest cat in the world.

Tigers are endangered. There are only about 4500 tigers left in the world. They are hunted for their beautiful skins as well as for their bones and body parts which people use to make medicines. The number of tigers is also low because of habitat destruction and because of conflict with people. About 100 people each year are killed by tigers.

habitat destruction - destroying their homes

conflict - fighting 

The tiger is the largest wild cat in the world. It's tail alone is 3 feet long! (0.9 m) It's body is about 5-6 feet long. (1.5-1.8 m) It is about 3 feet tall and weighs between 240-500 pounds. (108-227 kg) That's one big kitty!

But unlike your fluffy housecat, these big cats are one of the most dangerous animals on Earth. Their teeth are long and sharp - about 4 inches long! (10 cm) And their claws are just as scary! They are about 1.5 inches long. (3.8 cm)

Of course, everyone knows a tiger because of its orange and black stripes. These help it to hide in the shadows of the grass it hides in. And did you know? No two tigers have the same stripes!

Tigers live to about 15 years of age.

Tigers hunt at night and travel a long way to look for their prey. They like to eat large animals such as wild pigs, deer and buffalo. They usually eat about 12 pounds (5.4 kg) of meat in one meal but have been known to eat up to 80 pounds! (36kg)

Because they hunt such large animals, it may take a few days to finish eating it. When a tiger is full, it covers the dead animal with leaves or soil and keeps it for later.

prey - animals that they hunt for food

A female tiger has a litter of 3-4 babies, called cubs, at one time. The cubs are only 2-3.5 pounds (1-1.6 kg) when they are born and they cannot see at all! Luckily, tigers are wonderful mothers! Tiger mums stay with their cubs most of the time, only leaving to get food or water. The cubs drink their mother's milk but can eat meat as early as 6-8 weeks of age. They start to hunt with their mother when they are about 8-10 months old.

Tigers looks after their cubs for about a year and a half until the cubs are big enough to take care of themselves. 

litter - group of baby animals