It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is traditionally classified into nine recent subspecies, though some recognise only two subspecies, mainland Asian tigers and the island tigers of the Sunda Islands. Adult male tigers weigh 100-260kg, while females weigh 75-180kg.

Understanding the Context

They also range from 1.5m (5ft) to over 4m (13ft) from nose to tail tip, making them almost four times as large as the next biggest cat in their habitat; the leopard. Of all the tiger subspecies, the Amur tiger is the largest. Learn five surprising facts about these striped felines, including how large the cats can be, an adaptation some developed for swimming, and how much wild tiger populations have declined ... The tiger is the largest member of the cat family (Felidae), rivaled only by the lion in strength and ferocity.

Key Insights

Males are larger than females and may attain a shoulder height of about 1 meter (about 3 feet) and a length of about 2.2 meters (7 feet), excluding a tail of about 1 meter. Tigers, the world's largest cat species, can weigh up to 670 pounds! Learn more amazing facts about the tiger in this video from National Geographic Kids. Based on the best available information, tiger populations are stable or increasing in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia and China. About 5,574 tigers remain in the wild, according to the Global Tiger Forum, but much more work is needed to protect this species if we are to secure its future in the wild.

Final Thoughts

Tigers wait until dark to hunt. The tiger sprints to an unsuspecting animal, usually pulling it off its feet with its teeth and claws. If the prey animal is large, the tiger bites its throat...