backbackSiberian Tigers
Considered to be the largest of all
cats, Siberian Tigers may reach a length of 4 metres and a weight
of 320 kg.
Tigers may eat up to 27 kg of meat in one sitting and are able to tackle prey that is twice the tiger's weight. They are well equipped with efficient tools to hunt and eat this large prey. Twelve centimetre long canines can bring down a deer and wild boar, while the shearing back teeth, called camassials, are used to slice up the large chunks of meat so it can be swallowed.
Tiger's stripes actually help it hide. As the sunlight filters down through the forest the lighting take on a dappled effect. Thus a broken pattern is much more difficult to see than a solid color.
Tigers and Jaguars are the only two cats
that actually enjoy water. When the weather gets warm, tigers can often
be found in water cooling themselves off. Excellent swimmers,
they can easily swim 4 - 6 kilometers.
All races of the tiger are endangered. Two major problems contribute to the tiger's decline:
Even with active conservation measures,
there is little doubt that zoos will be the last refuge for tigers. Zoos
are committed to the captive breading of these beautiful
creatures, and today, more tigers live in zoos than remain in the wild.
The
Calgary Zoo currently has 2 baby tigers born this spring (March
12, 1996) and 3 adults (2 male and 1 female). The female and kids
are kept separate from the adult males, each taking turns using
the large enclosure.
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