Tiger

The tiger is the largest cat in the world. It has a strong, muscly body, big paws, and a long tail, all covered in orange fur with dark stripes. Those stripes help the tiger hide among tall grass and shady trees. Tigers live in Asia, in warm forests, grassy plains, and even in muddy mangrove swamps near the sea.

Tigers like to live on their own. A grown tiger walks around its own patch of land, and the only close bond is between a mother and her cubs. To keep in touch across the forest, a tiger can give a deep roar that carries about three kilometres, which is like calling out from one side of a big park to the other.

Tigers are patient hunters. They move quietly through thick plants and rest during the hot part of the day, doing most of their hunting in the evening and at night. They eat large plant-eaters such as deer, wild pigs, and wild cattle. Tigers are also brilliant swimmers, and they will happily cross wide rivers or cool off in the water on a warm day.

Baby tigers are called cubs. They are born tiny and helpless, and their mother keeps them safe and feeds them until they are big enough to learn to hunt. Young tigers stay with their mother for about two years before they go off to find a home of their own.

There are far fewer tigers in the wild than there used to be, and they are listed as endangered. This is mostly because the forests they need are shrinking, there are fewer wild animals for them to eat, and some people hunt them. Today many countries protect tigers in special parks and reserves so these beautiful cats have safe places to live and raise their cubs.