5400 x 3600 px | 45,7 x 30,5 cm | 18 x 12 inches | 300dpi
Date de la prise de vue:
26 mai 2014
Lieu:
Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Illinois USA
Informations supplémentaires:
Tigers (Panthera tigris) are mammals of the Felidae family and one of four "big cats" in the Panthera genus. They are superpredators and the largest and most powerful living cat species in the world[2][3], comparable in size to the biggest fossil felids[4]. The Royal Bengal Tiger is the most common subspecies of tiger, constituting approximately 80% of the entire tiger population, and is found in the Indian subcontinent. The tiger's beautiful blend of grace and ferocity led the legendary author and conservationist, Jim Corbett to remark, "The Tiger is a large hearted gentleman with boundless courage...".[5] Most tigers live in forests or grasslands, for which their camouflage is ideally suited, and where it is easy to hunt prey that are faster or more agile. Among the big cats, only the tiger and jaguar are strong swimmers; tigers are often found bathing in ponds, lakes, and rivers. Tigers hunt alone and eat primarily medium to large sized herbivores such as sambar deer, wild pigs, gaur, and water buffalo. However, they also take smaller prey on occasion. Old and injured tigers have been known to take to easier prey such as humans or domestic cattle and are then termed as man-eaters or cattle-lifters which often leads to them being captured, shot or poisoned. Humans are the tiger's only true predator, as tigers are often poached illegally for their fur. Also, their bones and nearly all body parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine for a range of purported uses including pain killers and aphrodisiacs. Poaching for fur and destruction of habitat have greatly reduced tiger populations in the wild. A century ago, it is estimated there were over 100, 000 tigers in the world; now numbers are down to below 2, 500 mature breeding individuals, with no subpopulation containing more than 250 mature breeding individuals[1].