<text>

cover page [ next page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<gap desc="imported material">

<name key="Edmund Raleigh">

Tiger

page 1 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

The Tiger

<gap desc="figure">

page 2 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

Contents

page 3 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="1.">

Did you Know?

1. Tigers can live in forests and Mountains and reedbeds. (See "habitat")

2. Tigers never hunt <reg>accompanied</reg> . After they've mated* they split up. (*See "Mating")

3. Tigers live on deer, pigs, and cattle* (buffalo) (See "<reg>Tiger's</reg> prey")

4. Tigers hunt in the evenings when their <reg>camouflage</reg> is most effective*. Then they rest during the day. (*see "<reg>camouflage</reg> ")

5. A fully grown male can be up to 3m long and weigh 200-270kg.

6. The senses with which the tiger hunts are = sight and hearing*. Smell is not used.

7. The <reg>tiger's</reg> patterned coat* helps it to stalk its prey. (*See "<reg>camouflage</reg> ")

page 4 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="2.">

Descriptions

The tiger is one of the big cat family. It is 50 times as large as a domestic tabby cat and is 50 times as strong. They have an orangey-yellow coat with black stripes to act as <reg>camouflage</reg> . (See "<reg>camouflage</reg> "). They think as little of killing, pulling down, and eating a deer as a cat does a mouse. The tiger is not only strong, but is graceful as well. People have said "that to see a tiger walk out of the jungle is something that can never be forgotten. <note desc="no close quotes"> It has, like a cat, long claws that can be sheathed. <reg>Its</reg> chief weapon is its powerful jaws.

page 5 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="3.">

Habitat

Here is a list of places where the tiger <reg>usually</reg> lives -

1. The "Taiga". (Siberian pineforests)

2. The Tropical forests.

3. The forests of the foothills of the Himalayas.

4. The reedbeds of central Asia (the tall reeds hide the tiger.)

5. Grassy swampland (Terai)

6. Open country with thickets in south and central India. (like where Shere Khan lived.)

In other words, the tiger is a forest animal. If it can't get forests, it takes reedbeds. If it can't get reedbeds it takes ravines or open country with lots of thickets.

page 6 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="4.">

<gap desc="figure">

Siberia

China

Caspian Sea

Sumatra

Indian Subcontinent.

Bali

Java

Key

Range today - <gap desc="colour key">

Range 100 years ago - <gap desc="colour key">

page 7 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="5.">

The <reg>tiger's</reg> prey

Here is a list of what the tiger <reg>generally</reg> eats -

1. Buffalo (common prey.)

2. Baby elephants (rare prey.)

3. Porcupine (Tigers love it.) The spikes <reg>interfere</reg>.

4. Deer (common prey.)

5. Monkeys (rare prey.)

6. Wild pigs (common prey)

The Tiger loves Porcupine. The spikes, though, are not useless. The Tiger will flip the porcupine in the air, in the hope that the fall will stun the porcupine. This, however, is <reg>extremely</reg> dangerous, as the spikes may stick in the <reg>Tiger's</reg> paw. This will cripple the tiger and it will die. Many have been found dead with spikes in their chests, faces and paws. The tiger also likes monkeys <reg>as well</reg>. For information on how it hunts them see "How the Tiger hunts".

page 8 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="6.">

How the Tiger hunts

When the Tiger has found its prey, it stalks around it, by slithering like a snake. It <reg>manoeuvres</reg> itself into a favourable position, preferably from behind the prey, where it is easy to spring from. While it is moving, it keeps its eyes full on the prey. Then the Tiger draws itself into a springing posture, it pounces. While it leaps forward, it utters great cough like roars, to shock the prey, and slow it from getting into its stride. If this fails or the Tiger makes a false move, and the prey gets away, the Tiger will make no <reg>attempt</reg> to follow. It will try again somewhere else. It catches monkeys in a <reg>different</reg> way. It agitates them by jumping up and roaring. In the <reg>monkeys'</reg> panic some may misjudge their leaps, falling to the ground may result in their breaking limbs or stunning themselves. Exit monkey.

page 9 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="7.">

<reg>Camouflage</reg>

A <reg>Tiger's</reg> <reg>camouflage</reg> is designed so well, that it is only the circus that it stands out in. In its normal habitat, it is practically invisible. In the jungles of India and Burma, the <reg>Tiger's</reg> <reg>camouflage</reg> has probably led to its success. Tigers have a unique type of stripes. No <reg>Tiger's</reg> stripes are exactly the same as another, making it possible to identify individuals. The stripes are more beautiful than a <reg>zebra's</reg>. The orange patches of the <reg>Tiger's</reg> coat fool animals into thinking they are leaves, and the black, the <reg>leaves'</reg> shadows. Cunning. This is the reason why they hunt in the <reg>evenings</reg>, when the shadows are long. So all this proves that <reg>camouflage</reg> is part of the reason why the tiger would be very successful if humans didn't hunt them. (See "Wide Persecution" section 9.)

page 10 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="8a.">

Mating

When the mating season arrives, the female will call to the males. When two males turn up, they immediately fight. They circle and then attack. It is a huge battle, or, as you might put it, a test of strength. Eventually one breaks off, either tired or badly hurt. The victor will follow the loser for some distance, roaring in triumph. The victor then returns, panting from its fight, to the female (who has been sitting peacefully!) who rises to her feet, licking his scars. For a moment they become <reg>almost</reg> playful. Then with a final lick, they disappear into the jungle, where they mate. The mating is anything but <reg>peaceful</reg>. It is <reg>accompanied</reg> by a "fiendish caterwauling". The sound makes even the elephants trumpet in alarm, as the couple roll through the forest, locked in mating.

page 11 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="8b.">

Birth

When the <reg>tigress</reg> feels she is ready to give birth, she finds a nice, dry, cave or some thick reeds to hide the cubs. Alone in the cave, the female will give birth to 3 or 4 or more cubs. The newborn cubs have their eyes closed. They only weigh about 1kg, which is small compared to the <reg>males'</reg> 200-270kg. The cubs stay in the den for 1 or 2 months, when they can wander about. They are fed on milk until they are old enough to eat regurgitated foods, to encourage them to go onto solids. The cubs keep absolutely silent while the mother is away. Security is essential. If the mother thinks they have been discovered, she will move them somewhere else. If there is a food shortage, she will not produce enough milk and the weaker cubs will die. If she takes to stealing domestic livestock, she will run the risk of being shot or poisoned.

page 12 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="8c">

Growing up

Male cubs leave their mothers at around 18 months. Female cubs do not leave until at least a couple of months later. They are content to let the male cub hunt and only eat the prey. The females have a <reg>general</reg> lack of lust for <reg>independence</reg>. The explanation lies in the <reg>male's</reg> larger appetite. The territory can only hold a certain number of tigers. Therefore it is more necessary for the male cub to leave sooner. The hardest part of the life of the tiger is the first few months of independence. The cub is still not as <reg>skilful</reg> as when he is fully matured. His mother is not there with advice and she cannot supply if things go wrong. In other words he has a hard time of it.

page 13 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="9.">

Wide Persecution

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were on one of <reg>Nepal's</reg> last and greatest tiger hunts. The <reg>Tiger's</reg> numbers have been dropping since the turn of the century. If they are allowed to drop any further the tiger may become extinct. An operation in North America is trying to release 193 Siberian tigers into the wild, making a rough total of 393 Siberian tigers, a big increase in their present population. The Tiger is still stalked today, but with <reg>cameras</reg> and camcorders, instead of firearms, because it is <reg>illegal</reg> to hunt Tigers. At one time, in zoos, Tigers were locked up in cramped cells. Their food lacked vitamins and <reg>minerals</reg>. Now the zoos are trying to look after them. The Indian tribes think that almost all the Tiger is medicine. Here is a list of some of those things -

Sexual organs are said to cure infertility.

Penises are under such demand, there is a black market.

Ground tiger tail is an ointment for skin disorders.

Gallstones are mixed with honey to cure <reg>Abcesses</reg>.

Eyeballs are rolled into balls to cure <reg>convulsions</reg>.

page 14 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="10.">

page 15 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="11.">

Popularity

I asked my class whether or not they liked tigers this was the result - 36 liked them - 0 didn't - I wasn't sure.

<gap desc="figure"> <gap desc="bar chart">

<note desc="labels on bar chart">yes No Not sure</note>

page 16 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<chpb desc="12.">

Bibliography

<gap desc="figure">

page 17 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<gap desc="imported material">

page 18 [ next page ] [ previous page ] [ ER5.1 index ]

<gap desc="figure">

</text>