Tuesday, May 27, 2008

The Sumatran Tiger



The Sumatran Tiger

The Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is native to an Indonesian island called Sumatra. It is the smallest living tiger subspecies, reaching a maximum length of 9 feet, and has narrower stripes than the other kinds of tigers. The Sumatran Tiger also has webbing between its’ toes, enabling these tigers to swim very fast and well. Being able to swim extremely well also lets these tigers be able to capture prey inside the water. Sumatran Tigers generally eat wild boar, tapir, deer, and sometimes-smaller animals like fish.
In the wild there are roughly 400 of these tigers left, give or take a hundred, but only some of them live in protected areas. The others live in unprotected environments that are quickly being taken over by agriculture. Poachers are killing the tigers that have been spared from these problems. Some Sumatran Tigers also live in zoos, and these tigers are not included in the above numbers.
The Sumatran Tiger can breed at any time during the year and generally have a gestation period of about 95 to 110 days. They can have anywhere from 1 to 6 cubs at one time, but generally only have 2 or 3.
In the wild these tigers generally live to be roughly 15 years of age, and in captivity they live to be roughly 20.
These tigers have been classified as critically endangered.

To learn more about tigers and the efforts to help them, you can call 1-800-5TIGERS or go to the web address of www.savethetigerfund.org to go to the Tiger Information Center. Also, go to this website http://www.honoluluzoo.org/tiger.htm to learn about the Honolulu Zoo’s Sumatran Tigers. There are video clips and sound recordings on this website. Enjoy!

Emma

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