They are the largest of all Asian cats. There primary senses are sight and sound rather than smell. They actually hunt and stalk there pray alone than with a group of others. Here's a cool fact: Tigers can consume up to 88 pound of meat at a time! The average of tiger cubs in one litter are 2-3 cubs. Each litter is every 2-2.5 years. If no cubs survive, a new litter may come within 5 months. Here's something else interesting! Tigers gain independence at two years. Girl tigers are mature by 3-4 years of age. Boy tigers are mature by 4-5 years. Sadly, half of all cubs do not survive more than two years. Wild tigers that do survive as a cub live around 25 years in the wild. Males of the largest species of tiger-the Amur/ Siberian tiger, can weigh up to 660 pounds! Boy, that sure is heavy. For males of the smallest species-Sumatran tigers, can weigh up to 310 pounds. Of course, in every species the males are heavier than the females. Tigers are solitary, apart form associations between mother and cub. Individual tigers still do have a large territory, and the size is determined by the availability of prey. Individual tigers don't often patrol there territories, but over periods of time, mark it with urine and feces. Tigers are now endangered because of poaching and habitat loss. They are forced to compete with dense and often human growing populations. If you want to help save the tigers, spread the word and go to worldwildlife.org to find out more. Come back next week to learn about another endangered animal.
Go timber wolves! actually, go gray wolves. Gray wolves are pretty cool. They live in North America, and besides being carnivores are very sweet. There diet consists of deer and smaller prey, such as hare and beaver. they are part of the canidae or dog family, a group characterized by their adaptability and intelligence. Wolves are very territorial, laying claim to familiar den sites, travel routes, and feeding grounds. Wolves suffer not only from habitat loss, but from enduring revenge killings for attacks on wild stock. the poor Wolfie!
I have to say, I'm a panda lover. Here is what I think you would like to know about pandas. Pandas are found in the temperate forests of china. All though classified as a carnivore, pandas diets are mainly bamboo. Despite being one of the most popular animals in the world, pandas are threatened by habitat fragmentation and unmaintainable development. It is estimated that less than 2,500 pandas are left in the wild today. WWF is actually the primary international conservation organization protecting pandas alone in the wild. Now, red pandas inhabit the forests of the Himalayas and southwestern china, living at altitudes of 7000 to 12000 feet! The red panda is a distant cousin of the giant panda, and also eats plenty of bamboo. But, they supplement there diet with fruit, blossoms, and of course, berries. The red pandas primary predator is a snow leopard, but the greatest is habitat loss.
Even though I love pandas, Cheetahs are super cool too. They are the fastest land animals in the world! There are three types of cheetahs. Most live in Africa, but some live in Iran. Cheetahs bodies are covered with spotted fur. They kinda look like leopards, but with solid black spots. They have black lines on the sides of their noses called tear lines. Cheetahs have spots everywhere except on there noses, throats and bellies. A male cheetah weigh about 140 pounds, and females around 90 pounds.Cheetahs can grow to be four feet long! Its tail is about thirty inches. Most cheetahs live on savannahs. A cheetah's spotted and tan fur camouflages it with the dry grass. Cheetahs have antelope, gazelles, and sometimes hares on there menu, but are on the menu for hyenas and lions. Cheetah's prey still gets away even with their speed. A mother cheetah has 2-5 cubs at a time, and is often moving her cubs. When the cubs are seven months, they can hunt. Wild cheetahs live for 7-12 years. Most cheetahs live together, and stay like that there whole lives. Cheetahs hunt in the morning or late in the day. They don't run when it is very hot, and can reach speeds of 70 MPH, but can only run that fast for a small period of time. Cheetahs can jump up into trees to look for prey. Here are some fun facts! cubs are born blind, helpless, and with dark fur. cubs are half the size of there mom at 6 months. The long mane on a cubs neck and shoulders disappears as they get older. Cheetahs growl, purr, and hiss, but cannot roar.One kind of cheetah, the king cheetah, have a mix of spots and stripes. But all cheetahs have incredibly good eyesight.
I'm working on it!