Island Life Magazine Ltd February / March 2016 | Page 15

INTERVIEW

11 facts
about
tigers
• Tigers are solitary animals, and it actually fairly
rare to see them group together in the wild. The
exception to this, of course, is a mother and her
cubs.
• A tiger’s legs are so powerful that they can
remain standing even when dead.
• Tigers feed on deer antelope, wild boar, and
buffalo. But did you know they also eat a variety
of birds, fish, rodents, small elephants, rhinos,
crocodiles, and even leopards?
• They are the largest of all the big cats, weighing
up to 300k (700 pounds).
• If you look a tiger in the eyes he is less likely to
kill you...
• Tigers are completely blind for the first week of
their life. About half do not survive to adulthood.
• The white spot on the back of their ears is called
an ocelli.
• There are a greater number of tigers in captivity
in the US alone than there are wild tigers left on
earth...
• Tigers have antiseptic saliva.

image:
Above: Simi the tiger at the zoo

• The tiger’s tongue is covered with numerous
small, sharp, rear-facing projections called
papillae. These papillae give the tongue its
rough, rasping texture and are designed to help
strip the skin, feathers, fur and meat right off
its prey. They have been known to lick the paint
right off the walls of their enclosures in the zoo.
• Unlike lions, who would fight to the death over
a kill, when a tiger crosses paths with another
tiger while hunting, they often share the meal
together. Also, when several tigers are present
at a kill, the males will wait for females and cubs
to eat first, again, unlike lions, which do the
opposite. Tigers rarely argue or fight over a kill
and simply wait turns.

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