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| Sunday, 21 November 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Big cat power Tigers - the 'man-eaters'
In general the tigers are forest dwellers but they can also be found in grasslands and swamp margins beyond woodland areas.They are never far away from water. In fact, among the big cats, tigers are known to enjoy taking a dip in water when it's hot. They are strong swimmers.Their fur coat of orange to brownish yellow with a white chest and belly is covered with broken vertical black or dark brown stripes.There are five species of tigers, namely the Bengal Indian Tiger, Siberian Tiger, South China Tiger, Sumatran Tiger and Indo-Chinese Tiger.
Young males sometimes travel far and live solitary lives before establishing their own territory but the females often stay close to their mother and sometimes share the territory.The tigers' future depends on us as they are not only hunted for their beautiful coats but their habitats are being destroyed and also they are killed when they become a danger to humans. Tiger's appetite How much do you think a tiger can eat ? You may be surprised to learn that a full-grown tiger can eat as much as one fifth of its own body weight in just one sitting ! If a man weighing 76kg (12 stone) tried to match the tiger's capacity for food, he would have to consume a mighty 15 kg (2 1/2 stone) meal at one sitting. ***** Cheetah nature's finest racing machine
Eight races of cheetah have been recognised with six in Africa and two in Asia, but most of them are now extinct in the wild state. Those that remain are mostly found in open plains and semi-arid savannas in eastern Africa and parts of Asia.
Despite their reputation as ruthless hunters, the cheetahs are shy, inoffensive creatures. Of all the cats, the cheetahs are the only cats that cannot retract their claws and therefore they do not claw their prey. The claws help the cheetahs to grip the ground better when hunting at speed. Studies have proved that the cheetah could reach a maximum speed of 90-95 km/h( 56-60 mph) in about three seconds. However their lightning speed is restricted to short distances because they have very little endurance. Cheetahs are known to have lifespans of 15-16 years. **** The paralysing roar The roaring of a tiger momentarily paralyses its prey and scientists have discovered that it is due to the fact that the tiger's roar has an infrasonic component, comprising growls at frequencies of 18Hz or less. That is below the lower audible threshold for humans and other mammals. Even though we cannot hear them, we can feel their vibrations. It is the combination of audible roar and infrasonic blast that has a paralysing effect on its prey. (Sound waves are measured in hertz (Hz). |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
Tigers are beautiful creatures but are ferocious. Among the big cats,
the tigers have earned the reputation of being 'man-eaters'.
Tigers are an extremely threatened species and already three of the
subspecies, the Caspian in the Middle East and West Central Asia, Balinese
and Javan from the islands of Bali and Java are now extinct.Although
popular in many zoos, the White Bengal Tigers are extremely rare in the
wild. The male Siberian Tiger or Amur Tiger which has a total body length
which exceeds 10 feet and weighs upto 300 kg is considered to be the most
powerful member of the cat family.
Tigers are usually nocturnal hunters but in protected areas they are
active during the day too if humans are not around. Tigers prefer large
prey such as wild boar, buffalo and deer but when such animals are not
available, they hunt fish, monkeys and various small mammals. Tigers are
cautious hunters and stalk their prey for a long time before making the
final charge which is usually to the throat or neck.
They are generally solitary hunters but share their food with others of
its family group.The females have a litter of about two to three cubs and
the young tigers stay with their mothers till they are two years, learning
the skills of hunting.
Described as the 'greyhound' of the cats' the Cheetahs or Hunting
Leopard are the fastest animals on Earth. Long with slender limbs, narrow
chest, supple back and strong hindquarters, they look more like greyhounds
chasing a hare than cats, when pursuing their victims. They are about
1.76-2.36m (5.8 - 7.7ft) in length with a long, powerful tail of around
48-84cm (19-33 inches). They have small heads and spotted coats and weigh
around 42-66kg (92-147 lb).
They are carnivores and their diet consists of small and medium sized
mammals (mainly antelopes and gazelles) upto 60 kg (130lb) and birds
including the Ostrich.
