PRINT A4 - ZOO Tiger

The tiger, Panthera tigris, is the largest cat species, with a total body length of up to 3.4 metres. It lives on the Indian subcontinent (tropical jungle), but occupies a wide range of habitats that provide suitable cover, proximity to water, plenty of prey and caves, large trees or dense vegetation where it can rest and lie in wait.

The yellow-and-black striped animal is a specialist at taking down large mammals, but mostly feeds on hoofed animals such as deer, antelope, wild boar and tapir. The tiger mainly hunts alone, but can in rare cases be social. Most remaining populations live in small pockets isolated from each other.

The tiger's most recognisable feature is its coat with dark transverse stripes on its orange background. The stripes are like fingerprints and differ from tiger to tiger.

Weighing up to 300 kg, it is the largest living cat in the world.

The tiger is an amazingly powerful predator and can kill animals that weigh up to four to five times more than itself. Large animals such as crocodiles, leopards and bears can be on the tiger's menu, but because of the tiger's heavy weight it is rare for the animal to catch its prey, due to its limited ability to maintain high speed over longer distances. Only about one in ten attempts succeeds in bringing down its prey.

The tiger is also one of the few cats that likes to get wet. It bathes to cool down and is actually a fairly capable swimmer.

All art prints in the zoo series are also available in A3