After I installed a new HDD and upgraded my RAM …

I checked the computer to see if it crashes while playing solitaire for 10 minutes … I don’t want the computer to crash right before I publish my new post … and yeah ….

Muwhahahahahaahahaha … it’s working

I can finally post about my cat nap and have breakfast

In what local zoologists are calling a miracle, a Bengalese tiger has given birth to a healthy tiger-lion cub at a Novosibirsk zoo.

The cub is a cross between the female Bengalese tiger and an African lion. The animal resembled a lion cub except that it had stripes, and has been dubbed a “liger”, the Russian Information Agency Novosti reported.

“This was not the result of a scientific experiment,” Novosti quoted zoo director Rostislav Shilo as saying. “It’s just that the lion and the tiger live in neighboring caves in the Novosibirsk zoo, and got used to each other. It’s practically impossible in the wild.”

Shilo said that the “miracle cub” was christened Zita, and will remain in the zoo. But what will happen to the cub in the future, “no one can say”.

Orange Tigers

Orange is the standard colour for the tiger. All other colours are caused by recessive genes (white), or sometimes by inbreeding (black). It is often considered that breeding facilities should aim only to produce the orange tiger as the colour is true to species and colours such as that of the white tiger only detract from the true beauty of the deep orange. Indeed, there is no doubt visitors to this site display an obvious preference for white.

Tigers are never ‘just orange’ and depending upon subspecies the hue varies. The Amur tiger is more gold than orange, while the Bengal has reddish tonings. The now extinct Balinese tiger was a particularly dark, deep orange.

Even within subspecies the orange may vary a great deal and in the Sumatran it ranges from reddish-yellow, through to a deep orange, and on into reddish-brown colourings.

Generally-speaking, northern tigers (Russia, northern China) have lighter coats. Southern tigers (Malaysia and Sumatra) are darker.

Stripes also vary in colour. In the Amur tiger they are more brown than black, and the Bengal may have brown, gray, or black striping.

Pale Tigers

On occasion an unusually pale version of the orange tiger may occur. Suggestions have been made that this could be a complication of the same genes which cause the white tiger. The result is something which has a colour somewhere between the white and orange tigers.

Red Tigers

Erythristic tigers have been reported. Erythrism is abnormal or excessive redness. No photographs are available, but Tiger Territory displays here some very unusual images of a mounted erythristic leopard.

Brown tigers

Brown tigers have been reported and claims about their appearance varies. In some it is said the stripes are only a little darker than the normal base colour of the coat. Others apparently have a brown pelage with black stripes.

In four other reports occurring between 1961 and 1988 brown Bengals which possess no stripes were claimed. Like most black tigers these animals were seen around Orissa’s Similipal Tiger Reserve. The most recent of these was in July 1988 when a guard saw a non-striped tiger at a salt lick. A pug mark was seen in the area after the tiger departed. It has been suggested that the development of plain brown tigers may be a natural adaptation to assist camouflage in more open and sandy areas. For instance, a plain pelage would be advantageous in large areas of the Sundarbans.

The brown tiger has never been photographed, but then only recently was photographic evidence of the melanistic tiger produced, so the possibility of it occurring should not be ruled out.
Other colours:

It has been established that there are 14 possible colour combinations in the tiger. This site covers nine of these aberrations. Information on the others is presently unavailable, but most still rate as speculation rather than proven instances.

While in south-eastern China American missionary Harry R. Caldwell described a clear sighting of a tiger coloured deep shades of blue and maltese (bluish-gray).
Caldwell was experienced in recognising tigers and during his time in China he shot literally dozens of the big cats.

September of 1910 saw Caldwell in the Fujian Province and watching a goat. A tiger was pointed out, but at first glance Caldwell thought it was a crouching man dressed in blue.
A second look told him otherwise, “…I saw the huge head of the tiger above the blue which had appeared to me to be the clothes of a man. What I had been looking at was the chest and belly of the beast.”

He raised his gun to fire, then realised several children were in the way. During the time it took for him to alter position the tiger vanished.
Caldwell described the tiger as having a maltese base colour which changed to deep blue on the undersides. The stripes appeared to be similar to those on an orange tiger. He called the tiger “Bluebeard”.

Though he never caught the cat, villagers confirmed the presence of ‘black devils’ roaming the area.
The image shown here, and on the next page, depict a blue tiger as it may have appeared to Caldwell. His son also noted seeing maltese coloured fur caught on trees and bushes. He never reported a personal sighting of a live cat.

Other blue tiger sightings

Other very occasional sightings have been claimed of bluish-toned tigers, particularly in the Fujian Province. This site has personally had one report from the son of a US Army soldier who served in Korea during the Korean war. His father is certain he sighted a blue tiger in the mountains there, near what is now the Demilitarized Zone.

Our problem is that no firm proof has come to light in the way of expert reports or amateur/professional photographic evidence.
Though Caldwell was most certainly quite reliable, one report does not provide the evidence required to establish this animal existed. Experts remain highly skeptical, with some suggesting maltese tigers may simply be orange-coloured cats coated in mud.

In support of the blue tiger theory, maltese coloured cats certainly do exist. The most common is a domestic breed, but blue bobcats and lynxes have also been recorded and there is a little-known genetic combination which results in blue tonings. On top of this, for a very long time experts considered the black tiger mythical. We now have several pelts to prove otherwise.

Something we can probably conclude is that maltese tigers were of the South Chinese subspecies. Fujian Province is the area most famed for the blue colouring and that was once a stronghold for this tiger. But few, if any, of these tigers exist in the wild now and the number of blue sightings is out of proportion to the tiny population (perhaps 30 cats) which may remain. Admittedly, inbreeding produces some odd colour combinations, but this usually tends towards melanism; blue is not known to be a side effect.

The Bengal tiger or the Royal Bengal tiger

is found in parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Burma. It lives in varied habitats – grasslands, subtropical and tropical rainforests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests and mangroves. The Indian government’s estimated population figure for these tigers is between 3,100 and 4,500, 3,000 of which are found in India alone. However, many Indian tiger conservationists doubt this number, seeing it as overly optimistic.
The number of Bengal tigers in India may be lower than 2000, as most of the collected statistics are based on pugmark identification, which often gives a biased result. Even though this is the most ‘common’ tiger, these tigers are under severe pressure from both habitat destruction and poaching.

In 1972, India launched a massive wildlife conservation project, known as Project Tiger, to protect the depleting numbers of tigers in India. The project helped increase the population of these tigers from 1,200 in the 1970s to 3,000 in the 1990s and is considered as one of the most successful wildlife conservation programs. At least one Tiger Reserve (Sariska) has lost its entire tiger population to poaching. Male Bengal tigers can range anywhere from 200 to 295 kg (440-650 lb) and females range between 120-180 kg (264-400 lb). Most males in the wild usually weigh 205 to 227 kg (450-500 lb), while the average female will weigh about 140 kg (310 lb). However, there are recorded instances of shot males that weighed more than 300 kg. One large male killed in Nepal in 1942 weighed 318 kg (701 lbs), while another, killed in 1910 in India, weighed 317 kg (699 lbs).

The largest Bengal tiger ever shot was a male 3.3 m in total length and weighed close to 390 kg (858 lb.); this giant was killed in 1967.

The Indochinese tiger

is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Estimates of its population vary between 1,200 to 1,800, but it seems likely that the number is in the lower part of the range. The largest current population is in Malaysia, where illegal poaching is strictly controlled, but all existing populations are at extreme risk from habitat fragmentation and inbreeding. In Vietnam, almost three-quarters of the tigers killed provide stock for Chinese pharmacies. Also, the tigers are seen by poor natives as a resource through which they can ease poverty. Indochinese tigers are smaller and darker than Bengal tigers. Males weigh from 150-190 kg on average while females are smaller at 110-140 kg.

The Malayan tiger

exclusively found in the southern (Malaysian) part of the Malay Peninsula, was not considered a subspecies in its own right until 2004. The new classification came about after a study by Luo et al. from the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity Study, [9] part of the National Cancer Institute of the United States. Recent counts showed there are 600-800 tigers in the wild, making it the third largest tiger population behind the Bengal tiger and the Indochinese tiger. The Malayan tiger is a national icon in Malaysia, appearing on its coat of arms and in logos of Malaysian institutions, such as Maybank.

The Maltese Tiger (Blue Tiger)

The Sumatran tiger

is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The wild population is estimated at between 400 and 500, seen predominantly in the island’s five national parks. Recent genetic testing has revealed the presence of unique genetic markers, indicating that it may develop into a separate species, if it is not made extinct. This has led to suggestions that Sumatran tigers should have greater priority for conservation than any other subspecies. Habitat destruction is the main threat to the existing tiger population (logging continues even in the supposedly protected national parks), but 66 tigers were recorded as being shot and killed between 1998 and 2000, or nearly 20% of the total population.
The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of all living tiger subspecies. Adult males weigh between 100-130 kg, females 70-90 kg. Their small size is an adaptation to the thick, dense forests of the Sumatra island where they reside, as well as the smaller-sized prey. On February 3, 2007 a pregnant Sumatran Tiger was caught by people from Rokan Hilir village at Riau province. Indonesian fauna conservation officials are planning to transfer her to the Bogor Safari Park in Java.

The Amur tiger (Siberian Tiger)

also known as the Siberian, Manchurian or North China tiger, is confined almost completely to Siberia, where it is now protected. The last two censuses(1996 and 2005) found 450-500 Siberian tigers within their single and more or less continuous range making it one of the biggest undivided tiger populations in the world.
Considered the largest subspecies, the largest wild Siberian tiger on record weighed 384 kg (845 lb.), while two captive ones weighed 465kg (1025lb) and 423 kg (932 lb.) respectively. Some Bengal tigers grow to the same length as Siberian tigers, but they are less stocky. Weights can vary substantially depending on whether the tiger has been fully fed or has an empty belly. The average weight of a male Siberian tiger is around 227 kg (500 lb), but they can be anywhere from 205 to 364 kg (450-800 lb). The Siberian tiger is also noted for its thick coat, distinguished by a paler golden hue and a smaller number of stripes. The Siberian tiger is the largest and heaviest of all living felines. A six-month old Siberian tiger can be as big as a fully grown leopard.

The South China Tiger

also known as the Amoy or Xiamen tiger, is the most critically endangered subspecies of tiger and will almost certainly become extinct. It is also considered to be the first of all tiger subspecies. This subspecies is one of the smallest tiger species. The length of the South China tiger ranges from 2.2-2.6 m (87-104 inches) for both males and females. Males weigh between 127 and 177 kg (280-390 lb.) while females weigh between 100 and 118 kg (220-260 lb.). It seems likely that the last known wild South China tiger was shot and killed in 1994, and no live tigers have been seen in their natural habitat for the last 20 years. In 1977, the Chinese government passed a law banning the killing of wild tigers, but this appears to have been too late to save the subspecies.
There are currently 59 known captive South China tigers, all within China, but these are known to be descended from only six animals. Thus, the genetic diversity required to maintain the subspecies no longer exists, making its eventual extinction very likely. Currently, there are breeding efforts to reintroduce these tigers to the wild by 2008.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

1. Tigers are essentially solitary animals, except for courting pairs and females with young.
2. Tigers with adjoining ranges may have friendly relationships, but even individuals with overlapping ranges usually keep 2 to 5 km (1-3 mi.) apart.
3. Though they hunt alone, tigers sometimes share their kills with other tigers.

• Female tigers regularly share kills with their young dependent cubs.
• Sibling tigers, when learning how to hunt independently in their mother’s range, occasionally share kills.
• Male and female tigers may share a kill during courtship.
• Groups of two or more tigers, of various ages and sexes, may share a kill if food is plentiful. These aggregations are most often observed at manmade feeding stations where prey is regularly provided (to attract tigers).
• When young tiger cubs share a kill with each other and/or their mother, they often feed simultaneously. When adult tigers share a kill, usually only one tiger feeds at a time.

AGGRESSION

1. In general, tigers tend to avoid each other rather than fight. When tigers do fight, they seldom fight to the death, but injuries may occur that later cause death.
2. Both male and female tigers will fight other tigers if necessary to defend, expand, or acquire a territory.
3. Male tigers may fight another male if both are attracted to the same breeding female.
4. Male tigers may occasionally attack and kill young tiger cubs. Conversely, female tigers will attack male tigers and other predators to protect their young.

DAILY ACTIVITY CYCLE

1. Tigers are essentially nocturnal. Most tigers are active and moving primarily at night (sunset to sunrise).

• Night activities include hunting (a tiger’s prey is also active at night), patrolling and marking home ranges, courting mates, and tending to young.
• These same activities may also occur during the day, but less frequently.
• If hunting is unsuccessful during the night, a hungry tiger will hunt during the day. Mother tigers will also hunt during the day to provide enough food for their cubs.

2. Tigers are least active from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.

• Activity steadily decreases after sunrise, reaching its lowest point at mid-day. Movement gradually increases again until the hour before sunset, when the majority of tigers are active.
• Mid-morning to mid-afternoon is the hottest part of the day. To stay cool, tigers often rest in dense vegetation, or lie along, and in, streams and rivers.

3. Most daily movements take place on land, but tigers are also good swimmers. Tigers can easily cross rivers 6 to 8 km (4-5 mi.) wide, and have been known to swim distances of up to 29 km (18 mi.).

VOCAL

1. Tigers roar to advertise their location. Roars are used for long-range communication and can be heard for over 3 km (2 mi.). Roars can be used as a warning to keep other tigers away or as an invitation to bring another tiger closer.

2. Loud moans are most often heard in combination with roars. Soft moans are used by mother tigers to gather cubs, or by individuals to announce their approach to other tigers.

3. Prusten is a short, noisy, low-intensity sound used as a friendly greeting or a reassuring call between a mother tiger and her cubs, or a courting pair.

4. Growls, snarls, and hisses are used in aggressive and defensive encounters.

5. Other close contact vocalizations include grunting, meowing, purring, and woofing.

VISUAL

1. A tiger’s body language is similar to that of other cats.

2. For instance, when a tiger shows aggression (an offensive threat) the tail is usually lashed from side to side, the head is held low, the ears are twisted so that the backs face forward (showing the ear spots), the eyes are opened wide, and the mouth is almost closed with the lips forming a straight line.

3. During a defensive threat, the ears are normally laid back, the teeth are bared, the nose is wrinkled, the eyes are narrowed to slits, and the tail is held low.

4. When greeting another tiger or investigating surroundings, a tiger’s ears are upright and alert, and the tail is held high.

SCENT & TOUCH

1. Overall urine is the most common scent communicator.

• Tigers use urine (marking fluid) most often to mark home range boundaries.
• A female tiger increases her rate of scent-marking a few days before (not during) estrus to attract a mate. The resident male usually responds by increasing his scent marking around the female’s territory while she’s in estrus.

2. Tigers, and cats in general, communicate by exchanging scents through body contact.

• Tigers typically greet by rubbing their faces and cheeks on each other. By rubbing, body scents from the face glands are transferred between cats, which reinforces social bonds. Face rubbing can be seen between mother tigers and their young, and between courting pairs.
• The base of the tail also has a scent gland which may be rubbed against objects or familiar tigers.
• Glands between the toes may produce secretions which are left when tigers use scratching posts.
• Anal glands produce a secretion, that when mixed with feces, produces a potent-smelling home range marker.

HEARING

Tigers have exceptional hearing, which they use to locate prey in dense cover. Their hearing is probably similar to the hearing of domestic cats. Domestic cats can hear sounds in the range of about 0.2 kHz to 65 kHz. The average hearing range for humans is about 0.02 kHz to 20 kHz.

EYESIGHT

1. Tigers also have good vision, both during the day and at night.

• During the day, a tiger’s sight is about the same as a human’s, though its visual acuity (ability to see detail) is not as good.
• At night, when a tiger usually hunts, its sight is six times better than a human’s.
• A tiger sees better at night compared to a human because its eye has a larger anterior chamber and lens, and a wider pupil.
• Like other cats, the tiger’s retinae have mostly rod receptor cells which are sensitive to low light levels and movement.
• Tigers and cats in general have a cluster of cone receptor cells in each retina indicating they have some color vision. However, scientists believe a cat’s cone cells are used primarily to enhance day vision, not for color vision.
• Tigers also have a layered structure at the back of the eye behind the retina called the tapetum lucidum. This mirrorlike structure reflects light (that hasn’t already been absorbed by the eye) back into the eye a second time to help produce a brighter image. The tapetum lucidum is what causes the eyes of cats to shine when a light is shown directly at them.

2. Tigers have highly developed binocular vision, similar to that of humans. Binocular vision enables tigers to judge distances when jumping or stalking.

3. Tigers have broadly elliptical pupils which appear round when dilated at night, but elliptical during the day. The pupils of most smaller cats close to vertical slits in daylight.

SMELL

Tigers have a well-developed sense of smell, however, it’s rarely used for hunting. Smell is most commonly used to communicate with other tigers.

When smelling another tiger’s scent mark, a tiger will wrinkle its nose and hang out its tongue in a grimace called flehmen. Flehmen is used to draw a scent to the Jacobson’s organ (a sensitive organ in the roof of the mouth), which receives the chemical information.

Through scent marking, tigers can communicate their home range boundaries, and female tigers can advertise their readiness to mate. A tiger can tell whether a scent belongs to a local resident or a stranger, a male or a female.

TACTILE

Tigers also have a well-developed sense of touch. They have tactile sensory hairs called whiskers on their cheeks, above the eyes, and on the muzzle. The whiskers, especially those on the muzzle, are used to feel for objects in the environment.

Mother tigers and cubs, and courting pairs often rub against and lick each other.