The Siberian tiger is the largest cat species and lives in forests and grasslands of Russia and China. It can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh over 700 pounds. Siberian tigers have thick fur to survive temperatures as low as 70 degrees below zero. They are skilled hunters that stalk and ambush prey like deer, pigs, and bears. With fewer than 200 remaining in the wild, Siberian tigers are endangered due to habitat loss and poaching, and conservation efforts are needed to prevent their extinction.
2. The Siberian tiger is the
largest and most powerful
of all cats, and one of the
largest meat-eating
animals in the world.
Tigers are yellowish-
orange with black stripes
and white bellies. The
male Siberians can weigh
up to 700 pounds and
measure up to 13 feet
long! The females are
smaller than the males.
Tigers have big heads with
long whiskers and small
rounded ears.
3. Tigers live only on the continent of Asia and
some Asian islands.
4. The tiger’s home, or habitat
can be a rain forest, evergreen
forest or even dry grassland.
The Siberian tiger lives in a
small part of northern Russia
and China. The temperature
sometimes reaches 70 degrees
below zero in its habitat. The
Siberian tiger’s long, thick fur
keeps it warm in the cold
forests of China, Siberia, and
Korea where it lives. In winter,
its fur becomes a lighter color,
so pigs, deer, and other prey
cannot see it easily.
5. What They Eat
• Tigers eat almost anything: pig, deer, antelope,
buffalo, elk, moose, bear, and guar, a wild cow.
A tiger hunts by stalking its prey. When it is
stalking, a tiger quietly sneaks toward its prey. It
hides in tall grass. Then the tiger chases after
the prey and tries to bite its throat. A tiger drags
the dead prey to a hiding place.
6. Did you know that Siberian tigers are able to
drag prey that would take more than twelve
men to move?
7. • Most tigers are nocturnal. Nocturnal animals
are more active at night than during the day.
Tigers spend much of their day resting. Unlike
lions, tigers live alone most of the time. They
travel carefully and quietly. They have
excellent eyesight and hearing. These senses
help them to find their prey, the animals that
they hunt, and to warn them of danger.
8. The Siberian tiger needs to eat more than 20
pounds of meat a day to live in its cold
climate. It may eat 55 pounds of meat in one
meal! The tiger may return to its hidden prey
and feed many more times.
9. The Tiger’s Cubs
Every two years, the female tiger, or tigress can
have two or three cubs. Tiger cubs are blind and
weigh just two and one half pounds at birth. By the
time they are six months old, the cubs begin to
follow the tigress on hunting trips. The cubs learn
how to kill by watching their mother. They begin
killing some of their own prey by the time they are
one year old. By the time they are two years old,
they are living on their own.
10. All tigers are in danger of becoming extinct.
There are only about 200 Siberian tigers left
in the wild. Right now, there are more
Siberian tigers living in zoos than in Siberia!
The tiger is a protected species.
11. The tiger has a reputation for being a
man-eater. Wild tigers have killed more
people than any other mammal!
12. What We Think
We think that Siberian tigers and the rest of the
tigers should be free forever. We know that killing
Siberian tigers should be against the law. We
think that none of the tigers should be captured to
live in zoos and the circuses.
13. We would like to thank our 5th
grade partner:
Michael
