Sumatran Tiger is a wild cat of Sumatra. It is the smallest tiger subspecies in the wild.
Panthera Tigris Sumatrae, the Sumatran Tiger weighs in the range of
two hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds for males and one hundred
and sixty to two hundred pounds for adult females. Length is about
seven and a half feet for males and six and a half feet for females.
Body color is darker than other tiger variants and stripes are
narrower. Face and neck is characterized by marked growth of hair,
giving the appearance of a mane. Paws have webbing between toes that
enables the big cat to swim at quite a rapid pace.
An inhabitant
of dense lowland and mountain forests, swamps and peat moss forests,
the Sumatran Tiger is a solitary and nocturnal feline that takes a
variety of prey animals for food. These include wild boar, tapir and
deer typically but also fowl and fish at times. Even orangutans are
hunted when they come down from trees. Other animals included in the
cat's diet are porcupines, crocodiles, snakes and young rhinos. The
tiger has been seen forcing some of its prey to take to water in a
chase, where it swims over and kills them.
Early in the twentieth
century, tigers occupied nearly the entire island of Sumatra. They are
now only found in some scattered and segregated reserves. Many tigers
live outside the protected areas and are shot by poachers or come into
conflict with locals. They are among the many species on the once
serene island of Sumatra that are losing the battle of survival to
human encroachment.
Mating season for Sumatran Tigers is in the
times of winter and spring though they have been known to mate year
round. Pregnancy lasts three and a half months following which a litter
of up to six cubs is born, with two to three being the norm. The young
begin to venture outside their den at two weeks of age and start
hunting at around six months. Independence is gained at two years of
age. Lifespan is known to be fifteen years in the wild and twenty years
in captive programs.
