The scientific name of the tiger is Panthera tigris. The word Panthera means leopard and Tigris is Latin for tiger. They are sometimes called big cats. They belong to the Felidae family and the Mammalia class.

A tiger has a heavy coat of reddish-orange hair featuring a pattern of black stripes. Each has its own pattern of stripes kind of like a human’s fingerprints. It has a long tail as well as sharp teeth and claws. Its body measures 5 to 10.5 feet long and can weigh from 240 to 675 pounds, depending on the subspecies. For example, a 6-foot tiger is equal in length to a full-size bed. 

The largest tiger ever weighed more than 800 pounds while the largest subspecies of tiger is the Siberian, which has an average weight that reaches up to 675 pounds!

Tigers live in different habitats including swamps, grasslands, and deciduous and mangrove forests. The type of habitat each of the subspecies lives in depends on its species. 

What does a tiger eat? With powerful jaws, claws, and superb hunting abilities -tigers are carnivores who eat pretty much anything they want. Deer, antelope, buffalo, and pigs are some of the prey of tigers. Tigers have even been known to eat leopards and crocodiles!