tigers - range & habitat
In the historical past tigers were widespread in Asia, from the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea, to Siberia and Indonesia.
During the 19th century the striped cats completely vanished from western Asia, and became restricted to isolated pockets
in the remaining parts of their range. Today, this fragmented relic range extends from India in the west to China and Southeast
Asia in the east. The northern limit is close to the Amur River in south eastern Siberia. The only large island inhabited by
tigers today is Sumatra. Tigers vanished from Java during the second half of the 19th century, and in Borneo are known only
from fossil remains.
Typical tiger country has three main features: It will always have good cover, it will always be close to water and plenty of
prey. Bengal Tigers live in all types of forests, including Wet, Evergreen, semi-evergreen of Assam and eastern Bengal; the
mangrove forest of Ganges Delta; The deciduous forest of Nepal and thorn forests of the Western Ghats. Compared to the lion,
the tiger prefers denser vegetation, for which its camouflage is ideally suited, and where a single predator is not at a
disadvantage compared to a pride. Among the big cats, only the tiger and jaguar are strong swimmers; tigers are often found
bathing in ponds, lakes, and rivers. Unlike other cats, which tend to avoid water, tigers actively seek it out. During the
extreme heat of the day, they are often to be found cooling off in pools. Tigers are excellent swimmers and can swim up to 4
miles. Tigers are often to be found carrying their dead prey across lakes.
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