Territory And Reproduction of Tiger

Adult tigers are usually fiercely territorial. The tigers may have a territory of 20 km ², while the territory of the male is much larger, covering an average area of 80 km ², however the size of the territory depends on the different populations of the tiger, being larger territories belonging the tigers of Southeast Russia than any other tiger subspecies. The male tigers may allow the entry of several females to their territory, to the point of sharing a dam and even eat after the female (in the case of the lion, is exactly the opposite, it is the dominant male in feeding the first ), but can not tolerate the entry of other male tigers in its territory.

Because of its aggressive nature, territorial conflicts between tigers are violent, and may end with the death of one of the males, but such deaths are rarer than thought, as in most struggles for territory males end up virtually unscathed. To mark their territory, the male sprays urine or other secretions on trees.

There are several techniques to study the tiger in the wild, a few years ago, tiger populations were calculated by the plaster casts taken of their prints. At present, the radio collar has become a very popular instrument for the study of the tiger in the wild.

Reproduction

A female is only receptive for a few days, and mating may occur several times over time. Gestation lasts about 103 days, and after spending this period, the female gives birth to 3-4 pups less than 1 kilogram. Adult males can kill babies to make receptive females.

When completing 8 weeks of age, pups are ready to leave their den and follow her mother. Juveniles become independent around 18 months old, but even an approximate age between two and two and half do not separate it from your mother. Tigers reach sexual maturity at 3 or 4 years old. The young tigers territory usually set very close to his mother, while males tend to wander in search of a territory that normally acquired through struggles with the male owner of a certain territory. The tigers usually give birth to a similar number of males and females throughout life.
The well-bred tigers are in zoos or other conservation sites, and the United States alone, the population of tigers in captivity is as large as the total number of tigers in the wild.