"TIGER: [ME. and OFr. tigre, from L tigris, from Gr. tigris, from Per.tighre, a tiger, from tighra, sharp pointed.] a large, fierce carnivorous animal of the cat family, Felis tigris. Its coat is bright reddish-yellow or tawny with irregular stripes of black. It has short hair and no mane and is as large or larger than a lion and much more agile.

"Also, any of several similar animals, as (a) the South American jaguar; (b) the South African Leopard; the Tasmanian tiger or wolf."

-----Webster's New Twentieth Century Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition

At one time, tigers could be found from India to Siberia. Today, they are endangered species due to hunting for sport by man and loss of habitat. Tigers are the heaviest and largest of all the cats. They are solitary, night hunters, preying on smaller animals, such as deer and wild pig. They enjoy water and are good swimmers. Tigers that live in tropical rain forests of Asia use water as a way of staying cool.

Big Cats Index

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