All About Baby Tiger: Birth, Diet, and Other Facts

Tigers are one of the most muscular and energetic creatures ever on the Earth. They are adorable and if they are not aggressive they feel cute. Talking about cuteness their babies called cubs are one of the most cute baby animals ever on Earth. They have a lot of differences from their older ones. If you want to learn about the cute baby tiger, continue reading as we will discuss their characteristics and other facts. 

Basics About Tigers

Tigers are considered the largest cats on Earth that’s why they are called big cats sometimes. They are aggressive and energetic. They have a lot of differences from the other wild animals which makes them unique. 

The mating season for these creatures is from November to April. They prefer snowy and cold temperatures for mating. The male tigers attract the female ones by the scent marks or by barking. Also, a male can fight and compete with the others for the females who are ready to mate. The interesting thing about them is that they are not monogamous meaning each of them mates with different partners each mating season. The female tigress mate with one partner each mating season while the male tiger might mate with multiple partners each mating season. Once they mate both of them tend to move on their ways.

The gestation period for them is around 100 days (3 months and 10 days). After that, a mother tigress gives birth to between 2 and 4 cubs on average. Sometimes she can also give birth between 5 and 7 cubs but that is rare. 

Baby Tiger

The babies of the tigers are called cubs. These adorable creatures are born blind just like other cat species, that’s why they are quite vulnerable and they rely completely on their mother. They open up their eyes after 6 to 12 days on average. They weigh around 2 to 3 pounds (0.9 – 1.3 kg) at the time of born. 

Their mother does all of the hard work of raising her children by herself, she does not rely on their father or anyone else to take care of them. Their mother is always very protective of them. She cares for them and provides them the food in their dens for around 6 weeks. She only leaves them in their dens only for a short period to hunt for food. To clean their fur and stimulate their digestive systems their mother might lick them to do that.

After they are 7 weeks old, they start to spend most of their time wrestling and chasing each other in their dens, these activities also help them to strengthen their muscles. After they are 10 months old, they tend to out in the wild and hunt for food with their mother. Their mother ensures their security by sticking close to them. She trains them in the hunting and surviving skills to survive in the wild for 1 year and 2 months. At the age of 2 years, the cute tigers start to you on their own and find their food by themselves. 

Appearance

They are born in such a small size. Their fur color varies from yellowish-orange to bright orange depending on the types of species. The cubs of white tigers were born with white-colored fur on their body. The underparts of all of the species of tigers are always white. They have stripes on their body from the time of their born. Each individual has a different pattern of stripes. The pattern is not shared among two individuals.

Their stripes can be narrower, broader, or mid-broader. They have claws but they are not pointed and sharp, they get as they grow. Their ears are rounded and pointed upwards. The eye color varies by the type of species, it can be black, brown, blue, etc. Their teeth are small and not sharp until they get 2 years old, at that time their teeth are fully grown and they become pointed and sharp, ready to rip off anything’s meat.  

Diet

They are carnivorous creatures so they depend on the meat of other animals for their survival. For 2 years their mother provides them the meat in their dens which she hunts on he own. After they are fully trained and go out for hunting they prefer deer, water buffalos, rabbits, etc as their primary choices for their food. They eat once in a whole week which is strange for an animal like them. The cubs can eat around 5 pounds of meat in an evening, when they get around 2 years of age they can eat about 15 to 20 pounds of meat per evening. While the adult ones tend to eat 75 pounds of meat in a single evening.

In captivity, the caretakers ensure their good health by providing a well-planned diet. They sometimes tend to rub the meat with essential mineral and vitamin supplements. In captivity, their diet includes beef, chicken, rabbit, donkey, horse, deer, etc. The cubs in captivity are far healthier than the cubs in the wild.

Predators and Threats

The young ones are very vulnerable and can fall victim to their predators. The adult tigers don’t have any predators in the wild but their cubs do. Bear and wolves are the main predators of the young cubs. The bears and wolves are larger so they can easily attack and kill the cubs. On the other hand, the cubs are not highly energetic and can’t protect themselves against these predators. Due to their small body size, they can’t outrun them as well. In other words, the cubs don’t stand a chance against the mighty bears and wolves.

Despite the protectiveness of their mother, many cubs fall victim each day as their predators are very smart, they attack their dens sometimes when their mother is out hunting. 

The humans are not keen on hunting the cubs as they provide them with nothing. Their small skin size and small teeth don’t pose any value for the hunters. The hunters only look for adults in the wild. But the deforestation and the loss of habitat can cause some problems for the cubs as in these activities they become homeless and they have to migrate to somewhere safe for their safety. 

Being a cat species they suffer from Feline leukemia, rabies, and anemia. These threats are common in felines or cat species. 

Lifespan

The cubs become fully mature at the age of 2 years. Being a wild creature they face a lot of diseases and injuries in their life. But it’s common for the animals living in the wild. Their average lifespan in the wild can be between 10 and 15 years. Most of the cubs die from either diseases or injuries they get. While most of the adult ones die because of their hunting by humans or diseases.

In captivity, the average lifespan of any animal can increase because of the caring environment. They are given good care and they are medically treated when they get any disease. That’s why a cub can live longer in captivity than the one in the wild. In captivity, their average lifespan is between 15 and 20 years. 

The oldest ever tiger to live on Earth was Djelita which belongs to the Sumatran species. She died at the age of 25 years in Honolulu Zoo. She reached that age because of the caring environment of captivity.

FAQS

• About
• Latest Posts

Louis Logan

Latest posts by Louis Logan (see all)

• An Ultimate Comparison: Bear vs Tiger - April 1, 2024
• All About Baby Tiger: Birth, Diet, and Other Facts - March 30, 2024
• The White Tigers: All You Need To Know - March 27, 2024