Tigers

Fantasy is extremely fascinating and all, but even the real world has many awesome things to show. One of them, is Tigers – my favourite animal ever. Tigers are the largest of them cats, reaching a total body length of up to 3.3 metres (11ft.) and weighting up to 306kg (670lb). The feature that differentiates them of all the other big cats, is those incredibly majestic dark vertical stripes on their red-orange fur.  They are muscular, have powerful forequarters, and especially in males, a large head.Their form seems to inspire grace along with might as they have been used many times in the past as figures of incredible power, like Gods and so on. One of the four animal Chinese constellations, it is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West (西方白虎, Xī Fāng Bái Hǔ), and is known as Baihu in Chinese, Byakko in Japanese, Baekho in Korean and Bạch Hổ in Vietnamese. It represents the west and the autumn season. Of great importance in Chinese myth and culture, the tiger is one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Also in various Chinese art and martial art, the tiger is depicted as an earth symbol and equal rival of the Chinese dragon- the two representing matter and spirit respectively. In fact, the Southern Chinese martial art Hung Ga is based on the movements of the Tiger and the Crane. In Imperial China, a tiger was the personification of war and often represented the highest army general (or present day defence secretary), while the emperor and empress were represented by a dragon and phoenix, respectively. The weretiger replaces the werewolf in shapeshifting folklore in Asia; in India they were evil sorcerers while in Indonesia and Malaysia they were somewhat more benign. Tigers have multiple categories but I’ll be simple and discuss only two of them:

White Tiger: 

Probably the most popular of the variations Tigers have, obviously because of the colour. The white tiger is apparently some sort of mutant of the Bengal Tiger. A white tiger's pale coloration is caused by the presence of a recessive gene. There was an assumption that the white tiger was an albino version of the usual tiger, but that proved to be false, as they retain their black stripes. Rather, the fur between the stripes lacks pheomelanin entirely. An additional genetic condition can remove most of the stripping of a white tiger, making the animal almost pure white, white tigers of this type are called snow-white or "pure white". Even the "stripeless" white tigers have very pale stripes, so those are also not considered albinos. Compared to normal coloured tigers without the white gene, white tigers tend to be larger, both at birth and as fully grown adults. White tigers, have enzymes in their fur which react to temperature, causing them to grow darker in the cold.  When stressed or confused, all white tigers cross their eyes, and a large part of them is prone to crossed eyes, a condition known as strabismus. The unusual coloration of white tigers has made them (unfortunately T^T) popular in zoos and entertainment showcasing exotic animals.

Black Tiger: 

Many of the tiger lovers have probably heard of the Blue Tigers which are said to have bluish fur with dark grey stripes.  But, if you think this is rare, then wait to read this. The most popular colour variation in the big cat family, is probably the black panther. But what if there was also a Black Tiger? It was considered a myth but several pelts have proven that pseudo-melanistic or hypermelanic tigers do exist. They are not wholly black, but have dense, wide stripes that partially obscure the orange background colour. There are also reports of White Tigers turning to black. One of the three white tigers born in Vandalur zoo in June 2010 seems to have changed its colours — most of its body and legs are now black.

In the wild, tigers mostly feed on larger and medium sized animals. Tigers are thought to be nocturnal predators, hunting at night. However, in areas where humans are absent, they have been observed via remote controlled, hidden cameras hunting during the daylight hours. They generally hunt alone and ambush their prey as most other cats do, overpowering them from any angle, using their body size and strength to knock large prey off balance. Even with their great masses, tigers can reach speeds of about 49–65 kilometres per hour (35–40 miles per hour), although they can only do so in short bursts, since they have relatively little stamina; consequently, tigers must be relatively close to their prey before they break their cover. Tigers have great leaping ability; horizontal leaps of up to 10 metres have been reported, although leaps of around half this amount are more typical. However, only one in twenty hunts ends in a successful kill. Tigers may kill formidable predators such as leopards, pythons and even crocodiles on occasion, although predators typically avoid one another. Mating can occur all year round, but is generally more common between November and April. A female is only receptive for a few days and mating is frequent during that time period. Tigers are strong swimmers, and are often found bathing in ponds, lakes, and rivers. During the extreme heat of the day, they often cool off in pools. They are able to carry prey through the water. The lion is traditionally thought of as the 'King of the Beasts' in English-speaking countries. But, in many Asian countries, such as China, India (where both big cats are present), Korea, and Japan, it is the tiger which holds this title. In a poll conducted by Animal Planet, the tiger was voted the world's favourite animal, narrowly beating the dog. Let me just say in the end, Tigers ftw! XD