Trivia question for Mar-23-2011

Today is normally Olivia’s turn but she and her brother decided to work together on today’s trivia in honor of the Tiger.

We recently were contacted by the amazing folks from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, or IFAW in regards to the work we are doing to help save endangered species.  The IFAW has done amazing work helping to save many endangered species and more recently, they focused on the Tiger.  We will be featuring some of their work on our site in the coming weeks.  OMG hopes to also be working with them on their next big project which is designed to raise awareness to the immense poaching problems with Elephants.  More on that later.  So here is what the kids came up with for today:

The tiger is the largest of the four “big cats”.   The tiger is native to much of eastern and southern Asia, and is an apex predator.  The larger tiger subspecies can reach up to 11 ft in total length, weighing up to 660 pounds, and having canines up to 4 inches long.   Aside from their great bulk and power, their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes that overlays near-white to reddish-orange fur, with lighter underparts.  The most numerous tiger subspecies is the Bengal tiger, while the largest is the Siberian tiger.

So here are the kids questions for today:  Tell us what a tiger would look like without its fur, and also tell us which tiger species is now extinct (Bengal, Caspian or Amur)?  As a bonus, tell us how many tigers are estimated to be in the wild and how many are estimated to be in captivity.

Good Luck 😉

Oh, and here is a great video about Tigers from the folks at IFAW.  We hope you enjoy it.
[vimeo 15331378]

Answer:

Congratulations to both Rich for being first with the correct answers and to Gina for knowing the details about the extinction of the Caspian Tiger.  As for the estimated numbers of wild tigers left, there are mixed reports.  According to most of our sources, it is estimated that there are only about 3,000 Tiger’s left in the wild and an estimated 6,000 in captivity.

Poaching for fur and destruction of habitat have greatly reduced tiger populations in the wild. At the start of the 20th century, it is estimated there were over 100,000 tigers in the world but the population has dwindled to between 1,500 and 3,500 in the wild. Some estimates suggest that there are less than 2,500 mature breeding individuals, with no subpopulation containing more than 250 mature breeding individuals.

As for their looks without fur, if you shaved a tigers hair off, it would still look like a tiger.  Their stripes are present right down to their skin.  Here is more about Tigers in general: Tigers

Thanks for playing along 😉