Tigers are beautiful animals. Do you know that they are big cats? They come form the same family as your pet cat at home.

           Tigers are found in India, China, Siberia (in Russia), Indonesia, Thailand and many other countries. We also have tigers in Malaysia.

            Tigers can grow to about three metres long. Tigers are orange-brown in colour. The orange colour looks like dry grass.

            Tigers have black stripes on their bodies. The stripes look like shadows. Because of the colour and stripes, it is very hard for us to see a tiger when it is hiding.

            Tigers are very strong animals. They are also very fierce. Other animals are scared of them. Tigers also eat people. They are called man-eaters.

             A female tiger is called a tigress. Female tigers give birth to a few baby tigers at one time. Baby tigers are called cubs.

              When the cubs grow to about one year old, they leave their mother. They are already big enough to look for their own food. They hunt alone. Tigers do not live in groups.

               Tigers like to sleep during the day. They hunt for food at night. Tigers eat small animals for food. They like to eat deer and cattle like cows.

              Tigers have very strong jaws and teeth. They use their teeth to bite the neck of other animals. They like to eat young, old or sick animals.

              Tigers can smell well. They can also hear very well. Tigers like to swim. They like to play in the water. Tigers are good swimmers. They can swim across rivers.

               After a swim, they lick themselves dry. Today you can see tigers in the circus. You can also see them at the zoo.