Caspian tiger

The Caspian Tiger (or Persian tiger) (Panthera tigris virgata) was found in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Mongolia, and the Central Asiatic area of Russia. This sub species of tigers, the smallest in size became extinct in the late 1960s. Their extinction was caused by politicians working to eradicate the species. They sought to eliminate the tigers because the Russian government was planning a huge land reclamation program. Soon the tigers were referred to as the "traveling leaporads" or as the "road", due to having to follow the migratory herd of their prey animals. Although thought to be extinct the tiger has supposedly been sighted a few times.

Caspian tigers are solitary for the most of their life. They spend time with other tigers during mating season. The males are bigger than the females. The tigers live on average in the wild for ten to fifteen years. Tigers can breed at any time of year, but they usually mate in winter or spring. The mating period of the tigers lasts twenty to thirty days. If a female does not find a mate at the right time, she may come on heat again later. The tigers give birth to about two to three cubs. The cubs are born blind and open their eyes about ten days oafter birth. The cubs drink their mothers milk for about the first eight weeks of their life. The father takes no responsibility in raising the young it is done all by the mother. The curious, playful cubs leave the den with their mother after about two weeks. The mother now must hunt for three instead for one. But does not have much time to hunt due to having to leave her cubs alone. The tigers begin to hunt after about eleven weeks but until then they are mostly dependent on their mother.

A tigress bears cubs only once every three-four years.

External links

• http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/caspian.html