The Sumatran tiger is considered one of the tigers that lived and grew up on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is smaller in size than the famous Bengal tiger.
It is considered an endangered animal, so animal protection agencies and others mobilized and imposed many laws to protect it.
After all this protection and awareness campaigns, it is still a valuable prey for poachers who are waiting to catch it and sell its expensive fur. Therefore, its life was transferred to captivity, whether in public parks, care centers, or in some reserves, where its numbers reached only about 400 tigers. We talk more about it in this article from Teke Trek.
An introduction to the Sumatran tiger
The Sumatran tiger is one of the types of large cats that roam in the Sumatra region of the Sunda Island located in western Indonesia. Despite its small size compared to some other species, it is distinguished by its agility and skilled swimming, and this is due to its place of life, where it can be found near bodies of water.
The Sumatran tiger moved to Sumatra as a result of its forced migration that occurred after sea levels rose 6,000-12,000 years ago, and thus it became isolated from other tiger species.
The Sumatran tiger is distinguished from other tigers by its dark orange color, in addition to its broad stripes compared to other tigers.
The Sumatran tiger is considered an endangered species, so some animal rights associations have resorted to protecting it in some parks or reserves.
This matter came after a study conducted by a group of researchers, the result of which was that 50% of this tiger’s cubs were doomed to death as a result of many reasons, the most important of which was hunting.
The Sumatran tiger belongs to the phylum Chordata, a class of mammals.
There are also some facts that distinguish this tiger in its life, the most important of which are:
More than 250 tigers live in prestigious conservation parks around the world.
Aristocrats in the 17th century placed tigers in their castles as a symbol of power and public status.
The Sumatran tiger was considered the world’s favorite animal in a 2004 study by Animal Planet.
Sumatra Island is the only real jungle on Earth, which is home to many animals including tigers, rhinos and elephants.
characteristics of the Sumatran tiger
The Sumatran tiger is characterized by a set of characteristics that make it distinct from others, and these are some of the characteristics that we will highlight in our article:
The Sumatran tiger has tan-orange fur with beautiful black stripes.
These lines diminish to become black dots in the area of the hind legs.
Each tiger has its own fingerprint, represented by a set of broad stripes and black dots like a zebra.
The Sumatran tiger has thick hair around the neck, especially the male Sumatran tiger.
The Sumatran tiger has a long, strong mustache.
The Sumatran tiger has small, rather round ears.
The Sumatran tiger has a yellow iris.
The Sumatran tiger’s tail is long, approximately half the size of its body.
The Sumatran tiger is considered the smallest species of tiger, as the male weighs about 100 to 140 kilograms, while the female is slightly lighter at 75 to 110 kilograms.
In terms of length, the length of the male Sumatran tiger ranges between 2.2-2.5 meters, while the length of the female ranges between 2.15-2.30 meters.
The Sumatran tiger is considered one of the most agile species of tigers, due to its small stature. It can run at speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour.
These are some of the features that we highlighted that made it one of the favorite animals among people around the world.
What behavior does the Sumatran tiger follow?
This type of tiger maintains its energy through sleep and rest, as it sleeps about 18-20 hours a day
The Sumatran tiger depends on night hunting if humans are close to it, but if its area is not occupied by humans, it depends on day hunting. In addition, he is a skilled swimmer and swims in bodies of water, whether for the purpose of fishing or to cool his body.
The Sumatran tiger is considered a solitary animal that lives alone, but it is possible to form groups that coexist with each other, hunt and eat with each other, but the first behavior is its preference.
The female Sumatran tiger chooses the area in which she wants to live, preferably close to her mothers, whom she visits from time to time. However, males have a different behavior: you can see them in farther areas than females and they are more likely to not return home.
The Sumatran tiger protects its place by making some movements, including spraying urine and gland secretions and scratching trees as well, which are considered border signals that other tigers understand. In addition, they are indicators of the dominant tiger’s strength, reproductive status, and physical strength.
The Sumatran tiger fights for its territory, and the battle can sometimes end in death. But in some cases, the tiger moves on its back, which the stronger tiger understands and leaves it to live on the same land, taking into account its current situation and status.
Locations of the Sumatran tiger
The Sumatran tiger lives in only one place, which is Sumatra, one of the Indonesian Sunda Islands. It lives in groups spread across some coastal lowlands in addition to uncultivated mountain forests.
It needs large areas of land, and prefers deep forests to avoid human contact.
The Sumatran tiger survives due to the poor conditions it lives in parks, reserves and gardens, including Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Gunung Leuser National Park, in addition to Cairns Seplat National Park.
Sumatran tiger’s favorite food
The Sumatran tiger is a carnivore, and its menu consists of monkeys, birds, deer, and pigs, in addition to porcupines, fish, and livestock, which cause many problems for the local population.
Hunting is the only way the Sumatran tiger relies on collecting its food, as it places its strong jaws on the throat of the prey and drops it to the ground, then digs its sharp nails into its body and pins it to death.
Threats to the Sumatran tiger
There are no natural predators that threaten the life of the Sumatran tiger, but human activity is considered the greatest threat to it, as humans destroy the forests that are considered its ideal habitat.
To benefit from natural resources for the cosmetics industry and other industries.
Hunting is one of the biggest threats to his life, as tiger fur, teeth, bones and organs are among the most expensive materials sold on the black market. Hence, governments banned hunting it and considered it a crime punishable by law.
FAQs about the Sumatran tiger
How many Sumatran tigers are left?
There are about 400 individuals left in the world.
Is the Sumatran tiger the biggest tiger?
No, it is the smallest of all tigers.
Is Sumatran tiger strong?
Yes, Sumatran tiger is very strong.
Why is the Sumatran tiger endangered?
The Sumatran tiger is endangered due to habitat loss.
In the end, we can say that the Sumatran tiger is distinguished by many amazing facts, in addition to shedding light on its way of life and the threats that can lead to a decrease in its numbers and thus its extinction, so we must protect this animal in all ways available to us.
