Sumatran Tiger

The Sumatran tiger is a subspecies of tiger native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It’s
the smallest of the tigers, possibly because it evolved on an isolated island habit.They once
roamed throughout the Sunda Islands in Western Indonesia; however, now only a few remain
on the island of Sumatra. They are classified as critically endangered, with less than 400
individuals estimated to still be surviving in the wild. Sumatran tigers live in rainforest
habitats and rely on large tracts of forest for survival.

The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of the living tiger species. The stripes of the Sumatran
tiger are closer together, and it has darker orange fur than other tigers to allow it to blend into
its tropical rainforest habitat. Just like the human fingerprint, tiger stripes are unique to each
individual tiger. Sumatran tigers have distinctive mane-like hair growth around their necks
and have long whiskers. Tiger whiskers are thick, highly sensitive, and connected to the
nervous system. Whiskers can detect even the slightest change in the air or wind and so
provide important information to a tiger regarding its surroundings, including a possible food
source. Whiskers can help a tiger judge the distance between two places and help them find
their way through small spaces, especially in the dark. The adult male tiger can be 250 cm
long and weigh up to 140 kg, while the female tiger has an average length of 198 cm and a
weight of 91 kg.

Sumatran tigers are the apex predators in their habitat. Like all big cats, they are obligate
carnivores. They will prey on almost any available animal, big or small. This includes fish,
monkeys, tapirs, and deer, among many others.They hunt at night and tend to make about one
large kill a week. Once a tiger has caught an animal, it uses its powerful jaws to latch onto the
throat of its prey and suffocate it to death. The sense of smell in tigers is not as powerful as
some of their other senses and is not generally used for hunting. The sense of smell is mainly
used for communicating with other tigers, including territorial boundaries and reproductive
status. Sumatran tigers can run up to nearly 40 miles per hour, but only in short bursts, so
they have to make the most of it. That’s why they’re ambush predators, slowly and silently
stalking their prey until they’re ready to pounce. Sumatran tigers are strong swimmers and
have webbing on their paws to help them swim. A tiger has a tail that can destroy its prey; it
is even capable of destroying a bear's skull. Besides, this big cat in one jump can also jump
up to 5 meters. They sleep for up to 18 to 20 hours a day. They have a range of vocalizations
to communicate, including roaring, snarling, hissing, and chuffing. Roaring is an aggressive
vocalization that can be heard up to three kilometers away. Chuffing is used to express
contentment. The Sumatran tiger has saliva that heals wounds because it has antiseptics. In
fact, this tiger's saliva can heal itself if there are wounds.
 Sumatran tigers are solitary, except during courtship, when a male and female will spend
several days together, mating often to ensure success. A female is pregnant for about a
hundred days before giving birth to a litter of one to six cubs. The cubs stick with their
mothers for about two years. Tigers, especially females, are territorial, and they mark their
territory by spraying plants with their pungent urine. A female will do this when she is ready
to mate to alert male tigers that may pass through her territory. Cubs are typically born in a
secluded area central to the female’s home range. Two or three cubs are usually born in a
litter, and only one or two cubs normally survive the first two years of life. Cubs are born
blind and depend exclusively on their mother for nourishment for the first five or six months.
At six months, cubs accompany their mother on hunting expeditions, learning to hunt and kill
their prey. Male cubs grow faster than females, becoming larger and more independent. By 16
months, tigers have fully developed canines but struggle with killing prey. By 18 months,
both sexes start making their own kills. The father plays no role in cub upbringing, and young
male tigers face challenges in finding their territory due to resident males' exclusion.

Habitat loss and poaching are the two biggest threats the critically endangered Sumatran
tiger faces. The tiger was hunted to take away all the parts of his body, from the skin and
from the spots and the nails, to the thighs, and to the flesh. The expansion of oil palm
plantations was the primary driver behind a nearly 20 percent loss in Sumatran tiger habitat
between 2000 and 2012, one study found.