Victoria Chen
Mrs. Barsever
Biology Honors/Period 4
3 March 2015
Sumatran Tigers: A Background Research Paper The Panthera tigris sumatrae, known by its common name, the Sumatran tiger, is the smallest of the remaining five tiger subspecies. It has lived for over a million years in the once extensive moist tropical jungles of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It has not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List but its conservation status is listed as critically endangered. Their population in the wild has heavily diminished and is estimated to range between less than 400 to 500 remaining tigers. Their habitat ranges from lowland forest to mountain forest and includes evergreen, swamp and tropical rain forests. However, these tigers are found in the wild only in Sumatra. The part of Indonesia in which these animals live is characterized by its swamps, rivers, lowlands, and Montane and peat forests. These wet conditions are ideal for the Sumatran tiger, which is a good swimmer and can find and capture prey in water rather effectively. The habitat they are naturally found in also generally has very high precipitation and a temperature range from around …show more content…
Within a few days, their ears and eyes open, and they leave the den for the first time at around eight weeks of age. After another four months, the cubs start learning kill. Although they will stay with their mother until about two to three years of age, they will start making their own kills at about 18 months old. Interestingly, a female will only hunt within her own territory, while a male will have his own territory, but is also likely to overlap onto the hunting grounds of several other females. Across all of the tiger subspecies, the fathers do not have anything to do with the raising of the
Mrs. Barsever
Biology Honors/Period 4
3 March 2015
Sumatran Tigers: A Background Research Paper The Panthera tigris sumatrae, known by its common name, the Sumatran tiger, is the smallest of the remaining five tiger subspecies. It has lived for over a million years in the once extensive moist tropical jungles of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It has not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List but its conservation status is listed as critically endangered. Their population in the wild has heavily diminished and is estimated to range between less than 400 to 500 remaining tigers. Their habitat ranges from lowland forest to mountain forest and includes evergreen, swamp and tropical rain forests. However, these tigers are found in the wild only in Sumatra. The part of Indonesia in which these animals live is characterized by its swamps, rivers, lowlands, and Montane and peat forests. These wet conditions are ideal for the Sumatran tiger, which is a good swimmer and can find and capture prey in water rather effectively. The habitat they are naturally found in also generally has very high precipitation and a temperature range from around …show more content…
Within a few days, their ears and eyes open, and they leave the den for the first time at around eight weeks of age. After another four months, the cubs start learning kill. Although they will stay with their mother until about two to three years of age, they will start making their own kills at about 18 months old. Interestingly, a female will only hunt within her own territory, while a male will have his own territory, but is also likely to overlap onto the hunting grounds of several other females. Across all of the tiger subspecies, the fathers do not have anything to do with the raising of the