The Tiger has got to be my all-time favourite animal and is probably one of the most popular and recognisable animals in the world. Tigers have been featured in ancient mythology and folklore for thousands of years and regularly appear in modern literature, media and films. Tigers can be seen on many coat of arms, mascots, logos and flags and is the national animal of many countries including India and Malaysia.

Some facts about tigers:

• The tiger is a member of the Felidae family and is the largest of 4 other cats that make up the Panthera genus.
• The tiger can reach up to 3.3 metres in total length and have a lifespan of 10 – 15 years in the wild but can live a lot longer in captivity.
• The pattern of stripes is unique to each animal, and thus could potentially be used to identify individuals, much in the same way that fingerprints are used to identify people.
• Tigers are solitary animals and can require a large area of habitat to support their demand for prey and this has caused conflicts with humans. With the destruction of their habitat and the demand for fur it is very sad to hear that 3 of the 9 subspecies of modern tiger have gone extinct and the remaining six are all classified as endangered. The population of tigers were reported at 100,000 at the start of the 20^th century but now it has dropped to 2,000 and maybe even lower.

It is sad to think that people in the near future may never know the awesomeness of a majestic Tiger. So here are some great examples of Tiger Art & Photography.