The
background color of the tiger, as can be seen in this superb
photograph, is red/orange. The undersides of the chin, the throat, the
chest and undersides of the body are white. There is also white fur
around and above the eyes and on the cheeks and ruff, which provides a
high contrast background for the dark markings. There is a clean white
spot on the back of the ears; ear spots are typical of most wild cats
and wild
cat hybrids.
We all know the dark vertical stripes, which vary in length and width.
The whole appearance is high contrast and consipicious. However the
coat is excellent camoulflage in forest at twilight and sunlight. The tiger's pattern is like a fingerprint - each
one is unique to the individual cat allowing conservationists to
identify individuals.
Melanism is known to occur in tigers albeit
extremely rarely, it seems. Three records exist of melanistic tigers in
an area that includes Myanmar, Bangladesh and northestern India.
Melanism renders the tiger black with faint, ghost markings.
At the opposite end of the spectrum there are white tigers that we see
in zos. There
are probably none in the wild. They are bred (inbred) in captivity. The original captive white
tiger was called Mohan a male cub captured in the forests of Rewa in
Madhya Pradesh. The inbreeding of white tigers is irresponsible
activity for the sake of commercial gain. It causes severe health
issues such as eys weakness, swayback and twisted necks.
Tiger
description to Tiger
More on topics other than tiger description: Tiger Facts
Reference for tiger description: Wild Cats Of The World pages 345-346
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-77999-7
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