Evolution

Kingdom: Anamalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae


This is the beginning of the taxonomy of the tiger. The family of Felidae is broken down into three subfamilies.  Tigers are a member of the subfamily Pantherinae.  Within this subfamily is the tiger's genus, Panthera.  The other members of this genus are lions, leopards, and jaguars.  All of these cats share the ability to roar.  Even the species of tiger can be broken down into eight subspecies, five of which are still alive today.  According to the fossil record, Miacoids are the tiger's oldest ancestors.  These were tree-dwelling cats, much smaller than the big cats of today.  


The oldest cat is the Proailurus, dated to around 30 million years ago.  However, it was around 20 million years ago when the Pseudaelurines appeared.  These are the cats considered to be the direct ancestors to all modern cats.  


Within their genus, lions, jaguars, and leopards all have more in common with each other than they do with the tiger.  This indicates that the tiger probably diverged in the evolutionary tree earlier than the other members of its genus.  


The recent discovery of a skull 2.5 million years ago that relates to the modern cat showed that tigers have not evolved all that much.  The skull was extremely similar to that of a modern tiger, proving that the tiger was such a well-equipped predator from the beginning that not many adaptations were necessary.  This goes to show that what we talked about in class is true.  Evolution is not about becoming more and more advanced, it's about finding what works in an environment and sticking with it.  
   

Resources:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0025483

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/tiger/scientific-classification.htm

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/10/111018-fossil-tiger-skull-panthera-science-oldest-china-evolution/

Tigers in Culture

Tigers have long been a part of America's popular culture, from Tigger in Winnie the Pooh to Tony the Tiger on Frosted Flakes boxes.

But other cultures have a special place for the tiger as well.  The tiger is the national animal for many Asian countries.  In Chinese culture, tigers are highly regarded for the contribution their body parts make to traditional medicine.  Their life-saving qualities make them a very important animal which has inspired many works of art and literature.  The Chinese calendar even acknowledges the Year of the Tiger.  In India, the tiger is considered a symbol of power and beauty.  The animal is a part of the Hindu religion's mythology and is respected for it's role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.

Sources:

http://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/priority_species/royal_bengal_tiger/faq/
http://www.tigers-world.com/tigers-in-culture.html
http://www.tigersofindia.com/Tigers-in-literature-and-popular-culture.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_in_Chinese_culture

Predatory and Anti-Predatory Behavior

Tigers have few enemies in the wild, thus they rarely need to exhibit anti-predatory behavior.  When plenty of prey is available, tigers are not ones to risk their safety by going after very large prey.  They like to stick with sure bets unless they are suffering from starvation.  Tigers most commonly prey on deer and wild pigs, but often prey on other large and medium sized animals.  However, if the opportunity arises, tigers will go for smaller prey such as monkeys, fish, and even large lizards.

As I mentioned in the foraging post, tigers are nocturnal hunters who rely on the element of surprise when attacking their prey.  With their massive body size, they generally overpower their prey with sheer force before breaking the neck with a fatal bite.  Tigers do not chase their prey for long, finding it more efficient to search for another target rather than exerting their energy in a chase.  According to one source, tigers hunt and kill an average of fifty deer-sized animals each year.

Tigers have also been known to drive other animals away from their own kills, thus taking advantage of the food source without even having to attack.  As far as attacks on humans go, it seems that tigers are not often voluntary hunters of humans.  They generally only attack when they are threatened and often don't eat the humans they kill.  However, as humans continue to encroach on tiger habitats, attacks have become more frequent.  This is a result of a reduction in the prey population and the closer contact between humans and the animals.

Sources:
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/tiger/diet.htm
http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/tiger/diettiger.html
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/tiger-prey/?ar_a=1&ar_r=999