When it comes to big cats, tigers are undeniably king. While lions are large and live in packs (proud), tigers are even bigger and easily hold the top spot for the largest cats in the world. Even so, there are different types of tigers in the world, and not all tigers are created equal. As one video shows, sometimes other tigers seem small compared to the biggest tigers in the world!
In a short TikTok video, we can see how different animals can be, even within the same species. The clip begins with a group of tigers being kept in an enclosure, possibly in a zoo. At first glance, these tigers look huge, because they probably are!
The average male tiger can weigh up to 680 pounds, but most are closer to 300-400 pounds. Most of the tigers we see in the video are probably around the average tiger weight. Compared with humans, tigers can easily reach 2-6 times the weight of adults! Seeing the three tigers in the video is cool, but that’s not what made the clip go viral.
Once we set our relative size expectations, they are blown out of the water. Just seconds after the clip, another tiger appears on screen. While other tigers are bigger than humans, this new tiger is bigger than the rest!
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Clumping through the gate, the gigantic tiger was so big that the other tigers in the enclosure stepped aside to make way for it. It’s not just fat either, though it’s definitely a fat cat. Its head and body are much larger and more solid, which makes other tigers look like kittens.
We don’t really know what kind of tiger we’re seeing in the clip, but the Siberian tiger is known to be the largest tiger in the world. Siberian tigers, commonly known as Amur tigers, typically weigh up to 660 pounds and measure more than 10 feet from nose to tip of tail. These tigers can be found in the mountains of eastern Russia and near the border with China, where they are extremely rare.
The smallest type of tiger in the world is the Sumatran tiger. These tigers rarely reach more than 350 lbs, mainly due to the smaller sources of prey found in the Sumatran Islands. Sadly, the Sumatran tiger is also the most endangered tiger subspecies in the world, surpassing even the Siberian tiger.
We can’t say for sure that the larger tiger is of a different subspecies than the other tigers in the video, but it’s clear that it eats more than the others! This may just be one of the advantages of the tiger among the kittens.
Be sure to check out the short video below!
Next:
- How many tigers are left in the world?
- Why are tigers endangered?
- 9 tiger species from around the world
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
