Tiger Habitat

Tiger Habitat and Distribution

The tiger is native to Asia from the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea to Siberia in the north and Indonesia and even in Borneo and the Philippines in the south. Tigers use to had a huge habitat because they are able to adapt to different types of environments which range from the Siberian taiga to open grasslands and tropical mangrove swamps. However as it can be seen on the map, their habitat has been reduced dramatically.

Tigers will look for three things in abundance when looking for habitat

Tiger Distribution. Image Courtesy Wikipedia

Tigers are extremely territorial though so they will fight other animals and other tigers that invade their space. This problem has become more of an issue due to the natural environment for tigers being destroyed at an alarming rate, as a male tiger may have a territory of up to 60 to 100 square kilometers, while females up to 20 square kilometers, as this numbers change according with the habitat and subspecies. As a result they have to venture into new territories to be able to find adequate amounts of food.

Tigers tend to live on their own, depending on themselves for survival. They will only be seen with other tigers when they are looking for a mate or in the case of females when they are taking care of their offspring. The males have more personal territory than females when it comes to their natural habitat. It is natural for the females to have territories that overlap that of males. This is more acceptable than if another male tries to invade that same type of space.

In order for any type of habitat to be able to successfully offer what a tiger needs to survive, there are a few things that must be in place. The area must offer some type of covering that allows the tigers to blend into the surroundings quite well. They also need to have plenty of water to access. The last thing they need is plenty of prey to choose from.

The territories that tigers call home are marked by them. They spray urine and anal glands secretions to threes, that allow them to give off very strong smells. This gives the indication to other tigers that they are invading the space of another. The females though may be drawn to the scent of the males in the area though which is how they often find each other for mating purposes.

What is known is that the natural habitat for the tiger has been significantly reduced. They used to have a range that extended from Turkey to all of the areas of Asia. You won’t find them living in the Western portion of India, Bali, or Java though as they used to. Today there are very few of them and they reside in China, Asia, and parts of Russia.

Of course many tigers are found in captivity, especially in places where they are kept as . They adapt well to being in captivity which is why you will find so many of them thriving in zoos all over the world. The circus is another entity where you will commonly find tigers being kept in captivity.

There is evidence to indicate that tigers have a type of traveling pattern within their home range. This is so that they are able to successfully keep up with the food sources out there. Since so much of the prey that they are after is in herds that move the tigers must do so as well. However, they always come back to their home range as well.

Tiger travel movements though may get wider and wider though as their natural habitat is destroyed and the environment offers less prey for them to live on. It is also common for tigers to move along daily in their natural territory as well. This means they may not rest in the same area for more than a couple of days. Females are more likely to remain closer to their primary location than males.

The territories that tigers call home are marked by them. They have scent glands that allow them to give off very strong smells. This gives the indication to other tigers that they are invading the space of another. The females though may be drawn to the scent of the males in the area though which is how they often find each other for mating purposes.

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