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Table of Contents
White Tigers are also known as white Bengal tigers. They are not albino nor a sub-species of tiger but actually are Bengal tigers with a genetic defect that expresses a different color. White tigers lack the pigment called pheomelanin, which is found in Bengal tigers with orange fur. They are also called bleached tigers because of their lighter appearance which makes them stand out from their rust-colored peers.
See the fact file below for more information on White Tigers or alternatively, you can download our 26-page White Tigers worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Key Facts & Information
- KINGDOM: Animalia
- PHYLUM: Chordata
- CLASS: Mammalia
- ORDER: Carnivora
- FAMILY: Felidae
- GENUS: Panthera
- White tigers are scientifically known as Panthera tigris tigris, born because of a rare genetic mutation.
- A white tiger can only be achieved if two Bengal tigers, who carry the recessive gene for white coloring, mate. White tigers result from inbreeding, particularly between a male tiger and his offspring.
- As a result of inbreeding in captivity, many white tigers suffer from health and genetic problems such as Down syndrome, cleft palates, scoliosis, mental impairment, and crossed eyes.
Introducing the Exotic White Tiger
- Tigers are a member of the genus Panthera which are the largest living cat species.
- There is only one tiger species and two recognized subspecies, the continental Panthera tigris tigris (Bengal tiger) and the Panthera tigris sondaica (Sunda tiger).
- Bengal tigers are beautiful, courageous wild animals recognizable by dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside.
- White tigers are simply Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) whose fur is white instead of orange due to a recessive gene carried by both parents. When two tigers with this particular recessive gene breed, a white tiger can result. In the wild, this only happens naturally about once in 10,000 births.
Characteristics
- Like their rust-colored counterparts, a white tiger’s black stripes are as distinct as our fingerprints, with no two tigers having the same pattern.
- Tigers also have striped skin, not just striped fur. If shaved, the distinctive stripe pattern would still be visible.
- Despite the beauty of the white tiger’s fur, their white-and-black coloring prevented them from camouflaging themselves while hunting, which is why they are very rare, or no longer exist in the wild.
- Compared to the common Bengal tiger, white tigers grow faster and are heavier at birth and adulthood.
- White male tigers reach weights of 510 lb (230 kg) and can grow up to 9.8 ft (3 mt) in length.
- Female white tigers are smaller, averaging about 440lb (200 kg), and its head to tail length is up to 8.5 ft (2.6 mt).
- White tigers are more muscular, stronger, and more aggressive than the orange Bengal tiger.
- White tigers have sapphire blue eyes rather than the green or yellow-colored eyes of normal Bengal tigers, giving them an exotic look.
- Their nose is rose-pink, and their paw pads are pink.
- The average tiger, both orange and white, sleeps between 16 to 18 hours daily.
- White tigers are both incredibly quick and agile. They are also very good swimmers but poor climbers.
- White tigers are popular in captivity and entertainment venues because their distinctive and unusual color implies exoticness.
Reproduction and Lifecycle
- White Bengal tigers are fully grown by the time they are three years of age.
- Female white tigers, tigresses, reach sexual maturity at around four years of age.
- Male and female tigers are attracted to one another by their roars and scent marks.
- After mating, a tigress’ gestation period lasts about three and a half months, and she gives birth to up to 5 cubs.
- The cubs suckle on their mother’s milk for two months before weaning begins.
- The cubs accompany their mother until they begin to hunt for themselves at around 18 months of age.
- They will stay with their mother until they reach between two and three years old before starting their own life of solitude.
- In the wild, tigers occupy a territory of about 75 square miles, marked by their urine and claw marks on trees. They are intolerant of any other tigers entering their space.
- A white tiger’s lifespan is between 12 and 20 years.
- Records show that captive breeding began with the capture of a white cub by a Maharaj in India in 1951. The mother was killed capturing the cub, who was given the name Mohan. Mohan mated with an orange tiger, and all of the offspring were orange. Mohan then mated with one of his daughters (who carried the white gene inherited from her father), and the cubs were white.
- By the 1980s, many zoos were deliberately breeding white tigers as exotic animals to attract paying visitors.
- There are currently several hundred white tigers in captivity worldwide, with an estimated one hundred in India.
Habitat and Diet
Habitat
- Sightings of white tigers in the wild are occasionally reported in a few Indian states; however, as white tigers are primarily a product of captive inbreeding, these sightings are questionable.
- According to Indian biologist and conservationist Kailash Sankhala, the last white tiger ever seen in the wild was shot by a trophy hunter in 1958.
- Were there still white tigers in the wild, they would be found in the same habitat as orange Bengal tigers, tropical jungles, lush grasslands, and even mangrove swamps.
- The entire white tiger population now appears to be in captivity, primarily in zoos, circuses, and rescue sanctuaries.
- Over 8,000 tigers are estimated to be in captivity in Asia alone, some of which are white tigers.
- Humans were, and are, the biggest threat to Bengal tigers, both orange and white. Trophy hunting, traditional medicine, the exotic pet trade, and habitat destruction have caused their numbers to decline dramatically.
Diet
- Like the common/orange Bengal tiger, the white tiger is a carnivorous hunter and an apex predator.
- In the wild, tigers usually rest during the day and hunt and feed at night.
- They have keen eyesight and incredible hearing that helps them stalk their prey in the dark.
- Tigers ambush prey, attacking by surprise, using their weight to knock their prey down and bite its neck to kill it.
- Tigers are incredibly fast, with a top speed of 60mph (96 km/h).
- Their formidable and retractable claws are vital in capturing and holding on to prey.
- Tigers can eat as much as 40 lb (18 kg) of meat at a time. They only hunt again a few days after such a feast.
- In the wild, tigers primarily hunt large, herbivorous animals like wild boar, goats, cattle, and deer.
- Captive white tigers are fed a diet of chicken, horse meat, or kangaroo meat.
Did You Know
- When confused or stressed, white tigers cross their eyes.
- White tigers are not purebred, they are inbred, and therefore, they are not endangered because they are not a species.
White Tigers Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about the White Tigers across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use White Tigers worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about White Tigers, which are also known as white Bengal tigers. They are not albino nor a sub-species of tiger, but actually are Bengal tigers with a genetic defect that expresses a different color. White tigers lack the pigment called pheomelanin, which is found in Bengal tigers with orange fur.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- White Tigers Facts
- Profiling
- The Big Cat
- Bengal Peers
- Controversial Breeding
- Beautiful Felines
- Wild Search
- Tigerrific Crossword
- Fill in the Facts
- Stripe of Truth
- Paw Print
Frequently Asked Questions
How rare is a white tiger?
In the wild, white tiger cubs would only occur in as few as 1 in 10,000 births. This is because white fur comes from a rare genetic mutation and normal tiger behavior in the wild prevents inbreeding. Humans deliberately in-breed tigers to produce white tigers.
Are white tigers aggressive?
All tigers are considered aggressive. However, the white tiger is bigger and stronger than the orange tiger and is much more aggressive.
Are white tigers stronger than lions?
Tigers are generally physically larger than lions, and the white tiger is even larger than the orange one. Experts favor a tiger winning a battle with a lion.
What predators eat white tigers?
Neither the white nor orange Bengal tiger has any natural predators. Humans are the biggest threat to tigers in the wild.
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Use With Any Curriculum
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