Tigers have long fascinated people with their agility, super strength, and unique hunting methods. For centuries, tigers have adapted to dominate the ecological niche of the rainforest. Many people, especially children, would love to know everything that tigers do in their natural habitat. That’s why we’re bringing you some of the most amazing and fun facts about tigers for kids.

The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is the only big cat that lives in the forests of Russia. The tiger is adapted to live in the cold habitat. An isolated population is also found in eastern Mongolia, Korea, and the Russian Far East. Only a few Siberian cats live in the wild and only 480-540 individuals survive. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Siberian tiger as a critically endangered species.

• Tigers are not only the largest living cats, they are also one of the largest carnivorous land mammals, second only to polar bears.
• Each tiger has unique stripes on its body. Neither individual resembles the other in its stripes. It’s like human fingerprints.
• There are three extinct species: the Bali tiger, the Caspian tiger and the Java tiger. The white tiger is not a recognized subspecies; it is a pigment variant of the Bengal tiger.
• Unlike any other cat, tigers are extraordinary swimmers. They can even chase prey in the water. This is one of its traits that makes the tiger the deadliest land predator.
• Big cats are crepuscular hunters in the sense that they are active during the evening or early hours of darkness. They possess sharp eyesight with the help of which the animal sees things quite clearly at night.
• While Siberian cats are the largest subspecies, Malayan tigers are the smallest of the living cats. The South China tiger is possibly the rarest of all cats.
• Big cats don’t live in Africa and you probably never saw some of the African animals like the ostrich. Tigers are Asian species.
• Cats prefer to make their homes in dense forest habitats that also offer some water. They need to drink most of the day and tigers never live too far from the water source.
• Unlike cheetahs, big cats feed on medium to large-sized prey. She has the ability to take down prey nearly the size of her own. Tigers are purely carnivorous.
• These cats are endangered species. In 1900 there were around 100,000 tigers surviving in the wild, but now fewer than 6,000 remain in the natural rainforest.
• The Siberian tiger is the only tiger subspecies that has many names. The cat is also called the Amur tiger, Korean tiger, Ussurian tiger, and Manchurian tiger.
• Siberian cats are only slightly larger than the Bengal subspecies. The Bengal and Siberian tigers are the largest of the living cats. The Siberian cat is the second largest land-based land mammal.
• The Siberian cat has the largest skull of all cats and resembles a lion’s skull in size.
• Since they live in cold places, Siberian cats are insulated with dense fur. Also, they have longer whiskers than those of Bengal tigers.
• The historical range of Siberian cats includes Lake Baikal, northeastern China, and Manchuria. Currently the cat has become extinct in all these areas.
• Siberian tigers like to make their homes in the deciduous coniferous and broadleaf pine forests of Korea. They make habitats in wooded forests because it allows them to hide in the forest.
• A cat also feeds on Siberian roe deer, wild boar, sika deer, and Manchurian wapiti.
• The Amur tiger population has increased from 331 to 540 in the last ten years. The main reason is that now most tigers are bred in reserves and protected areas.
• They are great travelers. Siberian cats cover up to 1,000 km (620 mi) in distance. The only barrier is the border between the countries.
• Amur tigers are solitary outside of the breeding months. During the mating season, the male spends almost a week with the female, after which they both leave. The female leaves urine marks on the tree showing her willingness to mate. It also marks its territory either by scratching trees or by leaving urine deposits.