The white tiger Panthera tigris (var. Alba)
Appearance
White tiger (Panthera tigris (var. Alba)) - is not a distinct species of tiger, nor is it an albino tiger. It is a colour variation found in Panthera tigris tigris, in which a rare mutation occurs resulting in individuals with brown stripes on a white background and blue eyes. The frequency of occurrence of white tigers is 1 individual per 10,000 with normal colouration.
In the wild, they are rarely seen, as the white colour makes the animal too conspicuous and makes it impossible to sneak up on prey or hide from enemies. In captivity, however, white tigers live and breed successfully, and their way of life does not differ from that of their red brothers.
Particularities
The first records of polar tigers date back to 1951, when during a big hunt in India hunters chased a female tiger with four nine-month-old cubs. Three of them were of normal colour, and the fourth was white; it was bigger and stronger than all the others. The white calf was taken to the raja, who liked it very much. When the cub grew up, the raja offered him a red tiger cub as a mate; they had three cubs, but they were all common. The female of the second litter was then mated with her father. The resulting offspring consisted of four white cubs identical to their father: brown stripes on a white background, pink paw pads and pale blue eyes. Today, more than a hundred white tigers live in zoos around the world, and all of them are descendants of these tiger cubs.
In India, the white tiger is treated with great reverence and it is believed that the man who encounters a white tiger will be endowed with happiness and wealth.
Photos
- Photos 5 and 11 - The tiger's tongue is rough as a grater; it helps it not only to care for its fur but also to scrape the flesh from its bones.
- Photos 9 and 10 - the tiger with one of its toys at the Moscow Zoo.
- Photo 12 - the tiger resting.
- Photos 13-21 - tiger cubs.
