Today, there are only about a total of 5,000 tigers left in the wild. In 1920 there were estimated to have been about 100,000 tigers in the world. They are hunted because they are considered a threat to human life and domestic livestock, and also because tigers are considered a big game trophy.

Each tiger has its own stripe pattern, and no two tigers are exactly alike. They have pricked ears that funnel sounds efficiently to the inner ear. Amur (Siberian) tigers are usually larger than the other subspecies, and have longer fur.

They also tend to gain a lot of weight just before winter (a layer of fat) to help keep them warm in the harsh Siberian winters. Tigers occupy a variety of habitats, including rainforest, open woods, mangrove swamps, grasslands, rocky country and savannahs in Asia.

Tigers are one of nature's most feared predators and are capable of killing animals over twice their size. Tiger diets consist mainly of large mammals such as pigs, deer, antelope, buffalo and gaur. Smaller mammals and birds are occasionally taken. A tiger can consume up to 88 pounds of meat at one time. The heaviest Siberian Tiger on record weighed almost 850 pounds.

Tigers usually do not climb trees, but are capable of doing so. It can also leap up to a horizontal distance of 32 feet. Tigers make many sounds:

A Bengal tiger's roar can be heard 2 miles away.

Generic Tigers
Knoxville Zoo currently has 2 "generic" female tigers (hybrids between different subspecies) Sita and Kali.  Kali's white color is caused by a natural genetic mutation. After this recessive gene mutation was discovered in the wild, white tigers were bred to continue the white coloration. This is not a desirable trait in tigers-it causes vision problems, and the skin is vulnerable to sun burns due to the light coloration.

Indochinese Tigers
Knoxville Zoo is also home to Tevy, a female Indochinese tiger. She was brought to Knoxville Zoo on a Species Survival Plan (SSP) recommendation. Tevy is the first Indochinese tiger ever at Knoxville Zoo. There are 37 other Indochinese tigers managed in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association SSP population.