Malayan Tiger: The smallest tiger. This baby is almost 2 times smaller in size than its usual relatives! (6 photos)

Tigers have always been famous for their breathtaking size and weight. These are the biggest cats of our time. But the hero of our article clearly ate little porridge with meat in childhood, which directly affected his size.





Here it is - the true symbol of the year, the water tiger!

The Malayan tiger is the smallest living species of tiger. Only the extinct Javanese brother could take the palm of our hero's smallness. If an ordinary minke whale eats up to 200 kilograms, then the maximum of this tiny one is only 120 kilos.



The smallest of the large striped seals lives on the Malaysian part of the Malay Peninsula. The tiger is an endemic and a terrible homebody: it is impossible to meet it outside its range (except in zoos, of course). Previously, this played into the hands of the Malayan tiger - in his domain he felt like a king and a god. But with the arrival of people, the limited territories played a cruel joke. Now Malayan tigers are on the verge of complete extinction, their number is only 250-340 individuals.





Unfortunately, only people are involved in this. Poachers are actively hunting seals in order to disassemble them for spare parts and sell them to traditional medicine gurus. Deforestation is narrowing the already small habitat of equally small tigers.



Apart from people, an adult Malayan tiger has no enemies in the wild. But small tiger cubs can be dragged away by jackals, crocodiles or feral dogs. But tragedy will not happen if the cub is under the careful supervision of the parent. The mother is armed with fangs as long as her index finger. And in one jump she covers 10 meters.



Striped babies almost do not conflict with each other. In one area measuring 100 square kilometers, a male and six females coexist peacefully. But the pacifist attitude evaporates when the time begins to search for a mate. During the mating season, male tigers are not averse to giving each other tasty licks.



What does this story teach us? Because size is not the main thing. Even the smallest tiger remains at the top of the food chain. So if you are asked to explain something small, remember the Malayan tiger. Jump on the offender from 10 meters and grab him with your claws! Let him know who he is messing with!