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Reflections
72 | FireFlyz
Howmuch do you really know about thismajestic animal?
Symbolic Stripes
•
The Latin name of the Malayan tiger
is
panthera tigris jacksoni
, a name
which honours the famous tiger
conservationist Peter Jackson.
•
The Malayan tiger, although very
similar in characteristics to the Indo-
chinese tiger, was officially declared
a separate species in 2004 after DNA
testing.
•
The average length of a male tiger is
8ft 6in, while the average female is 7ft
10in – that may sound large, but the
Malayan tiger is actually the smallest
of all of the subspecies.
•
Malayan tigers are mainly found in
the southern and central parts of the
Malaysian peninsular living in areas
of dense rainforest.
•
Lion cubs stay with their families for
the first 18 months of their life before
living independently thereafter.
Aworld of animals
•
Australia has a national animal
(red kangaroo) and a national bird
(emu).
•
Greece has amythical creature
as it’s national animal: the
unicorn.
•
Carp is the national fish of Japan
•
The United Kingdomhas different
national animals for the different
cultures within the country: a
bulldog, a lion, a swan, a red kite,
a unicorn (Scotland) and the
mythical Welsh dragon.
•
The national animal of New
Zealand is a kiwi – the bird, not
the fruit!
•
Not all countries have national
animals.
•
The komoda dragon is Indo-
nesia’s national animal – the
largest lizard in theworld that
can grow to nearly 10 feet long
andweigh 360 pounds (163kg).
•
The average natural lifespan of a
Malayan tiger is 15 years.
•
Malayan tigers weigh, on average,
between 220 and 264 pounds (100kg-
120kg).
•
Female tigers have a pregnancy that
lasts 3.5months and usually give birth
to three or four cubs.
•
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
estimates there are currently around
500 Malayan tigers in existence.
•
The Malayan tiger is considered an
endangered species. The tigers are
threatened by the demolition of their
habitats and an increase in encounters
between tigers and livestock which
often results in farmers shooting the
tigers.
•
The Malayan tiger is a predator, with
prey including deer, wild boar, young
elephants and rhino calves.
•
As the national animal ofMalaysia, the
tiger appears on the country’s coat of
arms and on the heraldry for the Royal
Malaysian Police, Maybank and the
Football Association of Malaysia.
•
The tiger symbolises bravery and
strength.