African Wild Dog Lycaon Pictus Description African wild dogs are the size of medium domestic dogs. Their Latin name, Lycaon pictus, means "painted wolf-like animal." Their coats are mottled in shades of brown, black and beige. They have large, rounded ears and dark brown circles around their eyes. The dogs differ from wolves and other dogs in that they have four toes instead of five. The average African wild dog weighs between 37 and 80 pounds and measures 24 to 30 inches high. African wild dogs can live up to 10 years. Habitat African wild dogs are only found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Savannas, grasslands and open woodlands are the preferred habitats of African wild dogs. Food African wild dogs hunt antelope, zebras, wildebeest, springboks, gazelles and impala. Reproduction Normally only the alpha male and female reproduce, while other members of the pack help care for the young. Pups are born every year, usually from March through June. A litter may contain as many as 16 pups, although infant mortality is high. Status Endangered Exploitation African wild dogs face a number of serious threats, including habitat loss, human persecution (hunting and poisoning), disease spread from domestic animals and isolated populations. Protection Endangered Species Act, CITES, Appendix I. images2/african_wild_dog.gif American Bison Bison Bison Description A symbol of the wild west, the American bison is the heaviest land mammal in North America. Also called the American buffalo, the bison has a large head with relatively small, curving horns. It has a shaggy coat of brown hair on its shoulders and legs, while its body has shorter, finer hair. Bison are 5 to 6½ feet long and weigh 900 to 2,200 pounds. Males are larger than females on average Habitat In the wild, bison are found in parts of Canada and the western United States. The Great Plains, prairies, and forests. Food Bison eat grasses and sedges, moving continuously as they eat so that they rarely overgraze an area. Reproduction Females produce one calf after a gestation period of nine and a half months. Calves are born in late April to mid-May. The cow protects the young. The offspring may remain with the mother for as long as three years after birth. Status Endangered Exploitation Shooting bison for their hides was a favorite frontier sport in the 19th century. Hunters practically eliminated the bison by 1890. In 1893, the first efforts were made to protect the animals. Today, the bison of Yellowstone National Park face the threat of slaughter when they exit the park and enter the state of Montana. The Montana Department of Agriculture fears the contamination of cattle by bison carrying the disease brucellosis, although there are no known cases of brucellosis passed by bison to domestic cattle in the wild. Protection Endangered Species Act images2/bison.gif Asian Elephant Elephas Maximus Description The Asian elephant is one of the largest land mammals on Earth. The trunk of the Asian elephant has two finger-like structures at its tip that allow the animal to perform both delicate and powerful movements. Elephants have long, coarse hairs sparsely covering their body. Their skin is brown to dark gray. They have been very important to Asian culture for thousands of years - they have been domesticated and are used for transportation and to move heavy objects. Asian elephants stand eight to ten feet tall at the shoulder. Females weigh about 6,000 pounds and males can weigh up to 11,900 pounds! Asian elephants can live to approximately 80 years of age. Habitat South-central and Southeast Asia. Asian elephants can live in a wide range of habitats, from jungles to grasslands. Food Asian elephants eat grass, bark, roots and leaves. They also like crops such as banana grown by farmers, making them a pest in agricultural areas. Adult elephants eat about 330 pounds of food a day. They must drink water every day and are never far from a water source. Reproduction A single calf is born following a gestation period of almost two years. Calves weigh between 110 to 330 pounds when they are born. Elephants are full grown at the age of 17. Status Endangered Exploitation Humans are capturing elephants for domestication at an unsustainable rate. Poaching for their ivory tusks and habitat destruction are additional threats. Protection CITES, Appendix I, Endangered Species Act images2/asianelephant.jpg Atlantic Spotted Dolphin Stenella Frontalis Description The upper body of the Atlantic spotted dolphin is a dark gray color. This fades to a medium gray on the sides and a light ventral surface. They have a chunky beak with a spot of white on the end. The name of the Atlantic spotted dolphin comes from the spots that develop as the dolphin ages. The older the dolphin, the more spots. Adult females tend to be larger than adult males. Length: 60 - 96 inches Weight: 200 lbs Gestation: 330 - 365 days Offspring: 1 Life Span: 45 years. Habitat Atlantic spotted dolphins are found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They can also be found in the Indian Ocean and in some parts of the Pacific. Food Atlantic spotted dolphins eat many varieties of fish and squid. Reproduction Young Atlantic spotted dolphins are born after a gestation period of 11 or 12 months. They have no spots when they are born. They first start to develop spots about the time they are weaned. Status The status is unknown. This species is not listed under the Endangered Species Act. The total level of human-caused mortality and serious injury is unknown. Exploitation Atlantic spotted dolphins are taken in a direct fishery for small cetaceans in the Caribbean. Direct takes may also occur off the Azores and off West Africa. Tuna fishing is a major threat to the Pantropical spotted dolphin. The subspecies Stenella attenuata graffmani located in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) is particularly susceptible and has been listed as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). In 1990, "Dolphin Safe" labels (certifying that no dolphins were encircled to catch tuna) were placed on tuna cans, reducing dolphin deaths in tuna nets by 97 percent. Pressure from foreign trading nations has weakened the standards of the current label. Protection In Canada, the Cetacean Protection Regulations of 1982, promulgated under the Standing Fisheries Act, prohibit the catching or harassment of all cetacean species. images2/dolphin.jpg Bobcat Felis Rufus Description Named for their short, bobbed tail, bobcats are medium-sized cats, slightly smaller and similar in appearance to their cousin the lynx. Their coat varies in color from shades of buff or brown fur with spotted or lined markings in dark brown or black. On average, bobcats measure 17 to 23 inches in height and 25 to 41 inches in length. Males weigh approximately 16 to 28 pounds, while females typically weigh 10 to 18 pounds. The bobcat is approximately two feet tall. Habitat Bobcats can be found from southern Canada to northern Mexico, although they have been extirpated (can no longer be found) in some midwestern and eastern states in the United States. Bobcat habitat varies widely from forests and mountainous areas to semideserts and brush land. A habitat dense with vegetation and lots of prey is ideal. Food While rabbits are the staple of their diet, bobcats are also known to eat rodents, birds, bats and even adult deer (usually killed during the winter months). Reproduction Mating usually occurs in late winter. Cubs are usually born in early spring after a 50- to 70-day gestation period. Litter sizes vary from one to six cubs. Cubs stay with their mother for a year. Status Vulnerable Exploitation In Mexico, bobcats are persecuted as a sheep predator and are frequently killed by farmers. Bobcats are hunted and trapped for their fur throughout much of their range. Between 1991 to 1992, about 22,000 pelts were sold and traded. Protection CITES, Appendix II images2/bobcat.gif Coyote Canis Latrans Description The Coyote is a member of the dog family. In size and shape the Coyote is like a medium-sized Collie dog, but its tail is round and bushy and is carried straight out below the level of its back. Coyotes found in low deserts and valleys weigh about 20 pounds, less than half of their mountain kin, who can weigh up to 50 pounds. Desert Coyotes are light gray or tan with a black tip on the tail. Coyotes of high elevations have fur that is darker, thicker and longer; the under parts are nearly white, with some specimens having a white tip on the tail. In winter the coats of mountain Coyotes become long and silky, and trappers hunt them for their fur. Habitat Coyotes are found in diverse habitats, from grasslands to forests. They are highly adaptable animals and live in close association with people in rural, suburban, and even urban environments. Coyotes inhabit all life zones of the Desert Southwest from low valley floors to the crest of the highest mountains, but especially on open plains, grasslands and high mesas. Its natural habitat is open grassland, but it will move to wherever food is available. The ubiquitous Coyote is found throughout North America from eastern Alaska to New England and south through Mexico to Panama. It originally ranged primarily in the northwest corner of the US, but it has adapted readily to the changes caused by human occupation and, in the past 200 years, has been steadily extending its range. Sightings now commonly occur in Florida, New England and eastern Canada. Food Coyotes are omnivores, eating whatever is available, including small mammals and birds, carrion, fruit, and improperly stored garbage, fish, either fresh or spoiled, and at times it eats fruits and vegetable matter and has even been known to raid melon patches. It has a varied diet and seems able to exist on whatever the area offers in the way of food. The Coyote eats meat and Although the Coyote has been observed killing sheep, poultry and other livestock, it does not subsist on domestic animals. Food habit studies reveal that its principle diet is composed of mice, rabbits, ground squirrels, other small rodents, insects, even reptiles, and fruits and berries of wild plants. The Coyote is an opportunistic predator that uses a variety of hunting techniques to catch small mammals likes rabbits and squirrels, which comprise the bulk of its diet. Although it hunts alone to catch small prey, it may join with others in to hunt larger mammals like young deer or a pony. The Coyote often tracks its prey using its excellent sense of smell, then stalk it for 20-30 minutes before pouncing. It may also take advantage of its stamina to chase its prey over long distances, and then striking when the quarry is exhausted. Reproduction Coyotes breed in late winter, with mated pairs producing an average of six young, which are fully weaned within six weeks. Most of the young disperse in the fall and winter, leaving their parents' territory to establish their own. At the beginning of the mating season in January, several lone male Coyotes may gather around a female to court her, but she will form a relationship with only one of them. The male and female desert Coyote may travel together before mating in January or February. The female bears one litter of 3 to 9 puppies a year, usually in April or May when food is abundant. The gestation period is from 63 to 65 days. The pups are born blind in a natal den, but their eyes open after about 14 days and they emerge from the den a few days later. They suckle for 5 to 7 weeks, and start eating semi-solid food after 3 weeks. While the male helps support the family with regurgitated food, the mother does not allow him to come all the way into the den. The pups live and play in the den until they are 6 to 10 weeks old, when the mother starts taking them out hunting in a group. The family gradually disbands, and by fall, the pups are usually hunting alone. Within a year, they go their own way, staking out their own territory, marked with the scent of their urine Status Large and increasing despite control efforts and unprotected status in most areas. No threat to the species as a whole. Exploitation Trapped and hunted extensively for fur, sport, and to attempt to reduce loss of livestock and poultry. Agricultural interests have urged its control by whatever means necessary so that actual and potential livestock losses may be eliminated. Since 1891, when the first programs aimed at control were begun in California, nearly 500,000 Coyotes have been reported destroyed at a cost of an estimated $30 million of the taxpayers' money. Protection None. The US Government uses tax payers' money to kill them. images2/coyote.jpg Fisher Martes Pennanti Description The fisher, also known as a pekan, is a member of the weasel family. It has a long, slim body with short legs, rounded ears, and a bushy tail. It is agile and swift and is an excellent climber. Male fishers may grow up to three feet long, including a fifteen inch tail, and weigh as much as 12 pounds. Females are lighter, weighing about a third less than males. Habitat The fisher is found only in North America. Historically, it ranged the northern forests of Canada and the United States as well as forests in the Appalachian and Pacific Coast Mountains. Today, fishers are found in parts of their historic range. In the U.S., they exist in portions of the Appalachian Mountains from New England south to Tennessee; northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan’s upper peninsula; northern Idaho and western Montana; and as far south as northern California along the west coast. Reintroductions have led to their reoccupation of former habitats in Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Nova Scotia, Vermont, West Virginia, Maine, Manitoba, Minnesota, New York, Ontario and Tennessee. Large areas of dense mature coniferous or mixed forest. Food Fishers are aggressive hunters, preying on snowshoe hares, rabbits, rodents and birds, and are one of the few specialized predators of porcupines. They also consume insects, nuts, and berries when prey is not available. Despite their name, they do not hunt fish. Reproduction Mating occurs in April, but implantation is delayed until February or March of the following year. Following a thirty day gestation, a litter of one to four is born. The kits remain with their mother until the fall. Status Fishers are a U.S. Forest Service "sensitive species," or a "species for which viability is a concern because of current or predicted downward trends in numbers, distribution, or in habitat quality" Exploitation From the beginning of the 19th century through the middle of the 20th century, fishers were heavily trapped and much of their habitat was destroyed or altered by logging, which led to declines or extirpations from much of their range. Over-harvesting for pelts and loss of forest habitat has significantly decreased populations in the southern portion of the fisher’s range. Protection State limits on trapping. images2/fisher.jpg Giant Armadillo Priodontes Maximus Description The necks and backs of giant armadillos are covered in flexible "armor" consisting of 14 to 17 moveable bands of horn and bone. Their heads are protected by a similar oval shield. Small, closely set plates of armor cover their tales. Giant armadillos are dark brown except for their heads, tails and the lower edges of their shells, which are nearly white. Giant armadillos have sparse hairs scattered between their plates. Their forefeet have large powerful claws. They are very agile and sometimes balance themselves on their hind legs and tails, with their forefeet off the ground. Habitat Giant armadillos are found in South America, east of the Andes, from northwestern Venezuela to northeastern Argentina. Giant armadillos live in burrows near water in grassland, brushland, woodland and forest habitats. Food The diet of giant armadillos consists of termites, insects, spiders, worms, larvae, snakes and carrion. Reproduction After a gestation period of four months, females give birth to one or two young. Newborns have leathery skin and weigh up to four pounds at birth. Status Endangered Exploitation Giant armadillos are threatened by overhunting and the loss of habitat because of human settlement and agricultural development. Protection Endangered Species Act, CITES* Appendix I. images2/arm.jpg Great Hammerhead Shark Sphyrna Mokarran Description The hammerhead shark is easily identified by its thick, broad head, which looks very much like the profile of mallet. The great hammerhead shark has a wide, thick head with the eyes at the margins. The head is indented at the center of the "hammer," which is almost rectangular in shape. This shark is gray-brown above with an off-white belly. The first dorsal fin is very large and pointed. The average great hammerhead shark is up to 11.5 feet (3.5 m) long. The largest reported was 20 feet (6 m) long. These large sharks average about over 500 pounds (230 kg) but can weigh as much as 1,000 pounds (450 kg). Habitat The great hammerhead swims in warm water along the coastlines. They live over the continental shelves and the adjacent drop-off (the upper part of the mesopelagic zone) to depths of about 260 feet (80 m). The great hammerhead is found in tropical and sub-tropical waters worldwide. Food Hammerheads are efficient and fierce predators with a good sense of smell that helps it find its prey. It feeds on bony fishes, other sharks, squid, octopus, crustaceans, and especially stingrays that are found buried in the sand. The great hammerhead has also been known to be cannibalistic. Reproduction The great hammerheads are viviparous, giving birth to live young. The 20-40 pups are about 27 inches (70 cm) long at birth. Status Great hammerheads are not considered to be endangered. Exploitation They are hunted for sport and for their skin, which is used as leather. Protection None images2/hammerhead.jpg Harp Seal Phoca Groenlandica Description Adult male harp seals grow to about 1.7 m and 130 kg; females are slightly smaller. Harp seals can live up to 30 years. Gregarious by nature, harp seals haul out in dense herds to give birth and moult. Habitat Harp seals inhabit the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans from northern Russia to Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. They are separated into three populations based on where they breed; the White Sea, the `West Ice' and the Northwest Atlantic `Gulf' and `Front'. Harp seals are closely associated with pack ice, undergoing spring migrations of up to 2,500 km on their way to summer feeding grounds, returning south ahead of the new ice in the fall. All three populations exhibit similar patterns of annual migration, although the timing of specific events such as pupping, varies slightly from place to place. Food Harp seals consume a wide range of prey species and their diet appears to vary with age, season, location and year. Reproduction A single pup weighing about 10 kg (22 lbs) is born each year from mid February to March. Mating occurs after the pups are weaned at about 12 days. After mating, adult males are joined on the moulting patches by immature and non-breeding seals, followed by adult females. Females and males reach sexual maturity at approximately 4-6 years of age. Status The total population size is estimated to be about 1.5 to 2.0 million animals. Exploitation All three populations are hunted annually. Over-exploitation, particularly in the Northwest Atlantic, and an expanding and unregulated trade in seal products remain a threat. Other potential threats include: proposals to cull harp seal populations, ostensibly to benefit fisheries; reduced food availablilty due to human overfishing or climate change; incidental catches in fishing gear; and, possibly, environmental contaminants. Protection Seal Protection Regulations prohibit killing adult harp seals in the breeding or nursery areas. images2/harp.jpg Hawksbill Sea Turtle Eretmochelys Imbricata Description Marine turtles are one of the Earth's most ancient creatures, with a fossil record going back 150 million years. Small- to medium-sized turtle with shield-like plates on its shell. The hawksbill turtle is the source of the term "tortoise shell" because of the pattern of markings on its shell. Their beautiful shells were once prized until the hunting of sea turtles became illegal. The hawksbill gets its name from its beak which is shaped like a hawk’s. They measure 30 to 36 inches and weighs 100 to 200 pounds. Habitat Sea turtles are found in warm and temperate waters throughout the world and migrate hundreds of miles between nesting and feeding grounds. Food Juvenile, subadult and adult hawksbill turtles are omnivorous scavengers, feeding primarily on sponges found on the solid substrate of coral reefs. Analysis of stomach contents has also turned up sea anemones and assorted invertebrates. Unfortunately styrofoam and plastics have also been mistaken for food. Reproduction Pregnant females pull themselves ashore, dig a pit into the sandy beach, and lay 70-170 eggs. Female turtles typically return to the same beach where they were hatched to lay eggs. Six to ten weeks later, baby turtles break out of this nest and scuttle down the beach into the sea. Young sea turtles swim towards kelp beds several miles offshore, where they shelter, feed and grow. During their early life stages, baby sea turtles are highly vulnerable and most do not reach adulthood. Status Endangered Exploitation Sea turtles are threatened with capture, harvesting of eggs, destruction of nesting beaches, ocean pollution, oil spills and entanglement in fishing and shrimp nets. Protection Endangered Species Act, CITES, Appendix I. It is illegal to import or export turtle products, kill, capture, or harass sea turtles, or to handle them in any way without State and Federal permits. images2/turtle.jpg Kangaroo Macropus Rufus Description Kangaroos have powerful hind legs and short, thumbless forelimbs. Kangaroos can travel at speeds up to 30 miles per hour and can leap some 30 feet. Kangaroos use their long tails for balancing. Their bodies are covered in thick, coarse, wooly hair that can be shades of gray, brown or red. Kangaroos are marsupials, which means that females carry newborns, or "joeys," in a pouch on the front of their abdomens. Red and gray kangaroos stand between five and six feet tall. Most weigh between 50 and 120 pounds, though some can reach 200 pounds. Female kangaroos are generally smaller than males of the same species. Habitat Kangaroos are found in Australia and Tasmania, as well as on surrounding islands. Kangaroos live in varied habitats, from forests and woodland areas to grassy plains and savannas. Food Kangaroos are grazing herbivores, which means their diet consists mainly of grasses. They can survive long periods without water. Reproduction Usually, female kangaroos give birth to one joey at a time. Newborns weigh as little as 0.03 ounces at birth. After birth, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch, where it will nurse and continue to grow and develop. Red kangaroo joeys do not leave the pouch for good until they are more than eight months old. Gray kangaroo joeys wait until they are almost a year old. Status Vulnerable Exploitation Humans hunt kangaroos for their meat and hides. Also, the introduction of domestic herbivores, such as sheep, cattle and rabbits increases competition for many plants and may cause food scarcity in times of drought. Protection None images2/kangaroo.jpg Minke Whale Balaenoptera Acutorostrata Description

The minke whale is the smallest baleen whale with 50-70 throat grooves. It is a rorqual whale (baleen whale with throat grooves). They are the most abundant baleen whale. Minke whales have a characteristic white band on each flipper, contrasting with its very dark gray top color. They have 2 blowholes, like all baleen whales.

Minke whales grow to be about 25-30 feet (7.8-9 m) long, weighing about 6-7.5 tons (5.4-6.8 tonnes). Females are about 2 feet (0.6 m) longer than males, as with all baleen whales. The largest minke whale was about 35 feet (10.5 m) long weighing 9.5 tons (8.6 tonnes). Minke whales have a snout that is distinctively triangular, narrow, and pointed (hence its nicknames "sharp-headed finner" and "little piked whale").

The minke whale's skin is very dark gray above and lighter below, sometimes with pale trapezoidal stripes behind the flippers on the top. Minke whales have a characteristic white band on each flipper (this is absent on the southern minke whales). Minke whales are stocky, having a layer of blubber several inches thick. They have 50-70 throat grooves, running from the chin to the mid-section. The minke whale has two long flippers (up to 1/8 of the body size), a small dorsal fin, and a series of small ridges along the its back near the flukes (tail).

The baleen plates in the minke whale's jaws have about 300 pairs of short, smooth baleen plates. The largest plates are less than 12 inches (30 cm) long and 5 inches (13 cm) wide. The fine textured baleen bristles are fringed and are creamy-white with pure white bristles. Habitat Minke whales live at the surface of the ocean in all but polar seas. Food Minke whales (like all baleen whales) are seasonal feeders and carnivores. They sieve through the ocean water with their baleen. They filter out small polar plankton, krill, and small fish, even chasing schools of sardines, anchovies, cod, herring, and capelin. They have the same diet as blue whales. Reproduction Minke whale breeding occurs mostly in the late winter to early spring while near the surface and in warm waters. The gestation period is about 10 months and the calf is born near the surface of the warm, shallow waters. The newborn instinctively swims to the surface within 10 seconds for its first breath; it is helped by its mother, using her flippers. Within 30 minutes of its birth, the baby whale can swim. The newborn calf is about 9 feet (2.8 m) long and weighs about 1,000 pounds (454 kg). The baby is nurtured with its mother's milk. The mother and calf may stay together for a year or longer. Minke whales reach puberty at 2 years of age. Status Lower risk, but heavily hunted by Japan and Norway. Exploitation Because they are such a small whale, the whaling industry generally ignored the minkes until quite recently. As the larger whales became more scarce (and gained protected status), minke whales became more economically attractive. In the North Atlantic, from the 1920s, whaling for this species has been conducted along the coast of Norway. This expanded, just before World War Two, to Spritsbergen, Shetland and the Faroe Islands and, more recently, the Barents Sea and Iceland. When whale populations dwindled in the late 1940s, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established to manage whale stocks. The IWC announced how many whales could be taken in any year, however, populations continued to decline. In 1985/6 a worldwide moratorium on whaling was put in place, banning all whaling. Norway, however, "took out a reservation," meaning that they could continue by IWC rules to legally hunt North Atlantic minke whales and, in 1993 and 1994, they killed several hundred. This has caused great dismay in other countries, including the U.K., who have officially objected to this hunt. In UK waters, it is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, capture or harass any species of whale or dolphin. However, there is little in international law that can be done about hunting, except control of exports which is covered by CITES (the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species). This is important because the main consumers of whale meat are still the Japanese and, if Norway could legally export whale meat to Japan, this might further promote whaling. In 1993 a shipment of whale meat, labelled as "shrimp," was discovered at Oslo airport in Norway, en route to Asia. Like other cetaceans, minke whales are also threatened by degradation of their habitat. This may be caused by depletion of their prey, perhaps resulting from over-fishing, and pollution and global climatic changes. Climatic change could, for example, affect ocean currents and therefore the locality and abundance of the whales' prey. An unknown number of minke whales also become entangled in fishing nets each year. The significance of these threats is only poorly known. Protection UN Convention on Migratory Species. Australia will establish a vast whale-management zone in the South Pacific. IWC's Southern Ocean Sanctuary. images2/minke.jpg Rat Rattus Norvegicus Description The Norway rat is also called the common rat, sewer rat, brown rat, and water rat. In the wild it is brownish-gray on its back, and greyish on its belly, with a long scaly tail 12 to 21 cm long. It has small bulbous eyes like most rodents and large ears. It is 31 to 46 cm long and weighs between 195 and 485 g. Habitat Europe and North America. Rats usually live in buildings and sewers during the winter but builds its nests in fields where food and crops grow during the summer. Food Rats eat insects, green plants, fruits, birds, rabbits, small snakes, mice, young pigs, soap, garbage, seeds, and grain. They kill chickens and eat their raw eggs. They prefer grain, meats, and cheese that contain much protein. Reproduction Rats can reach sexual maturity at 5 weeks of age. Rats don't have a breeding season, although very hot or cold temperatures will reduce breeding. Females of breeding age come into heat all year round, every 4 to 5 days, unless they are pregnant or nursing. Rats have large litters averaging about 10 to 12. Status No special status Exploitation Animal testing. Next to the mouse, the rat is the most extensively used experimental animal, particularly in the fields of nutrition, transplantation, immunology, genetics, cancer, pharmacology, physiology, neuroscience and aging research. Protection None - not even under Animal Welfare Act (along with mice and birds). images2/rat.jpg Tiger Panthera Tigris Description The tiger is the largest member of the felid (cat) family. Tigers have a long, thick, reddish coat with a white belly and white and black tail. The head, body, tail and limbs have narrow black, brown or gray stripes. Tigers reach up to ten feet in length and weigh 400 to 575 pounds. Habitat Tigers occur in parts of India, Manchuria, China, Indonesia and Russia (Siberia). Tiger habitat varies widely, from tropical rainforests to snow-covered coniferous and deciduous forests and from mangrove swamps to drier forests. Food Tiger prey consists mostly of pigs, deer, antelope, buffalo and other large mammals, although tigers have been known to hunt smaller mammals and birds. Reproduction The average litter size of a tiger is two to three cubs. Cubs are born blind and weigh two to three pounds. Status Endangered Exploitation Tigers are illegally hunted because some body parts are used in traditional Asian medicines. Protection Appendix I of CITES, Endangered Species Act images2/tiger.gif