Inevitably, when you take a Tiger safari, you will find yourself regaled with facts about the fascinating animal by a knowledgeable tour guide. However, in case the wildlife guru misses anything, here are some interesting titbits that you can surprise your fellow holidaymakers with. Get ready to become to the king of the knowledge jungle!
Pug marks
The footprints left by a Tiger - in the snow or the sand, for instance - are called 'pug marks'. Wildlife conservationists around the world will catalogue these pug marks in the areas they operate in order to track the animals and collect valuable data about their movements. So, when you're on your Tiger safari - keep your eyes peeled for these distinctive imprints.
A Streak
The collective name for a group of Tigers is called a 'streak'. Another name for this phenomenon is called an 'ambush' of Tigers. You won't find this happen often on a Tiger safari, however, as groups occur mainly in captivity. This is because the restricted in space in these facilities forces the animals into social groups that do not occur naturally. In the wild, tigers usually hunt on their own and at night.
Roooaar!
Chances are that, on your Tiger safari, you will hear the animal before you see it. That is because a Tiger's roar can be heard from over two kilometres, or three miles, away! Interestingly, only four cats in the whole cat family can roar. These are the Lion, Leopard, Jaguar and the Tiger. And, why is the roar so fierce? It is made so as to defend its territory or to quickly attract the attention of his mate or cubs.
Champion swimmers
The Tiger is known for being the Michael Phelps of the cat kingdom. For, unusually for the cat family, it loves nothing more than splish-sploshing about in lakes and rivers. He doesn't like getting too hot, and, luckily for him, he is also a very strong swimmer. So, if your Tiger safari experiences a really hot day, your guides will probably head towards pools and streams as this is where the animal will inevitably be lounging.
'Man? No thank you!'
Contrary to many held beliefs and depictions in films and books, this big cat is not a proactive man-eater. It only kills human in self defence - that is, in the cases they are foolish enough to stumble into their habitat.
