10 amazing Tiger facts

Tigers can reach up to 11ft (3.3m) in length

They are the heaviest cats in the wild, weighing up to 660lbs (300kg)

Three of the nine subspecies of the modern tiger are now extinct. The remaining six are all classified as endangered species

They can swim up to 4 miles, and have been observed dragging their prey across lakes, apart from Jaguars, they are the only cats that can swim

The striped pattern is also found on the skin of a tiger, thus if one were to be shaved it's unique camouflage pattern would remain

The South China Tiger is one of the top ten most endangered creatures in the world with not a single one being sighted in the wild between 1983 and 2007. With only 56 known South China Tigers in captivity (all derived from only a group of six original tigers) the genetic diversity required to maintain the subspecies may no longer exist, making it doomed to extinction

Tigers can reach speeds of up to 35-40 mph (49-65 kmph). A tiger can leap a distance of up to 10m

The global wild tiger population is estimated at anywhere between 3,062 and 3,948 individuals, India has the highest number at 1,706

A Tiger's forehead has a marking which resembles the Chinese character 王, which means "king"; consequently, many cartoon depictions of tigers in China and Korea are drawn with 王 on their forehead.

In a poll conducted by Animal Planet, the tiger was voted the world's favourite animal, narrowly beating the dog. More than 50,000 viewers from 73 countries voted in the poll. Tigers received 21% of the vote, dogs 20%, dolphins 13%, horses 10%, lions 9%, snakes 8%, followed by elephants, chimpanzees, orangutans and whales

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