Yesterday we talked about a sub-species of the Asian Elephant. Well today that trend is going to continue as we talk about the South China Tiger, which is of course a sub-species of the Three-Toed Sloth. Okay, so maybe I was just seeing if you were paying attention. Yes, the South China Tiger is actually a sub-species of the Tiger which is native to the forests of south China. Don’t beat yourself up if you have never seen one of these beautiful cats since there are fewer than 20 of them existing in the wild today. It would be pretty tough to catch a glimpse of such a rare animal.
The South China Tiger is a smaller sized Tiger but don’t let their size fool you, they are still a ferocious cat. This small size is beneficial as it provides this particular tiger with the ability to easily maneuver through the dense forests they call home. When they aren’t playing around in the jungles, these smaller cats can be found playing in the water. Yep, the South China Tiger loves to swim. I am not sure who said that cats don’t like water but that doesn’t seem to be the case with numerous wild felines.
As mentioned, the South China Tiger may be smaller but they are still deadly. As a result of their size and power, they don’t actually have any natural predators in their environment. Basically, it is only humans and habitat destruction that harm this beautiful creature. Like other Tiger’s this particular one tends to stalk its prey in an attempt to catch their tasty dinner off guard. So when the deer or wild boar thinks that nothing can ever harm them…….POW! A South China Tiger jumps out of nowhere. Life in the wild sure can be cruel.
South China Tiger Fast Fact – You probably knew I was going to have some conservation pitch in today’s Wild Fact once I mentioned that there were only 20 individuals left. Although, it may be too late to actually save the population, we have to try, right? The Word Wildlife Federation has “Adopt a Tiger” programs and other initiatives to help animals in need. Check out the WWF Site today to see how you can help.
That does it for the second sub-species of the week. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday and I will see you all tomorrow.