The Sumatran tiger has the most stripes while the Amur (Siberian) has the fewest, but on average there are 100-150 stripes per animal. The Amur tiger's stripes are wider and lighter in colour than those of the other subspecies.

Tigers are the only striped felid. The tiger shown above is  of the Bengal subspecies; below is an Amur tiger.

The mark of wang:

Wang Mark

The striping on a tiger's forehead is often referred to by the Chinese as the mark of 'wang' or 'king'. 

 The skin of the tiger:

Everyone recognises the tiger from its striped coat, but few people know these stripes extend through to the skin. This is often noted by zoo veterinarians when they shave off sections of the coat to carry out surgery. The skin of the white tiger is a bluish colour, also complete with stripes.

Skin & Coat - Page 1&2: Description | 3: A Game: Coat Confusion!

 Taxonomy | Whiskers | Hearing & Ear Spots | Eyesight | Smell | Teeth | Communication | Flehman | Genetics |
Life Span | Streaking | Claws, Paws & Pug Marks | Skin & Coat | Gait | Tail | Cleanliness & Tongue |
Skeleton & Internal Organs | Big Cat/Small Cat?

Characteristics Index | Home

Photography With Thanks To hotography With Thanks To Trevor  Shanahan (Photo 1)
Ralf Schmode (Photo 2)
Tiger Touch (Photo 3)
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