Body length, depending on the subspecies, is 4.5 to 9 feet, with tail length between 3 and 4 feet. Their tails help them balance in tight turns, and are also used for communication with other tigers. Like house cats, their claws are retractable. And like all cat species, they like to keep themselves very clean, dedicating much time to thorough grooming. Tiger stripes are for camouflage, with the smaller Sumatran having the most stripes, Siberian the least.
Every tiger has unique facial markings, stripe patterns and pug marks.
Hunting Being ambush hunters, tigers stalk their prey until they are close enough to charge from behind. The killing bite is applied to the neck or throat, depending on the prey. For smaller animals, a neck bite snaps their spine, with the throat bite reserved to suffocate larger prey. Hunting may resume several days later, when the tiger is propelled by hunger. In similarity to humans, females mature faster than males, around the age of 3, with males maturing at 4.