Siberian tigers are the largest of all of the tiger subspecies. Their size and extra thick, long coat help them survive temperatures as low as -49 degrees Fahrenheit. Siberian tigers coats are more yellow than their tropical relatives, which are brighter in color with shorter and thinner hair. Although there is some variation in size among the subspecies, males generally measure about 11 feet from their nose to the tip of their tail and weigh about 400 pounds. Females are slightly smaller measuring a little more than 8 feet and weighing about 300 pounds.
Males also have ruffs of hair around their cheeks.
Although their orange coats with black stripes and white patches are very conspicuous in a zoo, tigers blend in well with their natural surroundings. The black lines serve to break up their body shape in tall grasslands. These stripes also serve as identifying markers because, just like human fingerprints, no two tigers have the same pattern of stripes. Tigers are carnivores, or meat-eaters. They prefer deer, antelopes, and wild pigs, but they will eat whatever they can catch.