5 Questions
Why would white tigers have a hard time surviving in the wild?
Their light coloring makes it difficult for them to blend in for hunting.
What genetic condition must both parents have for a white tiger cub to be born?
A gene that leads to a lack of pheomelanin.
What makes snow tigers, or white tigers, more susceptible to danger than other tigers?
Their distinct coloring made them prized and hunted.
Why are white tigers often closely related to one another in captivity?
Due to breeding practices that involve closely related individuals.
What is one of the reasons scientists believe white tigers are less healthy overall than normally colored tigers?
Due to differences in their genetics apart from their coloring.
Study Notes
What is a Snow Tiger?
- A snow tiger is not a single species or breed of tiger, but rather a term used to describe rare white Bengal tigers found in India.
- They are born without the pigment pheomelanin, which causes the orange coloring in Bengal tigers' fur.
Characteristics of Snow Tigers
- They have white fur due to the lack of pheomelanin, but still have dark stripes caused by eumelanin.
- The dark stripes are also found in the skin, in the same pattern as the fur.
- Shaving a tiger's fur would still reveal its dark stripes.
Origin of Snow Tigers
- Snow tigers in the wild are extremely rare because their light coloring makes it difficult for them to survive and hunt prey.
- A white tiger must have two parents with the same gene that leads to a lack of pheomelanin.
Breeding and Conservation of Snow Tigers
- Snow tigers have become popular in entertainment and zoos, leading to breeding programs to produce more of these animals.
- Breeding white tigers with other white tigers that are closely related can cause serious health problems for the offspring.
- Most white tigers alive today are part of the same family and are closely related to one another.
Threats to Snow Tigers
- Snow tigers are in greater danger than other tigers due to their distinct coloring, which made them a prized target for hunting.
- Scientists believe that white tigers have underlying health issues that make them less healthy than normally colored tigers.
- The demand for snow tigers for entertainment purposes contributes to their danger.
Learn about the concept of snow tigers and understand that they are not a distinct species but rather a reference to tigers that live in snowy regions. Explore the difference between Siberian tigers and white Bengal tigers.
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