Range & Habitat at 1:36 AM

In the past, the tiger's range was widespread in Asia, from the Caucasus and the Caspian sea to Siberia and Indonesia. During the 19Th century, these cats completely vanished from western Asia, and became restricted to isolated pockets in the remaining parts of their range. Today, their range is fragmented, and extends from India in the west to china and southeast Asia in the east. The northern limit is close to the Amur river in south eastern Siberia. The only large island inhabited by tigers today is Sumatra.

Tiger habitats will usually include sufficient cover, proximity to water, and an abundance of prey sources.Bengal Tigers live in many types of forests, including wet;evergreen; the semi-evergreen of Assam and eastern Bengal; the mangrove forest of the Ganges Delta; the deciduous forest of Nepal, and the thorn forests of the Western Ghats. Compared to the lion, the tiger prefers denser vegetation, for which its camouflage coloring is ideally suited, and where a single predator is not at a disadvantage compared with the multiple felines in a pride. Among the big cats, only the tiger and jaguar are strong swimmers; tigers are often found bathing in ponds,lakes, and rivers. Unlike other cats, which tend to avoid water, tigers actively seek it out. During the extreme heat of the day, they often cool off in pools. Tigers are excellent swimmers and can swim up to 4 miles. This cat will also carry their dead prey across lakes.