~ the tiger is the biggest species of the cat family. ~ tigers can reach a length of up to 3.3 metres (11 feet) and weigh as much as 300 kilograms (600 pounds) ~ subspecies of tiger include the Sumatran Tiger, Siberian Tiger, Bengal Tiger, South China Tiger, Malayan Tiger and Indochinese Tiger. ~ many subspecies of the tiger are either endangered or already extinct. Humans are the primary cause of this through hunting and the destruction of habitats. ~ around half of tiger cubs dont live beyond two years of age. ~ tiger cubs leave their mother when they are around 2 years of age. ~ a group of tigers is known as an 'ambush' or 'streak.' ~ tigers are good swimmers and can swim up to 6 kilometres. ~ rare white tigers carry a gene that is only present in around 1 in every 10000 tigers. ~ tigers usually hunt alone at night time. ~ tigers have been known to reach speeds up to 65 kph (40 mph) ~ less that 10% of hunts end successfully for tigers. ~ tigers can easily jump over 5 metres in length. ~ various tigers subspecies are the national animals of Bangladesh, India, North Korea, South Korea and Malaysia. ~ there are more tigers held privately as pets than there are in the wild. ~ tigers that breed with lions give birth to hybrids known as tigons and ligers.