Fun Malayan Tiger Facts For Kids

The Malayan tiger, also known as the southern Indochinese tiger to differentiate them from the northern Indochinese tiger as they are genetically different, is the second smallest of all land tigers, with a sharply decreasing population.

Its name is Panthera tigris malayensis or Panthera tigris jacksoni, after being named after a famous British tiger conservationist.

This tiger species is intriguing, interesting, and in dire need of being saved from, yes, humans. There are only hundreds left of a once-thriving population of these wild animals.

To learn some interesting Malayan tiger habitat facts, Malayan tiger facts for kids, fun facts about Malayan tiger, endangered Malayan tiger facts, facts about Malayan tiger behavior, what is Malayan tiger diet, Malayan tiger weight, Malayan tiger size, Malayan tiger attack range, Malayan tiger biome, Malayan tiger food chain facts, what do Malayan tiger prey on or what are Malayan tiger threats, we suggest you to keep on reading!

If you want to read more fun articles like these, do check out our similar ones on Sumatran tiger and Siberian tiger facts.

Malayan Tiger Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Malayan tiger?

As evident by the name, Malayan tigers are a subspecies of tigers, found exclusively around the Malay peninsula as well as southern parts of Thailand. Panthera tigris jacksoni and Panthera tigris malayensis are both considered to be their scientific name.

What class of animal does a Malayan tiger belong to?

Malayan tigers belong to the class Mammalia. They are considered to be the smallest subspecies of tigers among all the species and subspecies. This species of tigers are known for breeding two to five cubs on average.

How many Malayan tigers are there in the world?

Due to centuries of poaching, as well as deforestation which leads to habitat loss as well as loss of prey, the Malayan tiger population is in a state of sharp decline, leaving their numbers only in the hundreds. The last counting shows their number to be as low as 150, among which only 80-120 are breeding adults are left.

Where does a Malayan tiger live?

These tigers are known to live in tropical forests of Southeast Asia, from the southern parts of Thailand to the Malay peninsula.

What is a Malayan tiger's habitat?

As a Malayan tiger is known to hunt at night, they are known to spend their days either grooming themselves or sleeping. They are great at swimming and they seem to enjoy it quite well as swimming around in the nearby water bodies is one of its favorite activities.

They are known to inhabit areas with a tall grass overgrowth to help them camouflage themselves, both to be protected by predators as well as for hunting their prey.

Who do Malayan tigers live with?

Malaysian tigers, like all other tigers, are solitary creatures, known for living alone for all of their lives. They only tend to move in numbers during the breeding season.

How long does a Malayan tiger live?

Even though their lives are constantly endangered because of lots of different reasons, illegal poaching being a major one of them, a Malayan tiger can live up to almost 15-20 years, if left alone healthy in its natural habitat.

How do they reproduce?

Even though this tiger species is known to mate all year round, their breeding season is usually from November to March. The territory of a male tiger consists of a few females it breeds with.

Female tigers are pregnant for around 100 days, before the birth of the cubs. They usually give birth to about two to five cubs.

At birth, the cubs are very vulnerable, with their closed eyes which do not open before one to two weeks, and with weak bodies. Cubs are born as easy prey for other predators.

It takes almost three weeks for them to move around freely on their own. For the first two months after cubs are born, they only nurse from their mothers.

They only go out to hunt with their mothers after three months from their birth. Unfortunately, the death rate of the cubs of this critically endangered species is very high, which does not really make us hopeful for an increase in their population.

What is their conservation status?

Malayan tigers are considered to be a Critically Endangered species on the conservation list. Illegal poaching for their body parts, as well as habitat loss, and the loss of food sources have pushed them to the very edge of going extinct.

If the drastic decline of their numbers is not somehow stopped immediately, we will soon lose another subspecies of tigers.

Malayan Tiger Fun Facts

What do Malayan tigers look like?

A Malayan tiger is very beautiful and regal-looking with its whole body covered with orange fur with black stripes on them. Big whiskers and shiny black eyes that let a lot of light in to help them hunt successfully at night.

Their tongues are peppered with incredibly sharp, flexible small spikes to help them remove the fur from their prey before feasting on its flesh.

How cute are they?

A Malayan tiger can be very cute with its orange fur with black stripes on it, big whiskers, and all-around regal appearance. They basically look like an enlarged version of a little cat with an exotic fur coat and features.

How do they communicate?

Malayan tigers communicate through vocalizations, as well as body language, and sometimes even by releasing scents. They make chuffing sounds, as well as roaring and growling to communicate with each other.

How big is a Malayan tiger?

Malayan tigers are the smallest compared to all the other species and subspecies of tigers. The male tigers are bigger compared to the female tigers, ranging at about 75-112 in lengthwise, and about 24-45 in heightwise.

A female tiger on the other hand is known to range about 70-103 in lengthwise, and 23-41 in heightwise. They are the smallest subspecies of tigers found in the wild. At their longest, they are about the same size as a small cheetah.

How fast can a Malayan tiger run?

A Malayan tiger can run as fast as 40 mph, which is about the same speed as that of a hyena. Some are even known to reach about 60 mph at times.

How much does a Malayan tiger weigh?

Malayan tigers are heavy creatures. The male tigers are heavier than the female tigers, weighing at about 104-284.7 lb and the females tend to weigh at about 52-195 lb.

What are their male and female names of the species?

Malayan tigers do not have gender-specific names for their male and female counterparts. The males of the species are called male Malayan tigers and the females are called female Malayan tigers.

What would you call a baby Malayan tiger?

Young Malayan tigers, like all the babies of big cats, are called cubs. When the cubs are born, they are very vulnerable as they cannot see due to the fact that their eyes do not generally open before one to two weeks, and they cannot freely move around before they are at least three weeks old.

For the first two months, the cubs only feed on their mother's milk.

What do they eat?

Like all big cats, these tigers from the Malay peninsula are carnivorous in their diet.

Their favorite sorts of food are probably wild boars, bearded pigs, different types of deer, sun bears, and other sorts of wildlife creatures available in their surroundings. Apart from wildlife, they are also known to include livestock in their diet.

They also seem to consider elephants as food, as they go after the young ones quite often, though they never really take big elephants on their own, as elephants, as we all know, are the largest of land animals, and this tiger is the smallest of land tigers.

Are they dangerous?

Tigers are in general very aggressive creatures, and this tiger is no different, which makes them highly dangerous.

Would they make a good pet?

Wild animals are not meant to be kept as pets, as they are usually very aggressive and unpredictable in nature. The powerful jaws of these tigers mean that even a small bite can result in you losing your arms.

That along with the fact that they prey on livestock like pigs, and their decreasing numbers make them very bad pets.

Did you know...

There are many interesting facts about adults of this species, as much as there are about Malayan tiger cubs. Facts about Malayan tiger height, info about the Malayan tiger in the wild, or info about the Malayan tiger preying on livestock, Malayan tiger lifespan, info about Malayan tiger scientific name, and info about Malayan tiger reproduction are widely available.

An interesting piece of Malayan tiger info is that their scientific name, Panthera tigris jacksoni, is after a tiger conservationist.

Interestingly, these tigers are some of the only members of the tiger family who can swim.

Why are Malayan tigers important?

These tigers are the national animal of Malaysia, and losing them would mean that Malaysia not only lost its only species of tigers but also their national animal!

They are in a very vulnerable position according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN Red List, and the world at large is under the threat of losing another one of its cherished big cat families.

When will the Malayan tiger be extinct?

As they are listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN list, and the fact that there are only about 150 of these tigers left in the wild and even fewer in zoos, they are on the verge of going extinct unless some miraculous measures are taken to save them.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including South China tiger, or Asiatic lion.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Malayan Tiger coloring pages.

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