Every Tiger's Stripes Are Unique

A tiger is the largest living cat, native to Asia and marked with dark vertical stripes. No two tigers share a pattern, and researchers photograph flanks to identify individuals in the wild exactly as one would use fingerprints. The stripes go all the way down: shave a tiger and the skin beneath is striped too. *Tiger* reached Greek from an Iranian word, possibly meaning arrow, from the animal's speed. A group is called a *streak* or an *ambush*.

• The largest cat. *A Bengal tiger.*
• Unique stripes. *Striped like a fingerprint.*
• A streak — a group. *A streak of tigers.*
• Tigress — the female. *A tigress.*
• Greek — *tigris*. *The source.*

Word forms

• The tiger moved through the grass.Animal.
• Researchers identify them by stripes.Method.
• The skin beneath is striped too.Fact.

Tiger facts

• Stripes are unique to each individual, like fingerprints
• The skin is striped, not just the fur
• They are strong swimmers, unlike most cats
• A tiger's roar can carry three kilometres
• Six subspecies survive; three have gone extinct since the 1930s

Old French *tigre*, from Latin *tigris*, from Greek *tigris*, possibly from an Iranian word meaning arrow, for the animal's speed.