Meet Zuri
Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris)
Native Habitat: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Burma. Their habitat varies from grasslands to subtropical rainforests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests and mangroves
Average Length: 7-10 feet
Average Weight: 400-570+ lbs (Males) 220-350+ (Females)
Wild Diet: Carnivore. These nocturnal hunters’ prey consists of large ungulates including water buffalo, gaur, chital deer, and wild boar
Fun Fact: Like human fingerprints, tiger stripes are unique to each tiger.
Zuri was born on September 8, 2011 and came to make her home at the zoo on June 12, 2020. She loves water, whether she’s taking a break in her pool or laying with the water stream from the hose while her keepers clean. Her absolute favorite enrichment comes after the holiday season when her pen is filled with Christmas trees from those that have generously donated them. She loves the fresh pine scent, rubbing and rolling on the trees until all the needles come off.
Tigers have striped skin, not just fur. White Tigers arise from a recessive variation when two Bengal tigers that carry this recessive gene are bred, producing blue eyes and chocolate colored stripes on white. Bengals are also known as the “Indian Tiger” and is the most common species of tigers.
Tigers are considered one of the “roaring” cats which includes lion, leopards, and jaguars. This means that they are able to roar, but not purr. A length of tough cartilage runs up the hyoid bones to the skill preventing the ability to purr, but give the larynx enough flexibility to instead produce a roar. Tigers can take down prey weighing over 2,000 pounds, nearly 4-5x their body weight!
