Stalking through the tall brush, its power goes unmatched, with canine teeth the size of a man’s middle finder, this predator’s compact muscular jaw will bite with a force of over 1,000 pounds, 400 pounds more powerful than that of the african lion. Because of this, the tiger has become the most respected predator in the world, stories of the tiger’s unmatched power and beauty have been told for thousand years in China, Korea and India. Where some fear the tiger for its ability to hunt men, others gave the creature a godly status, believing the tiger to protect entire countries. Since they’re the largest of the big cats, the tiger first evolved around 2 million years ago, reaching over 9 feet from nose to tail and weighing more than 550 pounds, the tiger has proved “bigger is better”. Located across Asia in parts of Africa, the tiger can survive in a variety of surroundings, from mangrove swamps to open grasslands in Siberian forests, the tiger hunt in areas as cold as -35°F(-37°C) or as hot as 118°F(48°C). Unlike lions, tigers live in complete solitude, they’re very territorial and males will never cross a boundary created by another urine to scratch markings on trees, the only time tigers interact is when they mate and produce offsprings. Tigers prefer to live in solitude because it makes it easier to sneak up on prey however, unskilled hunters usually starve to death, when it comes to hunting, the tiger uses its heightened senses and strength to conquer prey. A swipe from the tiger’s forepaw can be 12 times as powerful as a human’s punch, and with eyesight 6 times as strong as humans  and excellent hearing, a tiger can prepare for an attack well before any prey knows it’s being watched. When a tiger spots potential prey, it takes as much time as necessary to get within 30 to 70 feet  a process that can take well over an hour, although a tiger’s arbonne coat and black stripes seem rather ostentatious to a human many of the animals appraise on like the rhino have poor vision because they have a difficult time distinguish colors, the stripes of a tiger blends with other tall grass and trees. And so, the tiger creeps closer and closer undetected waiting for the perfect moment to pounce, once the tiger attacks, it tries to end the battle as quickly as  possible, the tiger has very powerful forequarters and comparison to its hindquarters. It uses its forequarters to quickly overpower capture prey, but the trade-off is the tigers cannot continue at high speeds for very long, a tiger’s high speed is 37 mph, but can only maintain that for about a hundred feet or so. So using its momentum, the killer jumps and tackle its victim to the floor, for smaller prey, a strong swipe by its superior forepaw should kill it, otherwise the clamps down the animal’s trachea suffocating it. Having fewer teeth and some of the other big cats, is not a concern for the tiger with a smaller, more compact jaw, 30 teeth provide more than enough driving force for the kill, once the animal’s dead, it’s time to eat. The tiger always begins with the animal’s rump and eats up to 40 pounds of meat in the initial sitting, once full, the tiger hides the remains and foliage so scavengers can’t get a free meal. The tiger then rests within eyesight of its kill continuing to make sure no one else eat its prize, it will eat this meal for the next 2 to 3 days. But tigers are hunted by no except for man, over the last 100 years, the tiger population was diminished from 100,000 and 5000, putting them on the endangered species list, of the 9 subspecies of tiger, 3 are already extinct, where there are only 30 to 35 south chinese tigers are left in the world. But, even while the tiger’s numbers are dwindling, their killer instinct is strong is up and as long as hunting in the wild is reality, this perfect predator will continue its legacy of power and respect established so long ago.