Tiger of a Different Stripe Challenge!

Have you ever wondered why tigers have their unusual striped coat?  Through the years zoologists have come up with numerous theories and myths to explain the pattern.  The best “guess” is that the tiger coat pattern helps the cats hide from prey and protect themselves from other predators—like humans.  Most tigers have over 100 stripes and like a human’s fingerprint, the patterns on tigers are unique to each cat and can be used to identify individual animals.  The stripped pattern is also found on the skin of a tiger, thus if one were to be shaved its’ unique camouflage pattern would remain!

 

Tigers tend to prefer areas of denser vegetation, better suiting their camouflage and solo hunting style. Research indicates that animals in the wild are unable to see in color or if they do the colors are not vivid as our own.  If wild animals see in various levels of black, gray and white, the stripes on a tiger’s body probably appear as bars of shadow, allowing the big cats to hide in tall grasses. The pattern seems to help hide the tiger’s body shape and size from the animals it is stalking (yes ladies, stripes can be slimming!). 

Tigers are considered one of the best hunters in the animal world and the unique pattern of its coat may have a lot to do with this. Of course, the main factors are the tiger’s size, strength, claws, teeth and massive jaws. Add to this the speed, grace and remarkable intelligence of the cat and you have a near-perfect, deadly combination.

Let’s see if you can correctly guess the names of the tigers listed below.  To help you out, we are going to give you the names of the cats in alphabetical order.  All you have to do is assign the right name to the right picture!  This may be a tough "Who Am I" because we used pictures of tigers that look about the same, but their stripes are completely different (wouldn't it be funny if we used the same tiger in all four pictures...hmmmm).  Good luck!

 

 

 

#1 Who am I?

Abrams

Apollo

Iona

Stryker

 

 

#2 Who am I?

Abrams

Apollo

Iona

Stryker

 

#3 Who am I?

Abrams

Apollo

Iona

Stryker

  

 

#4 Who am I?

Abrams

Apollo

Iona

Stryker

 

First person to correctly identify all four tigers wins bragging rights and a small prize.  Simply send your response to our special animal email account (click HERE for the email address) and if you are the first person to correctly respond to the challenge, you win!  You'll need to include your name and address in the email so we can send you the prize!  Please do not post your guesses to Facebook or this blog posting as we don’t want to give away the answers.  We will announce the winner of this challenge on Friday! 

Donor Bridge 's"Get Up and Give!" is Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, September 13, 2012, from 7 a.m. to midnight, In-Sync Exotics is participating in Get Up and Give! North Texas Giving Day. On September 13, every donation $25 and above will be multiplied if you donate to us through www.DonorBridgeTX.org, North Texas’ online resource that connects donors with nonprofit organizations like us.  

Please visit the site anytime between 7 a.m. and midnight, search for our nonprofit and click "Donate Now." We'll also have a direct link posted on tomorrow morning's blog posting so you can make your donation without having to use the search field. Your donation will go a long way in helping us in purchase much needed food, medicine, and enrichment for the cats. Plus, gifts given that day will receive a portion of $1 million in challenge funds–making your dollar go further.  

Just remember to get up and give on September 13--whether out of bed, from your desk, or off your couch, just give!  Thank you!

 

We hope you enjoyed today's blog posting and will join us again tomorrow for another informative blog posting on our wild ones!

 

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