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A snow tiger, or Panthera tigris, is a Bengal tiger with a white coat instead of the more common shade of orange. Snow tigers are not a separate species. Also known as white tigers, snow tigers are not albino. White coloration occurs when each parent supplies the recessive gene needed for white fur, something extremely rare in nature. A snow tiger’s white fur usually has dark stripes like that of an orange Bengal tiger, though occasionally one is born striped or striped so light they are barely noticeable.
Snow tigers reach maturity after two or three years. Male white tigers are larger than females. A male snow tiger can weigh up to 507 pounds (230 kilograms) and be almost 3 meters long, while the largest females weigh around 375 pounds (170 kilograms) and are around 2.5 meters long. Snow tigers are generally larger than their orange counterparts. This endangered species is nearly extinct in the wild.
The snow tiger is native to India and Southeast Asia, but most live in zoos as a result of breeding programs to produce white offspring of captive tigers that carry rare and recessive genes. A snow tiger is a carnivore and feeds on other mammals such as wild boar, buffalo, deer, and goats in the wild. Newborn tigers drink their mother’s milk but switch to meat when they are several months old. Snow tigers are usually solitary as adults, but the female takes care of her cubs until they can fend for themselves, around two or three years of age.
White tigers cannot run as far as other wild cats, but since they hunt at night, they can capture their prey stealthily. They prefer a habitat with plenty of foliage for cover and a constant source of water. The adult snow tiger can eat an average of 40 pounds of meat a day and will eat even more if there is plenty of food after a particularly good hunt.
Some people believe that the term snow tiger sometimes refers to the snow leopard, a close relative of the Bengal tiger. Others believe that the term snow tiger refers to the large Siberian tiger that lives in a snowy habitat. The Siberian tiger is orange, however, and so far there are only rumors that white Siberian tigers exist.