From Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks and posted on the Disney Parks Blog.
We want to introduce you to one of the tigers you may see along the winding trails of Maharajah Jungle Trek—Meet Malosi!
Malosi is our newest tiger at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. While Malosi, a male Sumatran tiger, gets used to his new habitat, he may be exploring both onstage and backstage areas on Maharajah Jungle Trek. You may see this curious cat cooling off in the water or resting in the sun.
As you may remember when we introduced you to Sohni last year, Sumatran tigers are the smallest subspecies of tiger and are found only on the small island in Indonesia where this tiger gets its name. Males like Malosi stretch 6.5-to-nearly-8-feet long, and typically weigh only between 220 and 310 pounds. While this may seem like a big cat, the Sumatran tiger’s cousin, the Siberian tiger (or Amur tiger, as they are also known), weighs between 400 and 600 pounds!
When you visit Malosi, Sohni and the other tigers here, keep these fun facts in mind:
- Malosi and other tigers can see about as well as humans during the day, but when the sun goes down, their vision is six times more powerful than ours.
- Can you wiggle your ears? Tigers sure can. Their ears turn independently of each other and in an arc up to 180 degrees, allowing them to pick up sounds from all different directions.
- You may know tigers are pretty good swimmers despite the reputation of their domesticated cousins—the house cat. Tigers spend a lot of time in the water and even use water as a tool in hunting. They have been seen fishing in rivers and lakes.
Human impact has dramatically decreased Sumatran tiger numbers in the wild. They are critically endangered, with as few as 500 tigers left in the wild. Conservation organizations like those supported by the Disney Conservation Fund are working hard to make a difference. You can help tigers by donating to the Disney Conservation Fund at select merchandise and food and beverage locations on your next visit and don’t forget to say “hi” to our feline friends on Maharajah Jungle Trek.
As co-owner and co-creator of The Main Street Mouse.Working in a technical support position for 18 years, it was time for a change.As the Webmaster and Project Planner, I spend most of my time researching everything from the latest Disney News, technology advances and of course keeping up on all the Marvel news that comes out.I never considered myself a writer but I’ve come to like blogging and sharing news with all.I feel blessed everyday that I get to spend my days working with my best friend and love of my life while we continue to grow and expand what started as a hobby all those years ago.
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