The White Tiger is one of the rarer relatives of the big cats.
Due to their white coat they are often referred to as the bleached
tiger. White Tigers have been observed to grow faster compared to
their orange relatives. They are bigger from birth and continue
that pattern into their adult years. They are considered fully
grown when they are 2-3 years old. Like all tigers, their stripes
act like fingerprints. No two tigers will have the same pattern
of stripes. Their stripes are also a part of their skin
pigmentation, meaning that if shaved, their stripes would still
be visible and regrow into their white coat. Their white fur
is the result of a lack of pigment called pheomelaninthat
occurs in natural orange tigers. However this is extremely
rare and happens only once in 10,000 births. On top of that,
both parents must carry that unusual recessive white color
gene in order to give birth to a white baby tiger cub. The
White Tiger has an enzyme that causes a reaction in their
fur turning them darker when exposed to colder temperatures.
This is believed to be caused by the weakened immune system
linked to their genetic pigmentation.
