Earn Your Stripes!
​Inquiry Activity
 by Tom J. McConnell 

Whenever you picture a tiger in your mind, you certainly see stripes! 

But did you know that the stripes are an important tool for scientists?? Each tiger has a unique pattern of stripes. They are like a fingerprint for tigers. So researchers who study tigers and keepers who care for tigers in zoos use the stripes to identify each tiger. In this activity, you'll learn to notice key patterns in tigers. WIth practice, you'll be able to identify tigers at your favorite zoo, too!

Patterns in Tiger Stripes

Let's look at a couple of tigers to see what kind of patterns can help you identify a tiger.

First, meet Maxim! He lived for some time at the Indianapolis Zoo before being moved to mate with a tiger at another location. Photos taken by CT Photographer Abbey (Jessup) Mishler, 2020, Indianapolis Zoo.

Experienced tiger researchers love a good photo of a tiger's face! There are certain areas where the patterns of stripes and spots are unique for each animal. This photo shows some of them.

1. Whisker spots - This is one of the most reliable features of a tiger used to identify it! Look at the number of "stripes of spots" where the whiskers grow. Maxim has five stripes on each side. Each stripe is made of black dots. You can even count the number of dots on each stripe, and notice the spacing between them. No other tiger has the same pattern as Maxim!
2. Eyebrows - The white area above each eye has some stripes. The pattern of these is one way to identify the tiger. Maxim's left eye has sort of a triangle, and his right eye has the two stripes, including the top one that is arched.
3. Forehead stripes - The stripes on the forehead and between the eyebrows also makes a unique pattern. Maxim has two stripes that are solid all the way across, then some others that are broken stripes in the middle.
4. Nose spots - Maxim's nose is pink with a few black spots. This is one of the most noticable unique things about Maxim's face.

Make Your Own Tiger ID Notes!

If you have a favorite zoo where you like to see tigers, take some photos next time you visit. Try to get good photos of the tigers' faces. Then you can look at them and record your own identification notes! Look for patterns in the stripes in the same areas of the tiger's face!

Don't forget to ask a keeper or zoo interpreter what the tiger's name is! They are glad to share information with you, and you'll need the name for your notes!

Next time you go to the zoo, bring your notes and photos in a notebook or journal. It will help you identify each tiger on your own!

If you don't have tigers at a zoo near you, try these live webcams. You may be able to observe a tiger this way! 

• San Diego Zoo Tiger Cam
• ​Wildheart Animal Sanctuary Cams
• Turpentine Creek Sanctuary Cams

For the Teacher
Grade Level: 3-5
Class Periods: 1-2

NGSS Standards
Performance Expectations

• 2-LS1-2

​Practices 

• Developing & Using Models
• Analyzing and Interpreting Data

​Disciplinary Core Ideas

• LS1.D

​Croscutting Concepts

• Patterns​​​ ​
  

More photos of Maxim
Notice the patterns described on this page?

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