Why do tigers have stripes? The other big cats tend to have spots.
(Continued)
鈥� Your earlier correspondent鈥檚 discussion (The Last Word, 23 April) of the tiger鈥檚 stripes was excellent. However I must take issue with the comment 鈥渨ith no other striped cats around besides tigers鈥�.
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The tiger may be the only large striped cat but there are a number of smaller striped wild cats. The (Felis silvestris) and its subspecies are striped. The (Felis margarita) is striped and the (Prionailurus viverrinus) has both stripes and spots that vary in dominance depending on the individual animal.
David S. Rubin By email, no address supplied