Max Walker, age 8, of Helena, Mont., for his question:

WHAT IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST CAT?

World's largest member of the cqt family is the tiger. This graceful creature is admired for his strength and beauty, but he is also feared because he has a reputation as a man eater.

The tiger's bad reputation isn't completely deserved. Almost all wild tigers are shy and they avoid man. Probably no more than three or four out of every 1,000 tigers ever became man eaters. And some of those that did attack man were sick or wounded animals that could no longer hunt large prey.

Wild tigers are found only in Asia. Until the 1800s, many lived throughout most of the southern half of the continent. Today, only a few live in the south because man has greatly reduced the number by hunting them and by clearing the forests in which they lived.

Tigers actually can live in almost any kind of weather. They need only shade, water and prey. They now live in the rain forests of Malaya, the dry woods of India and the cold, snowy spruce forests of Manchuria.

Tigers prefer to be in the shadows and seldom go into open country as lions do. They like it best when there are woods available as well as tall grasslands, swamps or marshes.

Today, lots of tigers for zoos are born in captivity. It isn't necessary to hunt for them in the wilds any more.

An adult male tiger will weigh about 420 pounds and will be about nine feet long, including a three foot tail. A female will weigh about 300 pounds and measure about eight feet in length.

A tiger's coat ranges from brownish yellow to orange red and is marked by black stripes. The fur on the throat, belly and insides of the legs is white. Many tigers have ruffs of hair around the sides of the head, but the hair is not as long as the mane of lions.

Tigers prefer large prey, such as deer, antelope, wild oxen and wild pigs. They also eat monkeys, peafowl, frogs and tortoises.

Adult tigers usually live alone. A male may claim a territory as his own and keep other males out. The territory may cover from 25 to 250 square miles or more, depending on the amount of prey available. The tiger marks a path with urine to let other tigers know that the territory is occupied.

A male may share his area with one or several females, each wandering alone but aware of one another. Tigers communicate by many sounds, including a roar that can be heard for two miles or more.

A female tiger can bear her first cubs when she is between three and a half and four years old. Her cubs are helpless at birth and weigh about three pounds each. Tiger cubs, like kittens in a home, are very playful.

Cubs stay with their mothers until they are about two years old. Then they become independent.