When a female tigress is pregnant, she will find a warm, safe place to give birth. There are usually 3-4 cubs in a litter, but there can also be 6-7 cubs, though they seldom all survive. During this time, the father tiger does not help at all with the birth or rearing of the cubs. This means that the mother tigress has to keep a close eye on all of her cubs, because a larger animal could easily snatch up a tiger cub if they are not being watched/protected. This why a cub has more stripes than its mother or father. Because tiger cubs are most likely going to be helpless, they need to blend in more than their parents do, because their mom and dad can actually fight, meanwhile a cub cannot defend itself against something like a lion or hyena.
In each litter, there is a dominant cub, which means a cub that dictates its brothers and/or sisters, and is favoured by its mother. The dominant cub is normally a bigger, stronger male, but can also be a female. He/she also gets more food, and is treated better than his/her siblings. Though he/she is dictator, he/she still loves to play. He/she plays wrestles with his/her sibling, chases and pounces on blowing grass, and even plays with their mother's tail!