Female Tiger: Appearance, Diet, and Other Facts 

Tigers have been roaming this world for millions of years. They are one of the oldest living creatures on our planet. They are also called big cats because they are the largest cat breed living on Earth. They are aggressive, powerful, and energetic creatures. A female tiger may have some differences from the male one, it could be appearance or behaviour. Be with us as we learn how different a female tiger is from a male.

Female Tiger: Appearance, Diet, and Other Facts 

Appearance

A female doesn’t have that much of a difference from a male in appearance. More or less they are pretty much the same. A female has a yellowish-orange coat with narrower or broader stripes on it. Just like males, every female has its own unique stripe pattern. Two females don’t share the same pattern. Their underparts are white just like males. Both males and females have almost the same looking face. A female may look a little bit more cute than a male. But most of the people don’t notice that often. 

Behavior

A female is less aggressive than a male. They don’t get hyper in every situation. If they feel any threat around them, they become aggressive and can attack anyone. They can kill or injure their target when they are hyper.

A female is more aggressive when it comes to the protection of her cubs. A mother tigress would give each and everything to protect her cub from danger. She always remains with her cubs to make sure they are safe.

A mother remains with her cubs for around 6 months after their birth. She tends to hunt and find food for her cubs by herself rather than depending on their father. If anything attacks her cubs, she could kill it to ensure her cubs’ safety. She trains her cubs for about 8 to 10 months so they can survive on their own in the wild. The cubs remain with their mother until they are around 2 years old. 

Tigeresses usually breed between November and April. They tend to breed with new partners each breeding season as they are monogamous. The gestation period for a female tigress is around 100 days. Mostly a female gives birth to up to 4 cubs, but sometimes the number can go up to 7 as well. 

Female Tiger

Size and Weight

Size and weight are the key differences between a male and a female tiger. Female tigers are always smaller than males and also they are not as heavy as the males, they are lighter in weight.

The Bengal and Siberian tigers are considered to be the largest of them all. A Bengal tigress has an average length of around 8 feet and an average weight between 100 and 160 kg (220-350lbs). On the other hand, a male Bengal tiger can get up to 9.8 feet long and weigh around 200 to 260 kg (440-570 lbs). 

The Siberians are the largest tiger species. The length of a Siberian female could vary between 7 and 7.5 feet and has an average weight between 100 and 115 kg (220-253 lbs). While the males are larger in length, they can get up to 8.1 feet in length and weigh around 140 kg (308 lbs).

It is noticed that the size and weight of every tiger whether male or female, heavily vary. Each individual has a different size and weight just like humans. 

Female Tiger

Diet

The females also have incredible hunting skills but they don’t get successful every time. A male can eat 75 pounds of meat per evening while the females can eat around 60 pounds of meat per evening. The diet behavior of the tall tigers is almost the same. A female covers up the remaining meat with leaves after eating it just to return and eat it again. The males follow the same behavior as well. In the wild, a female tigress’s diet includes water buffalo, deer, hare, livestock, etc. 

In captivity, they are given a more balanced diet to ensure their health. The food provided to them is sometimes rubbed with protein or mineral supplements to fulfill their energy needs. Tigresses living in captivity are healthier than the ones living in the wild. In captivity, they are given beef, rabbits, chicken, horses, donkeys, etc.

Habitat

They can live in almost any condition because they have amazing adaptiveness. Most of the tiger population lives in Asia. The South and Southeast Asian regions are their main habitats. Some of them also tend to live in Eastern Russia and China. They inhabit grasslands, swamps, and mangrove forests.

Siberian tigresses prefer to live in cold temperatures where it’s snowy. Their thick coat and other adaptations enable them to easily live in these conditions. 

Sometimes they prefer to migrate from one place to another when there is a shortage of food or if they feel threatened. Tigresses living in cold temperature areas tend to migrate to warm areas. 

Predators and Threats

Their population is suffering from the threat of being extinct. All species of tigers are listed as endangered or critically endangered because of habitat loss and other wild issues. Due to continuous human developments their habitats are either destroyed or converted to a human usable place. These activities are affecting the tiger population heavily. 

In the wild, the cubs are heavily threatened by the bears and wolves. A tigress gives her best to protect them but many fall victim each day. Humans are the main predators of tigers. They hunt them to take their body parts such as skin and teeth. Their skins are used in clothing and other human-usable products. Trophy hunting is another threat to tigers. These all activities have to be stopped or otherwise, these creatures are not far away from extinction. 

Lifespan

Their average lifespan in the wild varies between 10 and 15 years. In the caring and protective environments of captivity, they may live up to 20 years. A tigress named Djelita was the oldest ever tigress to live. She was of Sumatran species and died at the age of 25 years at Honolulu Zoo.

Female vs Male Tigers: Comparison

 MALE TIGERFEMALE TIGER
LengthCan go up to between 250 and 396 cm Can up to between 167 and 182 cm 
WeightCan go up to 240 kgCan go up to 160 kg
Coat ColorYellowish orangeYellowish orange
Primary DietDeer, water buffalo, hares, etcDeer, water buffalo, hares, etc
ThreatsPoaching, human hunting, habitat lossPoaching, human hunting, habitat loss
Maximum lifespanBetween 10 and 15 years (wild)Between 10 and 15 years (wild)
Between 15 and 20 years (captivity)Between 15 and 20 years (captivity)

How to Recognize One?

Recognizing a female and a male is a much more difficult task. They almost look very familiar to each other, but there are some key differences that can help us recognize one. The easy way can be looking at their tails. Males tend to have slightly longer than the females. If that does not help you another way can be their paws. Females have smaller front paws than males. That’s all these are the ways to recognize them by the sight. These are tough but can work if you do some focus. 

Female Tiger: Appearance, Diet, and Other Facts 

Other Facts

Tigresses have a nocturnal nature, they tend to come out at night times and mostly do hunting. They are called apex predators, and they have amazing hunting skills but they fail 9 out of 10 times chasing their prey. This raises questions on their hunting skills but still, they are counted as one of the most formidable hunters in the world.

Their maximum running speed can vary between 49 and 65 km/h (30-40 mph). They can reach the maximum speed for a short burst after that their speed decreases to save energy. This is enough speed to chase down prey like water buffalos, deer, or even humans. Still 90% they fail to chase down.

FAQs

What is a Female Tiger Called?

She is called Tigress.

Do Tigress Mate With More Than One Partner?

Yes, they mate with a new partner each mating season which is from November to April. The reason for their behavior is that they are not monogamous. 

Can a Tigress Attack Humans?

Yes, she can attack a human if she feels a threat from them. If humans or any other creature tries to hurt her cubs, she will attack and may kill them because she becomes more aggressive when it comes to her cubs. 

What is the Main Difference Between a Female and a Male Tiger?

The key differences can be the length of their tails (males have slightly longer tails), their body size (males are larger), and their weight (males are heavier). 

How Many Cubs Can a Tigress Give Birth To?

A tigress can give birth to up to 7 cubs at one time. But usually, she gives birth between 2 and 4 cubs. She grows them all by herself rather than depending on her partner.

Are Tigeresses Aggressive?

Yes, they are but slightly less than the males. She becomes super aggressive if someone tries to hurt her cubs.

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