Tigers are the big body animals mainly found in Asian countries. They are apex hunters and have a nocturnal nature. They are solitary and territorial creatures. They are sometimes called big cats. Tigers are carnivorous creatures meaning they depend on meat. Being carnivorous animals what do tigers eat, stick with us to learn about their diet and some other facts about them.
Basics About Tigers
They are the largest living cat species on the Earth. They are the members of the genus Panthera. Their fur color is mostly orange with underparts being white. They have rounded upward-pointing ears. The most attractive part of their body is their unique black colored stripes.
Their scientific name is Panthera tigris which is a combo of two words Panthera meaning leopard and Tigris is used for tiger in the Latin language. They are one of the oldest living creatures on our planet. Some studies claim their presence on Earth about 208 million years ago (after the extinction of the dinosaurs).
Tigers have nine subspecies which are Siberian, Bengal, Sumatran, South China, Malayan, Indo-Chinese, Javan, Bali, and the Caspian tigers. Javan, Bali, and Caspian are the extinct subspecies of them.
Their body can measure up to 10.5 feet long and their average weight is between 240 and 675 pounds. Siberian tigers are the largest of them all with an average weight of 675 pounds. The largest ever tiger that lived on Earth weighed 675 pounds.
Being healthy and energetic animals they can live between 10 and 15 years on average. The tigers in captivity can live up to 20 years due to a caring environment. The longest-lived tiger was Raja, who died at the age of 25 years and 10 months. He was in captivity in the West Bengal.
They have another unique feature which is their stripes. Each of the tigers has a different pattern of stripes. Just like the fingerprint pattern of humans. Identifying an individual tiger is possible through their stripe pattern.
Tigers are one of the fastest animals on our planet. They can reach a maximum speed of 40 mp/h (65 km/h). They can run at this top speed for a short burst after that they tend to slow down their speed to maintain their energy. With this top speed, they are not on the list of the top 10 fastest land animals but this top speed is still a very good one for a predatory animal. They can easily outrun a human so don’t run against them if you ever happen to see them in the wild.
What Do Tigers Eat?
What do tigers eat, well the answer to this question is a simple one because they are carnivorous meaning they depend mostly on meat for their survival. Being nocturnal creatures, they mainly become active at night to hunt for food. Some of them might become active in the daytime due to starvation or some other reasons. Most of their population is in the wild. Tigers diet includes buffalo, antelope, moose, horses, and deer. They have powerful jaws and claws which enable them to easily rip the skin of their prey.
The most interesting thing about tigers is that they eat once a week. The other interesting fact is that they can eat about 75 pounds (34 kg) of meat in one evening. They tend to kill their prey, rip them out with their pointed claws, eat them as much as they want, and then cover the remaining with leaves to return and eat them again. They tend to hunt only once a week. Their 9 out of 10 hunts fail, and only one of them becomes successful. No doubt they are one of the best hunters in the wild but this is the fact that they and you have to swallow.
Each of the tiger species has a specific diet in the wild. The basic diet for the specific tiger species is listed below:
Bengal Tiger’s Diet
- Gaur
- Sambar
- Barasingha
- Water buffalo
- Sarow
- Chital
- Takin
- Wild boar
- Hog deer
- Gray langurs
- Porcupines
- Hares
- Peafowl
- Cattle and other livestock
- Humans (if they attack humans then rarely they eat them as well)
- Elephants (rarely)
Siberian Tiger’s Diet
- Manchurian wapiti
- Siberian musk deer
- Siberian roe deer
- Sika deer
- Long-tailed goral
- Wild boar
- Small Asiatic black and brown bears
- Hares
- Rabbits
- Salmon
- Pika
South China Tiger’s Diet
- Wild boar
- Hog deer
- Gray langurs
- Hares
- Peafowl
- Porcupines
- Tufted deer
- Sambar
- Muntjac
- Serow
- Livestock
Indo-Chinese Tiger’s Diet
- Sambar
- Elephant calves
- Gaur
- Banteng
- Wild boar
- Serow
- Langurs
- Muntjacs
- Porcupines
- Pangolins
Malayan Tiger’s Diet
- Sambar deer
- Barking deer
- Borneo bearded pigs
- Serow
- Wild boar
- Elephant and rhinoceros calves
- Livestock
Sumatran Tiger’s Diet
- Mouse deer
- Banded pigs
- Malayan tapir
- Porcupines
- Muntjac
- Great argus pheasants
- Pig-tailed macaque
- Sambar deer
What Do Tigers Eat in the Captivity?
As you know in captivity a tiger or any other animal remains healthy more than the animal in the wild. This is because of the caring environment, diet plans, and healthy food. The people taking care of the tiger in captivity make sure that the tiger gets healthy food. In captivity, the tiger’s main diet is:
- Beef
- Chicken
- Rabbit
- Pigs
- Goats
- Horse
- Camel
- Donkey
- Water buffalo
- Kangaroo
On average a male tiger gets about 15 pounds of meat a day while the female one gets to eat 13 pounds of meat in a single day. The food provided to them is sometimes rubbed with mineral supplements for their good health.
What Eats the Tigers? Predators
Their main hunter is a human. Besides humans, they don’t have any active predators in the wild but their cubs do. Their cubs sometimes when off-sight of their mother, are killed and eaten by the crocodiles, bears, and pack of wild dogs. The other animals such as leopards and wolves very rarely attack their cubs.
As far as humans are concerned, they hunt them down to get their jaws, teeth, and skin. Another reason for the hunting could be trophy hunting. Human development is also destroying their habitats which leads to their migration or death. Deforestation is one of the main reasons behind the declaration of the population.
Do Lions Eat Tigers?
The question to this answer is no. They don’t prey on each other as their ecosystem and habitats are different. Most lions are found in the open lands of Africa while most tigers are found in the grasslands and dense forests of Asian regions. They don’t live anywhere near together in the wild.
There are some instances where lions and tigers live together. Mainly in the zoos, they are kept together for observation and study purposes. The zoo keepers perfectly make sure that there are no problems keeping them too close. But there is no such case in which any of them has attacked the other one. Shortly saying that they both are friendly and don’t want to break up their friendship.
FAQs
Are Tigers Carnivorous Creatures?
Yes, they are carnivorous creatures. They eat meat to survive. Mostly they hunt and eat animals that are smaller in size than them.
Do Tigers Are Good Hunters?
Yes, they are one of the most apex hunters in the world. But they fail to hunt down their target 9 out of 10 times. Surely, this raises the question of why they are said to be great hunters.
Do Tigers Eat Humans?
Rarely, but yes. If they feel threatened by the humans they could attack them and after that, if they want, they eat them as well.
Are Tigers Under the Threat of Being Extinct?
Yes, they are under the threat of being extinct. Deforestation and human development have created several problems for them and due to that there has been a significant decrease in their population.
Which Tigers Are Under the Threat of Being Extinct?
The subspecies Javan, Bali, and Caspian tigers have almost gone extinct. This happened due to the loss of habitat by deforestation.
How Many Tigers Are Left?
There has been no exact data about this question but some of the data that humans have suggest that there are between 3000 and 3800 tigers left in the world.
What Do White Tigers Eat?
They also follow the same diet plans as the other tigers as they tend to eat buffalo, boat, goat, cattle, and deer. In captivity, they also eat te eat of chicken, goats, and rabbits just like other species of tigers.
What is the Biggest Predator of Tigers?
Humans are the biggest predators of tigers. They hunt them for their body parts and are the main reason why they are now considered threatened to go extinct.
Are Tigers the Fastest Running Animals?
The cheetah is the fastest animal on the planet. Tigers are not on the list of top 10 fastest animals. Still, they are fast-running animals as they can reach the top speed of 63 km/h.
Why Tigers Are Called Big Cats?
They are called big cats because they are the largest cat species living on the Earth.
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