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Diet and Eating Habits
A. Diet
1. A tiger's favorite prey is deer and wild boar. Deer species may include sambar,
chital, sika deer, swamp deer, and hog deer, among others. Depending on the habitat,
tigers may also eat antelope, buffalo, guar, domestic livestock, peafowl, monkeys, civets, porcupines, fish, frogs, crabs, large monitor lizards,
pythons, and young elephants or rhinos. Grass, fruits, and berries are also eaten. (2)
2. Prey living in dense, forested areas (where tigers are found) tend to be more scattered in distribution. Because of this, tigers will attack most any animal that places itself in a vulnerable position. Tigers kill animals of all ages and physical conditions, including animals in their prime. (6)
d. Before feeding, kills are often carried or dragged to an area of dense cover. Tigers usually begin eating at the animal's rump.
2. Because of their size and build, tigers can kill prey large enough to provide meals for several days.
a. Tigers can consume 20 to 35 kg (44-77 lb.) of food at one sitting; but they usually eat about 15 to 18 kg (33-40 lb.) of food a day, over several days. They don't seem to mind eating decaying flesh. (6)
b. After meals, tigers cover the remains of the kill with vegetation or debris. This conceals the carcass from scavengers such as vultures and jackals.
c. Tigers mainly rest and drink between meals, but may kill other prey if the opportunity arises.
d. Tigers usually gorge themselves at a kill, and they may not need to eat again for several days. If their food requirements are averaged per day over a year, female tigers need about 5 to 6 kg (11-13 lb.) of food per day and males need about 6 to 7 kg (13-15 lb.) of food per day. (6)
3. Kill frequency varies between tigers.
a. Researchers in Nepal found that female tigers without young killed every 8 to 8.5 days (42-45 kills per year). Researchers in India had similar findings. (6)
b. Female tigers with two cubs ages six to ten months old killed every five to six days (61-73 kills per year). (6)
4. Not all attempted attacks are successful.
a. Tigers probably have only one successful attack in every 10 to 20 tries. (8)
b. Potential prey may see the tiger and escape before the attack, or if the prey is large enough, manage to escape after attacked. Tigers will not chase prey over long distances. (2)
c. Powerful prey animals, like buffalo and guar, may injure or kill tigers during attacks. (2)
d. Packs of Asiatic wild dogs, called dholes, are quite dangerous, and may actually pursue and kill tigers. (2)
5. Tigers don't always kill their own food. They'll drive other predators, such as leopards, away from their kills. (2)
B. Method of feeding
1. Tigers are solitary hunters and actively search for prey using their eyesight and
hearing. They depend on concealment and a stalk and ambush approach to capture prey.
a. When prey is located, the tiger begins its stalk. It approaches the prey from the
side or rear, in a semi-crouch or crouch position. Remaining concealed, quiet, and
cautious, the tiger attempts to get within 20 m (66 ft.) of its victim. (8)
b. Once the tiger is close enough, it suddenly rushes the prey. Using
its powerful forelimbs and sharp claws, the tiger seizes the prey by the shoulder, back,
or neck, and forces it to the ground. Unless the prey is quite large, tigers usually keep
their hind feet on the ground. (1,8)
c. During or after the attack, the tiger administers a lethal bite to the nape (back)
of the neck or the throat of its victim. (6)
(1) When prey weighs more than half as much as the tiger, the tiger will usually bite
the throat, causing suffocation.
(2) When prey is smaller, the tiger commonly bites the nape of the neck, damaging the
spinal cord.
(3) Tigers mainly attack prey weighing 50 to 200 kg (110-441 lb.), but regularly take animals weighing up to 400 kg (882 lb.). (6,8)
3. Most cases of man-eating occurs in the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in India and Bangladesh. In this area, about 5% of the tigers are believed to be man-eaters, and hundreds of honey-collectors, woodcutters, and fisherman have been killed in the reserve's mangrove jungles. Between 1975 and 1989, 521 people were killed in the Indian sector alone. Tigers identified as man-eaters are either shot or relocated to a zoo. (2)
4. There are several successful methods being used to discourage attacks on humans. These include setting up clay dummies that smell and look like humans, but give tigers an electric shock if attacked; having jungle workers wear a face mask on the back of their head (tigers don't like to attack from the front), or having workers carry a club over their right shoulder (tigers usually attack humans on the right nape); and releasing game into the reserves to increase the tigers' food supply. (2,5)
C. Attacks on humans
1. Though some tigers do kill people, they're not necessarily man-eaters. Most tigers
try to avoid people, but may attack if taken by surprise, or if defending their young. If
tigers do attack people, they rarely eat them.
2. Certain factors may cause tigers to become man-eaters. (2,5)
a. A tiger may be desperate for food because it's old or injured. Humans are relatively
easy prey.
b. Tigers living in habitats where native prey is scarce may be forced to hunt humans
for food. Likewise, a mother tiger with cubs may hunt humans to provide enough food for
her young. Consequently, the young tigers learn that humans are prey.
c. As tiger habitats become smaller and more isolated, tigers and people come in
contact with each other more often. Tigers may venture onto surrounding agricultural lands
to hunt or find dens for their cubs. A chance attack on humans may become routine behavior
for some tigers. Fortunately, not all tigers that attack humans become habitual
man-eaters.
d. Some tigers may learn to associate humans with food if they've had the opportunity to scavenge human corpses.
