Wild Wikis

Tiger

Introductions

I am Rajah, a 6-year-old male tiger.  Many people think of us as lean, mean, solitary killing machines.  Some even see us as maneaters.  But we are so much more than that!  We grow up in affectionate family units and live in a very ordered social system that allows us to avoid unnecessary tiger-on-tiger conflict.  

In tiger society, assertiveness leads to dominance.  Tigers like me weigh 500 pounds (225 kilograms) while tigresses weigh 350 pounds (160 kilograms).  Although there have been some feisty tigresses, it is usually the biggest male in the area that controls the region.  As a dominant tiger, I’d like to share a little bit about us to help you understand our world.

Tiger

Fast Facts

Where We Live

We live in a wide variety of habitats throughout Asia, ranging from the tropics of Sumatra to the frozen tundra of eastern Russia.  Sadly, there are more tigers in human care than in the wild, but some humans are working to change this.

IUCN Status

 Endangered, primarily due to:

  • Hunting and Poaching (both us and our food sources)
  • Human-Wildlife Conflict
  • Habitat loss and fragmentation
  • Infectious disease

Celebrity Tiger

Machali, a Bengal tigress who helped repopulate India’s Ranthambore National Park and was celebrated as the Queen Mother of Tigers. Check out Machali’s Wikipedia page to learn more about her.

International Tiger Day

is July 29!

Fun Fact

We love the water and have the webbed feet to prove it.  Swimming across a 5-mile lake or river is easy.  But I hate to get my face wet so I back into ponds and streams to avoid it.

Subspecies

The IUCN recognizes two subspecies of tiger (Continental and Sumatran) while other organizations continue to recognize six subspecies that fall under the broader categories:

  • Continental Tigers
    • Bengal Tigers
      • Live primarily in India, but are also found in Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Bhutan in wet mangrove forests
      • Most numerous and accounts for 2/3 of existing tigers today
      • Biggest tiger at 350 – 500 pounds (160 – 225 kilograms)
      • Between 2,000 – 2,500 remain wild
    • Siberian (Amur) Tigers
      • Live in Eastern Russian and NE China
      • Palest coat with fewest stripes and a very thick, fluffy winter coat with a large ruff around the neck.
      • Maintain the largest territories at more than 4,000 square miles (6,400 square km)
      • Once the largest subspecies but are now roughly the same size as Bengal tigers
      • Only 400 remain wild
    • Indochinese Tigers
      • Live in Thailand and Myanmar
      • Darker coat with narrow stripes
      • 20% smaller than Bengals 
      • Only 200 remain wild
    • Malayan Tigers
      • Live on the Malay Peninsula and southern tip of Thailand
      • Nearly identical to the Indochinese Tigers
      • Only 150 remain wild
    • South China Tigers
      • Lives only in captivity now
      • Stripes are broad and spaced far apart.
  • Sundra island or Sumatran tigers
    • Live in Sumatra and Indonesia
    • Have the darkest fur that is a rusty orange with thin stripes and a whitish mane.  
    • The smallest subspecies, which weighs only 310 pounds (140 kilograms) and measures 8 feet (2.5 meters).
    • Only 500 remain wild

Tiger Social Structure

As an adult tiger, I am mostly on my own unless I’m spending time with one of my ladies, Cinnamon, Saffron, or Jasmine.  You might think of me as one of your more introverted friends and honestly, I like it this way because it ensures I can find enough to eat.  On rare occasions, I may bump into another tiger while I’m hunting.  Then I share my catch.  When it’s one of my mates, I always let her and our cubs eat first.  

We have developed a complex land tenure system that allows us to avoid unnecessary conflict with each other.  Tigresses, like Cinnamon, Saffron, and Jasmine do not overlap their territories.  And although my range overlaps with the three of them, no other adult male overlaps my territory.  I maintain my range by renewing my marks every few weeks.  None of my neighbors would trespass and no newcomers would move in as long as I continue my marking.  It is fair, though, to probe your neighbors’ boundaries to make sure they are still occupied.  If I didn’t pick up their scent, then I would expand my range. Read more about tiger territories here

Tiger Turf

Because most of my time is spent alone, I need ways to communicate when I’m not around.  My most important tool to leave messages is through scent marks.  I leave a strong, musky odor by spraying urine mixed with a marking fluid onto trees and shrubs along the boundaries of my territory and commonly used travel routes.  I rub my head and cheek on the spot to extend the scent.  Scent tells tigers a lot about the tiger who left them like their gender, their age, when the mark was left, and if it’s a tigress, whether she is ready for male company.

Growing Up Tiger

In the Beginning

My twin sister, Rani, and I were born in a den beneath a rock structure.  We weighed only 3 pounds (1.3 kilograms), and our eyes were closed.  Within a week, we had blurry vision, and a few weeks later we could see clearly.  By then we were starting to crawl.  And within another week, I took my first steps, and my baby teeth came in.  Mom spent most of her time with us those first few weeks, nursing and cuddling us and then licking us clean.  She left only for short stints to get a drink or a quick meal before returning to our den.  

When I was two months old, Mom began bringing us pieces of meat.  A few weeks later, we were ready to leave the den.  I could always find Mom by the white spot on the back of her ears, which allowed me to follow her.  Back then, Rani and I were too young to join her in her quest for food, so we waited quietly until she called for us.

Time With Mom and Dad

Even when I was several months old, I enjoyed a close physical bond with Mom.  She nuzzled, cuddled, and licked me all the time.  By then, Rani and I were wrestling with each other, jumping on Mom, and practicing our pouncing technique on insects and sticks.  When I was 6 months old, I switched to an all-meat diet.  Mom would always let Rani and me have our fill before she had any herself.

Our Dad was the resident male in the area.  We didn’t see him every day, but as Rani and I got older, he shared food with us sometimes and he always let us eat first too.  He was fun to play with and didn’t mind when I jumped on him.  When he was around, he often licked and nuzzled me like Mom.

Life Lessons

By the time we were a year old, Rani and I would charge each other to practice our running.  We also enjoyed racing up and down trees.  I got my permanent canines around that time too.  That meant it was time for Mom to teach us how to locate and secure food.  She’d disable a deer for us so we could practice our technique.  After a few months of lessons, Mom changed her tactic and started eating before Rani or I could.  She also started spending more time away from us, but she’d come to check on us every few days to make sure we were eating.  I’d be so happy when I’d see her that I purred.

Tiger Body Language

When I am with other tigers, they understand whether I’m feeling aggressive or affectionate by my eyes, the position of my ears, the flick of my tail, and how I stretch my cheeks.

Adulting, Tiger Style

Independence

Rani and I were mostly independent by the time we were two years old.  We remained in Mom’s territory and would hunt with her sometimes.  It helped to be in a familiar area while we were perfecting our technique.  While Rani remained in the same area, I gradually expanded my range to mirror that of my father and we sometimes spent time near each other.  Around that time, Mom had a new litter of cubs.  Because Mom was staying so close to her new little ones, Rani began encroaching on Mom’s territory and took it over within a few months.  It had everything she needed:  water, food, and suitable den sites. (Mom had to make do with a small portion of her original area.)

Relocation Services

As the new cubs left their den, it was time for me to find a new home.  I traveled over 100 miles (160 kilometers) and found a suitable area in the fringes of a forest.  After a year there, I noticed the resident male in the area wasn’t renewing his boundary marks.  Something had happened to him, so I moved in and took over.  He was 14 so he had lived a long tiger life.

Spending Time with the Ladies

I was 4 when I started noticing the tigresses.  My territory overlapped with three of them:  Cinnamon, Saffron, and Jasmine.  As I conducted my nightly walks, I could tell when one of them was ready for my company by the scent she left.  Jasmine roars a lot to really get my attention then too.  

When I spend time with one of my ladies, we walk around her territory, nuzzle and groom each other, and share meals for two days.  It’s our way of getting to know each other, which is important because tigers must be familiar with each other before we mate.  And even then, it can be dangerous business.  Jasmine and the tigresses roll on the ground in front of me and when I come closer, they’ll slap me.  Gradually, though, each will allow me to approach her without aggression.  I met up with Jasmine several times before she became pregnant with my cubs. As they grow, they will follow the same life cycle as me.

Tiger Communications

I’m not often vocal, but when I am all my neighbors know my calls and understand what I’m saying.  My most impressive noise is a roar, which can carry over 2 miles (3 kilometers).  This helps me tell other tigers I found a large meal or to help me locate one of my tigresses.  For closer communications, I use a subdued roar, which sounds like a moan.  To tell others to back off, I growl or use a coughing snarl.  Not all our sounds are scary though.  I make a chuffing noise to greet my tigresses and our cubs.  

A Typical Day for Me as an Adult

Rousing for the Day

My days begin in the late afternoon.  As I rouse from sleep, I groom myself thoroughly for 30 minutes, making sure to lick my paws, chest and back.  After a good yawn and stretch, I’m ready to start walking the borders of my territory.  As I move along the boundary, I take care to renew my marks at least once every three weeks.  I may travel up to 18 miles (29 kilometers) tonight in my pursuits.

I Love the Nightlife

As the sun sets, I shift to finding food.  I have excellent night vision, acute hearing, and a strong sense of smell that helps me in my nocturnal quest.  I walk the same trail paths that the deer use, hoping to run into one.  When that strategy doesn’t pay off, I conceal myself behind tall vegetation, small bushes, rocks, trees, or whatever else I can find.  And then I wait quietly for the right opportunity.  I may spend hours in the same location, hoping the deer will come close to me. (I’m not much of a runner so I rely on my stealth to find meals.)  Some nights, the deer see me before I’m ready and they send up an alarm call.  When that happens, I walk directly to a new location to hide myself and wait again.  My tactics pay off once a week and then I eat my meal over the next several days.  Because I prefer to be hidden from sight, I move my catch to a covered area before eating. Mostly I consume deer and wild boar but occasionally mix in whatever I can find such as buffalo, sloth bears, monkeys, porcupines, reptiles, fish, birds and insects.

Settling in for the Day

I’m ready to rest by the time the sun rises, although if I’m still hungry I will continue looking for food.  By late morning, you can always find me resting in a new spot within my territory.  On hot days, I settle in a stream to cool myself.  Other days, I find a good hiding spot in dense underbrush or tall grass to take a nap.  Even when I sleep, I am monitoring sounds and even something as light as an insect flying by will wake me. 

How You Can Help Us

We face the typical terrestrial threats.  To counter the biggest issues facing us today, you can support the groups that are working directly to protect us, such as by training and equipping rangers.  Only 7% of our natural range remains so many organizations help to preserve our habitat.  They are also working to ensure it connects with nearby habitats so we can shift between locations and find other tigers more easily.  It’s also important to help prevent illegal wildlife trade and trafficking. 

Returning the Favor

Since you’re considering how to help us, I want to return the favor.  To avoid unnecessary conflict, we clearly communicate our boundaries to those around us and pay attention to the boundaries others share with us.  Although you may want to find a different way to provide this information than we do, it might just help you live a more peaceful existence.  Also, stripes are very becoming, and I don’t recommend trying to catch a tiger by the toe!

Since you’re considering how to help us, I want to return the favor.  To avoid unnecessary conflict, we clearly communicate our boundaries to those around us and pay attention to the boundaries others share with us.  Although you may want to find a different way to provide this information than we do, it might just help you live a more peaceful existence.  Also, stripes are very becoming, and I don’t recommend trying to catch a tiger by the toe!

For more information on tigers, read Tiger Moon by Fiona and Mel Sunquist or watch Disney Nature’s Tiger. If you’d like to see live tigers, your best options include the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Tiger Trail, Jacksonville Zoo’s Land of the Tiger, and London Zoo’s Tiger Territory.  To watch tigers virtually, check out the San Diego Safari Park webcam.

Ready to show off your tiger talents?

Try our sample quiz questions

Sample Tiger Novice Question
Which of the following is NOT a visual cue tigers use to communicate with other tigers?
Sample Tiger Specialist Question
What does a tiger do after a deer raises an alarm call alerting others to his presence?
Sample Tiger Hero Question
Why can human-raised tigers not be released into the wild?

Want to keep trekking with the tigers?

Try your paw at our quizzes!

Take our Quizzes!

Or join the discussion

Join Discussion
  • Tiger and cub
  • Tiger
  • Tiger

References