What Do Tigers Eat?

Many people need to remember that the tigers that come in orange and black and also white and black are predatory animals. They may look pretty, but they will possibly attack you. Tigers are the largest in the big cat family, and they are usually located in places like Asia. The specific places are throughout Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Russia. Tigers usually like to live around grassy areas, rainforests and swamps. Tigers are very sensitive to the heat and love water. They will even take a dip in the water usually after they have eaten. These ferocious carnivores can eat up to 40 pounds of meat a day.

What wild tigers eat?

Tigers are carnivores. The majority of their diet is meat and some fat. They are excellent hunters but attacking a pack of animals could result in the tiger getting ambushed, so they prefer that their prey is isolated from the rest of the pack or all alone. They don’t care whether the prey is young or old; all they care about is getting their meal. They primarily feed on wild boar, deer, monkeys, buffalo, antelope, baby elephants, and livestock. They also have a tendency to eat fish, crabs, lizards, frogs, and even berries. It is rare for a tiger to eat a human, but underneath the circumstances of them being sick, old or their own prey is scarce, then this has happened especially with Siberian and Indian tigers.

A tiger with a recently killed antelope. Photo by Rhaessner.

A tiger’s diet based on where they are found

1. Bengal or Indian tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) will prey on chital, sambar deer, barasingha, gaur, wild boar, buffalo and nilgai.
2. Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) will eat moose, roe deer, sika deer, and musk deer. However, their favorite is definitely wild boar and Manchurian wapiti.
3. Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) may consume muntjac deer, sambar deer, malayan tapir and wild boar.
4. Caspian tigers (Panthera tigris virgata, critically endangered) have been known to eat camels, saiga antelope, yak, wild horses, and Caucasian wisent.

A South China Tiger with its kill, blesbok which is an antelope. Picture by Save China’s Tiger.

Taking care of tigers in captivity

In places like zoos where animal professionals who know how to take care of predatory animals also can make sure that the tiger gets the food that it needs; it is wise to stock up on high protein that is primarily meat and some fat. The tiger also needs vitamins such as niacin, vitamins A, B and calcium. You can also buy horse meat or frozen beef from canned food or get them from your preferred slaughterhouse. It is a wise idea for you to feed them meat bones for their oral health. You want to make sure that your tiger is being fed two or three times a day so that they can get enough to eat.

Be careful with tigers

Tigers are carnivores that need to eat in order for them to survive. If you come in contact with a tiger they usually won’t want to eat you, but they definitely can devour you with no problem. Some people believe that they can train a tiger to not rely on their predatory instincts, but if you are not a professional, then you need to make sure that you take the precautions that are necessary. If a tiger is hungry and can’t find or hunt the prey that they usually hunt, then they will eat whatever they can in order for them to be able to get the nutrients that they need.