What Tigers Eat

While tigers might look like attractive, mystical creatures from afar, these carnivorous felines can pounce on their prey at any time. A tiger's diet is largely based on the types of animals that reside in its geographic area, although some types of prey do stand out above the others in terms of a tiger's favorite meal.

  1. Primary Prey

    • Tigers primarily feed on wild boar and deer. However, depending on the particular habitat, tigers will also eat a variety of other meats, such as monkeys, domestic livestock, buffalo, antelope, fish and baby elephants. Large prey are preferred, but tigers will also resort to eating lizards, frogs and even berries if other food sources are scarce.

    Prey Selection

    • Tigers select which prey to go after based on a hunting methodology. Animals that are isolated from the rest of the pack, or are alone in the wild, make preferable prey for the tiger. If a tiger attempts to attack a pack of animals, the tiger could become caught in an ambush, which is why solitary animals make the best prey. In addition, tigers do not discriminate against young or old prey.

    Man-eaters

    • While it is not common, some tigers can become man-eaters based on particular conditions. If the tiger is sick and unable to hunt, it might attack and eat a person that passes by. Or, if the tiger lives in an area where its prey has become scarce, it might resort to eating a person. According to "National Geographic," this is particularly true of Siberian tigers.

    Prey Competition

    • Since tigers feed on large prey, hunters pose a large competitive threat to their diet. In areas such as Russia, where many of the tigers' prey are hunted by humans, tigers can begin to notice a decrease in the natural habitat's food supply. Consequently, government hunting laws help hunters and tigers maintain a balance in the prey availability, so that they can both get their needs met.