Tigers combine great mass with a stalking hunter's body plan: a long, muscular frame, forelimbs built for grappling, and striped camouflage that breaks the outline in tall grass and dappled forest. Every tiger carries a unique stripe pattern, which is why camera-trap surveys can identify individuals reliably.
Body size varies sharply across the range. Tigers from Sumatra sit at the small end of the scale, while animals from the Russian Far East and the Indian subcontinent reach the upper limits recorded for any wild cat.
Size and measurements
| Head-body length | 4 ft 7 in – 9 ft 2 in (140–280 cm) |
|---|---|
| Tail length | 24 in – 3 ft 7 in (60–110 cm) |
| Shoulder height | 2 ft 7 in – 3 ft 7 in (80–110 cm) |
| Body weight | 165–573 lb (75–260 kg) — Sumatran females from about 75 kg; large males from mainland Asia exceed 200 kg. |
| Top recorded speed | 40 mph (65 km/h) — Short bursts over open ground; tigers rely on cover rather than pursuit. |
| Lifespan in the wild | 10–15 years |
| Lifespan under human care | 16–22 years |
Habitat and range
Any landscape offering dense cover, water and sufficient large prey, from the Sundarbans mangroves to Russian pine and oak forest where winter temperatures fall far below freezing.
Scattered populations in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra), Russia and China. The species now occupies a small fraction of its historical Asian range.
Diet and hunting
Sambar, chital, wild boar, gaur calves and, in the Russian Far East, red deer and roe deer. Tigers can consume very large meals and then cache and revisit a carcass for several days.
Hunting strategy — Solitary stalk and short rush. Tigers approach to within a few dozen feet under cover, then attack in a single explosive rush, using body mass to unbalance prey before a throat or nape bite. Most attempts fail.
Behaviour and activity
Solitary and territorial. Adults hold exclusive ranges against the same sex, marked with scrapes, scent and scratch trees. A male's territory typically overlaps those of several females.
Nocturnal and crepuscular. Chiefly active at night and around dawn and dusk, though tigers in undisturbed forest and cold climates also move by day.
Climbing and swimming
Climbing — Limited. Cubs climb readily; heavy adults rarely do so except under duress, such as when escaping flood water or elephants.
Swimming — Exceptional. Tigers swim across wide rivers and tidal creeks, cool off in pools during hot weather, and in the Sundarbans routinely move between islands.
Conservation status
The Tiger is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with a population trend recorded as increasing in the assessment published in 2022.
The most recent global assessment raised the estimated population, partly through recovery in India, Nepal and Bhutan and partly through better survey coverage. Gains are uneven: several South East Asian populations have collapsed within a generation.
Documented threats
- Poaching for skins and body parts
- Prey depletion by snaring
- Habitat loss and fragmentation
- Human-tiger conflict
- Infrastructure development
Look up the current Red List assessment for Panthera tigris
Notable traits
- Stripe patterns are individually unique and are also present on the skin, not only on the fur.
- Tiger hearing is tuned to low frequencies, and chuffing — a soft, breathy greeting — is used at close range between familiar animals.
- A single adult may need the equivalent of a large deer every week, which is why prey density, not forest area alone, sets local carrying capacity.
Sources for this profile
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- Panthera Field research programmes and species profiles for big and small wild cats.
- World Wildlife Fund Range descriptions, threat summaries and conservation programme reporting.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.