In this article, we’ll answer the question:
“What do tigers eat?”
First, you’ll find a short summary of what tigers eat in nature, then get a list of a tiger’s favorite foods that make up a typical tiger diet. And finally, answers to common questions about tiger feeding habits and nutrition.
Tigers are the largest living cat species and a member of the genus Panthera in the family Felidae and suborder Feliformia. Tigers are carnivorous mammals that typically will not eat any sort of vegetation.
What Do Tigers Eat?
Tigers eat large prey like deer, wild boar, and elephant calves because they are carnivores; however, old and injured tigers are also known to attack domestic cattle and people. A tiger’s diet is determined by the availability of prey in its habitat.
Tiger Diet (Favorite Foods)
- Elk
- Deer
- Wild boar
- Bear
- Elephant calves
- Domestic cattle
How Often Does a Tiger Eat?
A tiger often eats one every two days after feeding on large prey. However, young tigers eat almost every day because they consume less food per meal.
How Much Do Tigers Eat Per Day?
Tigers eat between 10 to 25 pounds of prey per day (4-7% of a mature wild tiger’s body weight) but can feed up to 110 pounds of meat in a single meal. However, after eating up to 100 pounds of prey in one hunt, a tiger can fast for many days without food.
How Long Can Tigers Live Without Food?
Tigers can live for up to one month without food if they are not stressed, but typically only go for two weeks without food in the wild. In captivity, a tiger can live up to two months without food because of the easy access to daily food.
Do Tigers Eat Humans?
Tigers do not eat humans and attacks on people are very rare. Tigers rarely attack humans because they are semi-nocturnal and fear bipedal animals like humans. In addition, tigers are deep forest predators and prefer living in the wild away from human beings.
However, in this New York Times article, a man-eating tiger was reported to have attacked and killed 13 people in India.
Do Tigers Eat Elephants?
Tigers do eat elephants and will attack juvenile and sick elephants. Tigers rarely attack adult elephants because of the danger of being trampled to death.
Do Tigers Eat Fish?
Tigers do eat fish that they can capture. In fact, tigers can dive underneath the water to get their claws or fangs on fish for eating.
What Animals Eat Tigers?
Tigers are prey to a number of different species.
You can visit our other guide on what animals eat tigers to find out which predators actively feed on these mammals.
Tiger Eating Habits and Diet Summary
You now know what do tigers eat in the wild as well as the typical food in a tiger diet.
As you discovered in this guide, tigers are carnivores that eat prey for nutrition with a tiger’s favorite food being things like deer, wild boar, and elephant calves.
I’m the lead editor and writer for Animal Answer Guide. I enjoy sharing expert knowledge on the various characteristics of common species within the five distinct groups of animals: amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles.
