The Hunting Habits of Tigers

Tigers are some of the most incredible hunters on the planet. They hunt alone and do so through stalking their prey. They depend upon surprising the prey animal not because they can not otherwise kill them, but because they are not especially good at chasing. Once in the claws of the tiger, few animals will survive very long at all.

Tigers are more than capable of winning a direct fight with any animal including a lion, so many wonder why they resort to the element of surprise. The biggest reason for this is simply because they would otherwise have a tough time catching up to their prey. Prey animals know the tiger is coming the majority of the time and get out of dodge. The tiger must use a stalking technique to get close before they can hope to eat.

The tiger walks on their toes and will slink down as far as their body allows to the ground. Their body colors and striped patterns help them to blend in with their surroundings. They will stay completely silent and slowly make their way behind their potential prey. Once within about 40 feet, they will wait for the opportune moment and pounce.

The tiger usually attacks from behind and sinks their claws deeply into the prey animal to hold it in place. They will bite larger prey items in the throat and squeeze or break the windpipe. Smaller prey they will usually bite and sever the neck or spine. Either way, the animal is usually helpless rather quickly after a tiger attack.

If the animal gets away, then the tiger will only chase them a couple hundred feet or so. They are not pursuit animals like the cheetah and others. Because they hunt alone, they regroup and hunt again rather than chase a prey animal.

Because the tiger tends to attack from behind, there are people that live in the area of tigers that wear masks with faces on the backs of their heads. This is to make the tiger think that they are facing the animal rather than away. People are still taken on occasion by tigers and consumed though it is rare.