Tigers are killing machines, built for hunting and eating prey. Tigers have no natural enemies, making them apex predators of Asia. When tigers step on the forest floor, all animals are alert, because they don’t want to get hurt with some of a tiger’s deadly features including 4 inch (10 cm) razor-sharp claws, incredibly strong teeth, and a powerful bite. They also are fast, with a top speed of 40 mph (64 kmh), however, the Amur tiger can run up to 50 mph. But, they can only run for short distances. They have strong muscles, perfect for leaping on prey. Tigers are carnivores, which means they eat meat.

     Tiger’s have a large variety of prey animals. This buffet includes deer, gaur, water buffalo, porcupines, wild pigs, fish and monkeys. They also eat foxes, hares, frogs, and birds. A hungry tiger actually will occasionally prey on grizzly bears and black bears in Siberia. However, they would usually avoid each other. But, a tiger will hunt sun bears, sloth bears, crocodiles, baby rhinos, leopards baby and elephants!

      To hunt, a tiger first locates prey with its keen eyesight, sharp hearing, and a strong sense of smell. A tiger may roam miles to find food. When it finds its prey, it will bend down in vegetation and creep up on its prey. It remains unseen or unheard because its padded feet don’t emit a sound, and its stripes blend in with the tall grasses of Asia.The stripes also look like shadows in the forests and appear to break the tiger’s shape. The tiger’s orange blends in because their orange fur seems like the sunset light, hanging over the stalks of grass and rainforest leaves. Then, when least expected, its long hind legs pushes the tiger forward and it aims for the throat, and its heavy weight pulls its prey down. From that point, all it takes is a single bite and its prey is subdued. 

     When they eat, they can gobble up to 88 lbs (40 kg) of meat in one sitting.Thats like eating over 100 hot dogs in 1 meal! However, it still usually has leftovers, which it buries underground for later. Otherwise, if she has cubs, she will bring it back to them to eat.