Tiger Facts

About the tiger

Forests are the tiger's main habitat, from conifer and mixed woods in northeast China and Russia's Far East to tropical moist forests in India and Southeast Asia. As an apex predator, it mostly ambushes hoofed mammals. Tigers live alone and defend home ranges from others of the same sex, though one male's range overlaps with several females.

Females usually have two or three cubs, which remain with her for roughly two years before leaving to set up their own ranges. Since the early 20th century, tigers have lost 93% or more of the land they once roamed, and they have vanished from West and Central Asia, much of China, Java and Bali. Habitat loss and poaching for fur and body parts drive the decline.

Did you know?

• The tiger's range shrank by an estimated 53% to 68% since the late 1990s.
• Some experts recognize only two tiger subspecies instead of the traditional nine.
• Tigers sometimes prey on livestock, which brings them into conflict with people.