Head and Tail Length
Adult length: 5-12 feet (1.5-3.7 m). Sumatran tigers are the world’s smallest subspecies of tiger and reach a maximum of about 9 feet (2.7 m).

Weight
Adult weight: 143-670 pounds (65-305 kg). The largest tiger on record was a Siberian tiger that weighed 845 pounds (384 kg). Sumatran tigers range from 165-250 pounds (75-114 kg).

Life Span
Wild life span is 15 years; about 18-20 years in zoos

Diet
In the wild: Almost anything that moves. In general, however, their favorite prey are medium sized deer and wild boar.

At the zoo: Horse meat, mutton, chicken, rabbit, beef knuckle bones and commercially prepared feline diet. For treats they are fed trout, chicks and turkey.

Reproduction
Female tigers sexually mature at about 3 to 4 years of age; males about 4 to 5 years. Mating may occur any time during the year, but most frequently takes place from November to April. Females enter estrus every three to nine weeks and are receptive for three to six days. The gestation period lasts about 95-110 days. Female tigers give birth in a secluded den to two to three cubs, but litters may range from one to six cubs. The female rears the cubs alone.

Life Cycle
Tiger cubs are born with their eyes closed and weigh about 2 pounds (.9 kg). After a week or two, the cub’s eyes open and its first teeth begin to grow. Young nurse for three to six months, and begin to follow their mother on hunts at 5 to 6 months of age. Cubs will not hunt alone, however, until they are 18-30 months old. Young tigers leave their mother at about the same age to look for their own territory and to mate.

Built to Kill
Tigers are built to kill large prey. Their hindlimbs are longer than their forelimbs, enabling the tiger to jump long distances. Tigers have heavily muscled forelimbs and shoulders, and paws equipped with long, retractable claws, which enable them to grab prey and drag it to the ground. A killing bite is delivered with powerful jaws and long canines.

Tigers are mostly solitary animals, except during mating and when females are with cubs. These large felines establish and secure their territories by marking boundaries with urine and feces. Once a territory is established, it will remain with that tiger until its death. There is little overlap of territorial boundaries between adults of the same sex. However, a male’s territory may overlap the territories of several females.

Tigers can be tolerant of other tigers. Examples are several tigers gathering together to consume a particularly large kill, a mother with her young and a male and female staying together while mating. Tigers communicate to one another by rubbing heads, roaring, purring and grunting. Avoidance, however, appears to be the rule rather than the exception. A habitat of dense vegetation, with scattered prey living alone or in small groups, favors a predator that hunts alone.

On the Prowl
Tigers depend less on smell and more on keen eyesight and acute hearing to ambush and capture prey. Unlike lions that hunt in prides in open country, the solitary tiger prefers to hunt in the cover of dense foliage. When within striking distance, the tiger charges and grabs its prey. Large prey are bitten in the throat and usually die from suffocation. Smaller animals are killed with a swift bite to the back of the neck. The carcass is then dragged to a secluded area where it is consumed. A tiger can consume up to 85 pounds (40 kg) of meat at one time.