Endangered, only about 4,500 tigers live in Asia and parts of the Middle East, down from 100,000 in 1900. While their African cousin, the lion, is often considered the king of the jungle, tigers hold the same position atop the food chain where they live. Their distinctive coats and fierce fangs make them expert predators—and easily identifiable by humans who admire them from afar. It’s wise not to get too close, but have a good look here.
A tiger establishes its territory by scent-marking a tree, or transferring its aroma, warning other animals of its presence. Amartya Mukherjee, India, 2021/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/f1/96/f196ec66-dee9-4775-9f24-f56de431a2ef/ff9eda25-f3c8-4d79-8ba0-2661707ad8a7.jpg)
A tiger takes a dip in cool waters on a summer afternoon. Saurabh Dhanorkar, India, 2023/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/61/a0/61a0a2d3-5d8c-4965-9352-3c27d41e0e8d/ed70f3f4-fa6f-439c-bc45-0c56193f92fc.jpg)
At Tiger Canyon, a reserve, tigers roam free and hunt their own food. Elize Labuschagne, South Africa, 2019/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/57/0d/570dc352-dcc6-416d-9d6f-fc54f80dddb7/d962097a-3680-4673-8dc2-c7078aec264f.jpg)
Tigers are commonly more active during the night, when their stripes help camouflage from unsuspecting prey. Sanjay Shukla, India, 2019/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/57/70/5770e3e0-103f-46d7-82de-8a0f540c5f3c/bfe8eada-54a6-4678-934f-e5d3f3be8555.jpg)
A 1-year-old cub sits in the shade on cool stones while it awaits its mother’s return. Rahul Sanap, India, 2018/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/c8/92/c892426d-65fd-43a2-a6fd-f7b3de7c6bec/528ef624-02a1-4b4c-bd9d-6379ac8dccfa.jpg)
A tigress and her three cubs enjoy some quality family time in the morning. Akash Akinwar, India, 2019/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/e4/85/e485e04b-e737-4027-9da2-a88f13908232/923cdf25-6901-4259-863d-3291a1a98ab2.jpg)
Two tigers play in a winter wonderland. Jiangchuan Tong, China, 2017/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/20/50/205036d5-5bbe-4644-a8b0-c26b08a9a01c/849a9e5a-a422-4eef-9f0e-aa45cfd663ae.jpg)
A tiger rests peacefully on a cold winter morning at the Kabini tiger reserve. Narayanan Iyer, India, 2020/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/31/8e/318eebc2-0644-4dba-9d76-3e3cab919f7e/98c48bb9-a54e-4d70-b22f-96b4b2a455cf.jpg)
Tigers have about 30 teeth, some as long as three inches. Sampo Massala, Singapore, 2023/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/af/08/af089966-d371-4e20-a074-ad6e3e99149a/42dfbaba-f8d4-4a0c-985b-587bb3132b87.jpg)
Two young, playful tigers practice their combat techniques while cooling off in the water at a zoo outside Madrid. Pedro Jarque Krebs, Spain, 2020/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/9e/b4/9eb48434-9918-4fcb-8975-7cba367f7e2a/9cd0a30a-8d9a-49bf-a6f4-3ea922acf787.jpg)
Incredibly rare, only 1 in 10,000 tiger births in the wild result in this distinct mutation, seen here at the Cougar Mountain Zoo. Maia Aikens, Washington, 2018/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/8b/c6/8bc63ca3-45ea-4c6a-b09b-bc40e2e63922/7cb332bc-b036-4ad1-be62-f91eb210a71e.jpg)
Judging by the look in his eyes, this tiger prefers to be left alone as it drinks from a watering hole. Disturb it at your own risk. Michael Watts, India, 2019/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/f7/ad/f7ad8727-a21b-46fa-94af-3c826e6a2a0e/6edb1422-3444-406e-901e-7d841e0cceab.jpg)
Tigers can consume more than 80 pounds of meat during one feeding. Nick Dale, India, 2023/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/7c/d3/7cd32686-0fc8-4a6b-a17a-01feb33fabe6/1a9103d0-87a4-4b05-a776-cb588a7e39d6.jpg)
A cub offers a display of affection in the form of a gentle nudge to its mother. Narayanan Iyer, India, 2022/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/b5/1a/b51a2a84-0694-44b3-b51c-70b298934934/5ec29a18-b575-4656-9278-2c5800cba97b.jpg)
