Hunting and Feeding

Hunting & Feeding - Page 1: Concealment | 2&3: Technique | 4: Failures | 5: The Lethal Bite |
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6: Feeding Before Making The Kill | 7: The Menu | 8: The Food Chain | 9&10: Feeding |
11&12: In Captivity

An explanation of the food chain:

Plants are the original energy source for all animals; they feed herbivores which then provide food for carnivores. The food which is eaten and digested is available for use in growth and other bodily functions, but because a great deal is lost as heat the amount of energy able to be passed on as we get higher up the food chain becomes smaller. The result is that it takes a vast amount of food at lower levels to actually support the few animals at the top level.

Each step in the food chain is given a name, with perhaps the most common ones being: producer (plants), herbivore, carnivore and decomposer. As with the food chain on this page, the number of links in a chain is usually four, though it may be as many as six. It is usual to show food chains with arrows from one organism to another, however the use of colour made this one easier to follow.

A diagram of the food chain:

The tiger is at the top of the food chain; their only direct threat is man. Predators like the tiger thin out hoof stock and prevent their populations growing to the point where vegetation would be over-used; this would lead to a break down of the land.

Man:
    • Man hunts the tiger for trophies and medicine.
    • He hunts the leopard, caracal and  jackal for fur.
    • The elephant is targeted for ivory.
    • Buffalo are grazed on the land.
    • The clearing of land leads to a reduction in hoof stock -- and prey animals.
    Tiger:

    Tigers prey primarily on the animals shown with yellow lines (from left to right):

      • Peacock
      • Sambar
      • Gaur
      • Bear
      • Chital
      • Porcupine
      • Buffalo
      • Wild Boar
      • Nilgai
    Other animals:

    Other predators and their primary prey are also displayed. Animals on the diagram are (top to bottom, left to right):

    Upper Levels

      • Man
      • Tiger
      • Wild Dog
      • Leopard
      • Jungle Cat
      • Hyena
      • Caracal
      • Jackal

      Medium Level

        • Peacock

    Lower Levels

      • Elephant
      • Langur
      • Sambar
      • Gaur
      • Muntjak
      • Bear
      • Chital
      • Porcupine
      • Buffalo
      • Wild Boar
      • Nilgai
      • Hare
      • Partridge
      • Rhesus Monkey
    The lowest level:

    This consists of plants and decaying matter.


Hunting & Feeding - Page 1: Concealment | 2&3: Technique | 4: Failures | 5: The Lethal Bite |
|
6: Feeding Before Making The Kill | 7: The Menu | 8: The Food Chain | 9&10: Feeding |
11&12: In Captivity

Mating
| Early Days | Raising Cubs | Hunting & Captive Feeding | Water Play | Sleeping | Tree Climbing
The Man-Eater | Myths & Facts | Conflict with other Animals

Habits of the Tiger Index | Home

Photography With Thanks To Ralf Schmode & Corel
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All Rights Reserved. Displayed here with permission, for educational, non-profit purposes.