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Tigers are like domestic house cats in that a great deal of their time is spent resting or sleeping. A tiger will spend between 16 and 20 hours each day doing very little apart from lying in the shade. For this reason, action photography of tigers is in very short supply, but you'll always find a profusion of shots showing tigers relaxing. Tigers from tropical climates frequently choose to rest in shallow water holes. This keeps the cat cool and it can relax without the annoyance caused by biting flies. For the same reason, tigers often mate in the water. There is a logical reason behind all this lack of action:
Though the tiger is a magnificent predator, the hunt is only successful once in every 10 to 20 attempts. Since varying conditions may mean a scarcity of prey, the tiger does not waste energy in moving about unless it is out of necessity. It lives in a constant cycle of feed and rest. In the wild most tigers are active only at night; this is one thing that makes them so difficult to track and count. The Bengal tigers of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve in India are a surprising exception, being frequently active during the day. |
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Mating
| Early Days | Raising
Cubs | Hunting & Captive Feeding
| Water Play | Sleeping
| Tree Climbing |
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Photography
With Thanks To Ralf Schmode (Photo 1) |