Tiger Facts for Kids
Panthera tigris · PAN-ther-uh TY-gris
The biggest wild cat, with stripes that hide it in tall grass.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 249 to 375 lb113 to 170 kg1
- 📏 7.2 to 9.8 ft2.2 to 3 m1 long
- 🎂 15 years15 years1
- 🍽️ meat
- In danger (Endangered)
Tigers are the biggest cats in the world. Their orange coat has black stripes. Tigers like to swim.
Every tiger's stripes are different, like a fingerprint. The stripes break up its shape in tall grass and shadows, so deer don't see it coming. Unlike most cats, tigers enjoy water and are strong swimmers.
Tigers usually live alone, each one walking a big home area that it marks with scent. They hunt mostly at night, sneaking close and pouncing rather than chasing far. Wild tigers now live in far fewer places than they once did, so countries in Asia protect the forests they need, and in some places their numbers are growing again.
How big is a tiger?
Tiger in numbers
| Length | 7.2 to 9.8 ft2.2 to 3 m1species-level range across subspecies |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 249 to 375 lb113 to 170 kg1 |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 15 years15 years1up to; in the wild |
| What it eats | deer and wild pigs |
| Where it lives | forests and grasslands of Asia, from India to the far east of Russia |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | In danger (Endangered)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- No two tigers have the same stripes.
- Tigers love water and are strong swimmers.
- A tiger's stripes are on its skin too, not just its fur.
Compare the tiger
Friends and neighbours
Asian elephant
Saltwater crocodile
LionThree questions
Books about the tiger, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the tiger for free.
Where these numbers come from
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Register 2010 (tiger delisting petition 90-day finding), checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Tiger (Q19939), checked 30 October 2026.