Tiger (Panthera tigris) Fact Sheet: Reproduction & Development

Mating

• Repeated copulation over several days
  • 49-113 copulations over a period of 6.5 days, in one long-term  study of Amur tigers in managed care (Liu 2003)
    • Each copulation lasting c. 13 minutes; some as short as 10 seconds
  • Prolonged courtship association may occur
    • Pairs observed together up to 1 month (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002)
• Mating behavior
  • Signs of female receptivity
    • Display constant vocalizing, pacing, rubbing, and rolling (from Sunquist 1981)
      • One female known to roar 69 times in 15 minutes
    • Female may display aggression toward the male (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002)
  • Copulation
    • Male seizes nape of female's neck and mounts from behind (Mazák 1981)
    • Both male and female vocalize during mating (Mazák 1981; Sunquist 1981)
      • Partners moan, groan, grunt, miaow, growl, and hiss (Mazák 1981)
  • In wild, male leaves after mating is completed and returns next time female is receptive (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002)

Breeding season

• Varies with latitude
• Tropical regions (from Mazák 1981; Sunquist 1981)
  • Polyestrous (mate year-round)
  • Peak breeding activity November-April
• Amur tigers
  • Appear to be seasonal breeders (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002)
  • Peak breeding activity April-June (Tilson et al. 1994)

Estrus cycle

• Quite variable
  • Come into heat every 25 days on average (Schaller 1967; Seal 1987; Sunquist 1981)
  • Can range from 3-9 weeks (Schaller 1967; Seal 1987; Sunquist 1981)
• Reproductive receptivity
  • Receptive for about 5 days on average (Schaller 1967; Seal 1987; Sunquist 1981)
• Copulation induces ovulation
  • As in all felids

Gestation

• Average length of gestation
• c. 103-106 days (Mazák 1981; Sunquist and Sunquist 2002)
  
  • Range in different reports, from 97-110 days (Schaller 1967)

Interval between births

• c. 2 years (Mazák 1981)
• Female resumes cycling after previous litter has dispersed
• If cubs die, female may have more than 1 litter per year

Birth

• Location of birth
  
• Occurs in tall grass, brush, rock piles, or caves (from Mazák 1981)
• Mother may form a covered nest
• Litter size (from Mazák 1981; Sunquist and Sunquist 2009)
• 2-3 on average
• It is uncommon to see a female with more than 3 young (Sunquist 1981)
• Range of 1-7
• Infant characteristics (from Mazák 1981)
• Birth weight
• c. 780-1600 g (1.7-3.5 lb)
• Appearance
• Eyes and ears closed
• Eyes open at 6-14 days
• Ears open at 9-11 days
• Thick, woolly fur
• Adult markings though of a lighter color
• Newborn mortality
• c. 36% (Mazák 1981)

Infant (< 1 year old)

• Development (from Mazák 1981)
  • Milk teeth begin erupting at 2-3 weeks
  • Solid food taken by c. 2 months
    • Begin to follow mother on hunting trips at this time
  • Age at weaning: 3-6 months
  • Take part in hunting c. 5-6 months of age
  • Aquire permanent teeth by 12-14 months

Subadult (from Sunquist and Sunquist 2002 unless otherwise noted)

• Development
  • Independent of mother c. 17-24 months
    • By 15 months, males often leave their mother for several days at a time
  • Gain full adult coloration by 2-3 years (Mazák 1981)
• Learning to hunt (from Sunquist and Sunquist 2002)
  • Young tigers learn to kill by imitation and practice
    • Female tigers observed throwing a buffalo off its feet, stepping back and letting their cubs try to make the kill (Schaller 1967)
    • At 12 months, cubs are inexperienced and do not go for a killing throat bite
  • Male cubs become efficient at killing at an earlier age than females

Adult

• Sexual maturity (from Mazák 1981)
  • Females: 3-4 years in wild
  • Males: 4-5 years in wild
• Sex ratio
  • Females outnumber males (Schaller 1967; Sunquist 1981)
    • 2:1-5:1 ratio of females:males, varies by study populations
  • Unequal sex ratio not seen in young tigers - may result from higher mortality in juvenile males (Schaller 1967; Sunquist 1981)
    • Young males more likely to get into serious fights or be killed

Wild populations

• Similar to life expectancy in managed care (Mazák 1981)

Managed care

• Panthera tigris altaica
  • Median life expectancy (AZA 2023)
    • Males: 16 years
    • Females: 14.3 years
• Panthera tigris jacksoni
  • Median life expectancy (AZA 2023)
    • 16.1 years
• Panthera tigris sumatrae
  • Median life expectancy (AZA 2023)
    • 18.4 years

Cub mortality

• High in first 2 years of life (from Sunquist 1981 unless otherwise noted)
• Up to 50% in wild
• Death due to disease, starvation, attack by predators, and attack by male tigers (Schaller 1967)
• Juvenile males have higher mortality rate than females (Schaller 1967)
• Likely due to independence at earlier age (Schaller 1967)

Adult mortality (from Schaller 1967)

• Humans most significant threat
• Other causes of mortality
• Injuries (during hunting injuries) and infections
• Wounds from porcupine quills can lead to death
• Disease
• Not a major cause of death

Malayan tiger cubs.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

Malayan tiger mother and cub.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

Mazák (1981)
Schaller (1967)
Seal (1987)
Sunquist (1981)
Sunquist and Sunquist (2002, 2009)
Tilson et al. (1994)