The tiger is a giant orange and black striped cat; a hunter of forests, jungles, swamps, and tall grasslands. It used to live across nearly all of Asia excluding the frozen north. In modern times, its range has been greatly reduced. Those which live on the islands of Indonesia commonly stay smaller than continental tigers, while the tigers of the Amur region of Siberia and northern China are the largest modern cats in existence.
Tigers require cover and water. They are capable swimmers, commonly taking to water and seemingly enjoying the experience.
As befits such a large animal, tigers take large prey. Deer, wild cattle, and wild swine often fall to a tigers teeth and claws. Tigers often turn man-eater, and in some areas tigers consider people a normal part of their diet (as with the tigers of the Sundarban mangrove swamps in modern times). Tigers will also kill domestic animals.
Tigers are normally solitary animals. Each adult requires a huge hunting territory to provide the meat that fuels its large body. As with most solitary cats, the territory is marked with urine, scent marking from glands on the chin and paws, and scratches on tree trunks. The terriory of a male may overlap with that ofseveral females. Occasionally, females may tolerate each other's presence in a non-territorial fashion, although they ususally stay separate despite sharing hunting grounds.