Tigers are carnivores whose diet consists almost exclusively of meat, primarily large-bodied prey weighing about 20 kg (45 lbs) or more. Their main food sources are large mammals such as various species of deer (e.g., sambar, chital, hog deer, and sika deer), wild boar, buffalo, gaur, pigs, cows, horses, and goats. They also occasionally prey on elephant and rhinoceros calves, tapirs, leopards, bears, and Asiatic wild dogs. Smaller animals like monkeys, hares, porcupines, birds, fish, reptiles, and rodents may supplement their diet, especially when larger prey is scarce. Tigers may also prey on domestic livestock near human settlements due to habitat encroachment and prey scarcity

. Tigers hunt primarily by stalking their prey using sight and hearing, then attacking with a powerful bite to the neck or throat. They can consume up to 40 kg (88 lbs) of meat in one feeding and often cover leftover carcasses to return to later

. In summary, tigers eat a wide variety of animals, mostly large ungulates and other mammals, but they are opportunistic hunters capable of consuming smaller animals and even other carnivores when available