Predatory and Anti-Predatory Behavior

Tigers have few enemies in the wild, thus they rarely need to exhibit anti-predatory behavior.  When plenty of prey is available, tigers are not ones to risk their safety by going after very large prey.  They like to stick with sure bets unless they are suffering from starvation.  Tigers most commonly prey on deer and wild pigs, but often prey on other large and medium sized animals.  However, if the opportunity arises, tigers will go for smaller prey such as monkeys, fish, and even large lizards.

As I mentioned in the foraging post, tigers are nocturnal hunters who rely on the element of surprise when attacking their prey.  With their massive body size, they generally overpower their prey with sheer force before breaking the neck with a fatal bite.  Tigers do not chase their prey for long, finding it more efficient to search for another target rather than exerting their energy in a chase.  According to one source, tigers hunt and kill an average of fifty deer-sized animals each year.

Tigers have also been known to drive other animals away from their own kills, thus taking advantage of the food source without even having to attack.  As far as attacks on humans go, it seems that tigers are not often voluntary hunters of humans.  They generally only attack when they are threatened and often don't eat the humans they kill.  However, as humans continue to encroach on tiger habitats, attacks have become more frequent.  This is a result of a reduction in the prey population and the closer contact between humans and the animals.

Sources:
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/tiger/diet.htm
http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/tiger/diettiger.html
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/tiger-prey/?ar_a=1&ar_r=999