Can tigers swim?

Although many of the big cats, including cheetahs, leopards and lions, have a tendency to avoid the water because they do most of their hunting on land, tigers are prolific swimmers and often use the water to patrol their territories. Tigers usually live in tropical jungle environments, and being able to swim across a river is par for the course.

Jaguars, another of the big cats, are also great swimmers. Tigers have been known to swim across rivers that are 4.3 miles wide, and they can swim up to 18 miles in one day.